Start 2025 outside with a First Day Hike

Vanessa Junkin

Editor

Dec. 13, 2024

4 min read

Vanessa Junkin came to Salisbury from northern Maryland to attend Salisbury University and decided to make Delmarva home upon graduation. She worked as a newspaper copy editor and reporter before ente...

The outdoors is a great place to begin the new year, and First Day Hikes have become a tradition across the country. Delmarva parks will be participating in this America’s State Parks initiative. See what’s happening to celebrate the new year. Events are free unless otherwise noted.

Be sure to wear appropriate shoes, be prepared for cold weather and visit each event website for additional information, such as whether each hike is stroller-accessible, wheelchair-accessible or pet-friendly.

Maryland

Assateague State Park

Welcome the new year at Assateague State Park, which will host two ranger-led beach hikes and a self-guided hike on the Rackliffe Trail, all of which are about a mile long.

The following two hikes are within the state park; there is a $5/car entrance fee.

First Day Family Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
10 am
Assateague State Park Day-Use Area, 6915 Stephen Decatur Highway, Berlin, MD 21811

First Day Beach Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
11 am
Assateague State Park Day-Use Area

Hike behind the Assateague Island Visitor Center on the Rackliffe Trail and search for decorated quahog clam shells and oyster shells – each family is invited to take one during this 1st Day Scavenger Hunt Hike, a partnership with Just Walk Berlin.

Rackliffe Trail – Self-Guided Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
8 am to 5 pm
Rackliffe Trail, 11800 Marsh View Lane, Berlin, MD 21811

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park

Enjoy the scenic beauty of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge during a 2.5-mile hike on paved terrain from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center.

First Day Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
10 am
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, 4068 Golden Hill Road, Church Creek, MD 21622

Janes Island State Park

Janes Island State Park in Crisfield will host hikes on both the last day of 2024 and the first day of 2025. Learn to go birding or enjoy the first sunset of 2025.

Last Day Birding Hike

Dec. 31, 2024
10 am
Attendees will meet at the Camper Check-In Parking Lot at Janes Island State Park, 26280 Alfred J. Lawson Drive, Crisfield, MD 21817, then drive 10 minutes to Irish Grove.

First Day Sunset Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
4-5 pm
Janes Island State Park

Tuckahoe State Park

This volunteer-led event is not the average “hike,” but it’s a way to get out there, get moving and learn a new sport. There will be discs available to use on-site.

First Day Disc Golf Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
9 am
Disc golf parking lot, 13450 Cherry Lane, Ridgely, MD 21660

Junior rangers can show off their exploration skills to their parents over 1.5 miles at a Junior Ranger Hike from a different area of Tuckahoe State Park.

Junior Ranger Hike

Jan. 1, 2025
10 am
Tuckahoe State Park, Lake Picnic Area, 13187 Crouse Mill Road, Queen Anne, MD 21657

Self-Guided First Day Hikes

In addition to the ranger-led events, Maryland State Parks are promoting several self-guided hikes at its parks on the Eastern Shore.

Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park – Choptank River Trail (29761 Boling Broke Point Drive, Trappe, MD 21673)
Martinak State Park – Activity Trail (137 Deep Shore Road, Denton, MD 21629)
Pocomoke River State Park – Yellow Trail (3461 Worcester Highway, Snow Hill, MD 21863)
Tuckahoe State Park – Animal Fitness Trail (13187 Crouse Mill Road, Queen Anne, MD 21657)
Tuckahoe State Park – Tuckahoe Fitness Trail (13187 Crouse Mill Road, Queen Anne, MD 21657)
Wye Island National Resources Management Area – The Poem Walk on the Holly Tree Trail (1560 Wye Island Road, Queenstown, MD 21658)

Learn more about all of Maryland State Parks' First Day Hikes here. To see the local hikes, scroll down to "Eastern Region."

Delaware

Cape Henlopen State Park

Delaware State Parks hosts a few First Day Hikes, starting in different areas of the parks. The Fort Miles hikes are history-based. The first three are for ages 7 and older; the First Day Recreation Hike is for ages 5 and older. See the link for the specific hike location.

First Day Hike: History in the Pinelands