First Day Hikes in New England 2020

First Day Hikes will be held Throughout New England to celebrate New Year's Day 2020. This article includes a partial listing of First Day hikes, walks, and other events in the region, listed by state.

Connecticut

State Park First Day Hikes

Burr Pond State Park,Torrington, CT

Candlewood Hill WMA, Groton, CT

Hammonasset Beach State Park (Meigs Point Nature Center), Madison, CT

James L. Goodwin Conservation Center, Hampton CT

Kettletown State Park, Southbury, CT

Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area, Burlington CT

Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, CT

Topsmead State Forest,  Litchfield, CT

For more infomation, visit www.ct.gov/deep.

Maine

State Park First Day Hikes

Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal, ME

Lake St. George State Park, Liberty, ME

Lily Bay State Park, Greenville, ME

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, ME

Massachusetts

State Park First Day Hikes

White-tailed Deer | credit: USFWS

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) has scheduled First Day Hikes in several state parks throughout the Commonwealth.

CENTRAL
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, Uxbridge, MA
Wachusett Reservoir, West Boylston, MA

NORTH
Walden Pond State Reservation, Concord, MA
Breakheart Reservation, Saugus, MA
Harold Parker State Forest, North Andover, MA
Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

SOUTH
Nickerson State Park, Brewster, MA
Shawme Crowell State Forest, Sandwich MA
Nantasket Beach, Hull MA

WEST
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls, MA
Granville State Forest, Granville, MA
Mount Greylock State Reservation, Lanesborough, MA

For more information, visit www.mass.gov/dcr.

More First Day Hikes in Massachusetts


Rocky Woods, Medfield, Massachusetts

The Rocky Woods ranger will lead a guided hike on the property.

National Park Service Regional Visitor Center, Salem MA

The National Park Service, the City of Salem, Essex National Heritage Commission, and the Salem Historical Society invite locals and community members to participate in First Day Hike 2020. This year’s hike will focus on the importance of the Custom House to Salem’s history. For more information, visit thingstodoinsalem.com.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire State Parks and its partners will host First Day Hikes this New Year’s Day.

Milan Hill State Park, Milan, NH

Monadnock State Park, Jaffrey, NH

Odiorne Point State Park, Rye, NH

Franconia Notch State Park, Flume Gorge, Lincoln, NH

Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown, NH

For more information, visit www.nhstateparks.org/news-events/first-day-hike.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is hosting free guided walking tours at Colt State Park, in Bristol, on New Year's Day. The one-and-a-half-mile hike offers panoramic views of Narragansett Bay.

For more information, visit ri.gov.

Vermont

On New Year's Day, a variety of free, guided, family-friendly First Day hikes will be taking place at state parks and forests across Vermont. Entry to Vermont's state parks is free on New Year’s Day and all winter long.

State Park First Day Hikes

Button Bay State Park, Ferrisburgh VT

Barnes Camp, Stowe, VT

Holbrook State Park, Sheffield, VT

Gifford Woods State Park, Killington, VT

First Day Hikes Resources

America's State Parks - First Day Hikes

American Hiking Society - First Day Hikes