If you’re hoping to start off 2025 on the right foot — or the left foot, for that matter — a New Year’s Day hike is just the thing.  

 

A few hours’ brisk walk through nature is an ideal way to shake the dust of 2024 off your feet. It also can be the starting point of a new habit to pick up in 2025, of enjoying the wealth of natural resources across the SouthCoast. 

 

There are a few options if you’re looking for first-day hikes, for everyone from beginners to old pros, including guided walks if you’ve never been on a trail before.

 

DCR started the First Day Hikes initiative at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton in 1992, which was was expanded nationally in 2012. This year, DCR is giving hikers First Day Hike winter hats and commemorative pins. 

 

On Jan. 1, the state DCR will host its 34th annual First Day Hikes program. Hikers can tag along with guides at 14 state parks across Massachusetts, from Cape Cod to Western Mass. A full list of First Day Hike locations is available at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/dcr-first-day-hikes.

 

Read more at heraldnews.com.