Forgo the fireworks and crowded festivities and accompany a ranger on this guided hike through the quiet woods with the moon and stars lighting the way.

Join us for the first Fossil Hikes of the YEAR!!!!

While the American tradition of celebrating the New Year occurs at midnight on New Year's Eve, other cultures celebrate by enjoying the sunrise on New Year's Day.

Turn over a new leaf and take a step into 2024 with us at Claytor Lake State Park.

We are looking forward to starting off 2024 on the right foot with our series of First Day Hikes: December 31, 2023 New Year's Eve Night Hike (11 p.m. - 1 a.m.): Hike in the new year.

While jumping into the new year, join some guided hikes or take in the beauty of nature on your own.

Start the New Year off on the right foot by hiking at Douthat State Park.

Celebrate the new year with friends, family and furry companions at Belle Isle State Park's First Day Hike. We will take a leisurely walk on the wooded Camp Spur and White Oak Swamp Trails while we think about our intentions for 2024.

Get your heart pumping in the New Year, on this ranger-led hike along Purchase Ridge.

Join us at Occoneechee State Park this New Year's Day for a ranger-led journey along the Beaver Pond Trail.

Start the New Year by exploring the wooded trails and shorelines along the York River with one of two great ranger guided hikes.

Inhale a fresh new year breath while enjoying a ranger-led walk or one on your own.

Start the New Year off right with some morning exercise to get the blood pumping.

Start the new year with a photo scavenger hunt at Powhatan State Park.

Start off the New Year with an invigorating winter hike in one of Virginia's most unique state parks.

Explore the hidden hamlet of Wash Woods and see the various coastal habitats of False Cape.

Begin your new year journey with a Ranger-led hike on Holly Marsh Trail!

Join us for the first Fossil Hikes of the YEAR!!!!

Hike to Gordon Pond and Legacy Loop.  This moderately paced hike will be approximately 5 miles on a variety of beautiful trails with varied terrain, unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs, nor strollers.  There will be stops along the way, including at Gordon Pond to pause and see the beauty of the park, and mindfully experience the winter natural environment.   It may not take the full 3 hours, but we want to plan for a nice comfortable pace.   Please meet us at the main parking lot, near the pollinator garden.  Registration is FREE please sign up here so we know how many people to expect.   If it says we are sold out.  Please sign up for the waitlist.  We will add more guides to the hike.  Go Take a Hike!  The goal of First Day Hikes is to inspire healthy New Year’s resolutions and encourage everyone to get outside.

Throughout the day Mason Neck will be leading many types of hikes for both children and adults.

Make new feathered friends in 2024. In the winter our year-round residents take center-stage, with some migratory birds from far north stopping in for a stay.

Ring in the New Year by joining us on a ranger-led hike along the River Bank Trail. Is your new year's resolution to get in better shape, spend more time with friends and family, or to be in nature more? This is the perfect opportunity to jump start those initiatives. The hike will be about two miles with a difficulty level of easy/moderate. We will have multiple opportunities to observe the Staunton River, Dan River, and the largest lake in Virginia, the John H.

Since hiking is a healthy activity and a great way to connect with nature, doing it more often is a perfect New Year's resolution.

Enjoy the first day of the new year by joining rangers and volunteers for our annual First Day Hike. This year we will be admiring the Blue Ridge Mountains and beautiful panoramic views from Skyline Trail, which is a 1.6-mile, easy to moderate hike.

This place, this land, is as old as time itself.

What better way to kick off the new year than a guided hike observing local wildlife.  Join Friends of Kiptopeke State Park for a guided nature hike.

The first day hike has been a tradition within state parks for years and we are happy to join in this tradition again.

Turn over a new leaf and take a leap into 2024 at Holliday Lake State Park! Join us for a ranger-led hike as we take a leisurely stroll along the Northridge Trail. This short 0.4 mile trail takes hikers on a hilly journey through old growth forest and ultimately to the beautiful Northridge Overlook, where it intersects with Lakeshore Trail.

Bring the family and celebrate this New Year by adventuring out into the woods and on the Trail with a ranger. All tiny participants will be given helpful hands-on bug finding tools for investigating nature signs.    Let's try to use all of our senses to see, smell, touch, track and observe.

Join us at the Mayo River Trails to explore the future Mayo River State Park.

Start your new year with constructive and invigorating action by joining us for a First Day Hike.

Our Little Tyke Hike, designed for families with children ages 6 and under (but suitable for all ages), is perfect for letting your little one(s) discover the park and the natural world in their own special way and at their own pace.

There is no better way to celebrate the new year than with a hike!

Reset and refresh by starting 2024 in a beautiful natural space filled with history as you explore Machicomoco’s stunning vistas while being treated to a warm beverage, a freshly baked treat, and an enlightening guided hike exploring the indigenous people who truly demonstrated their understanding and appreciation of this land.

Head out into the woods and work on your navigation skills with Central Virginia Orienteering Club.

Kick off this new year the right way, outdoors, up and on your feet and out on the trail at your local Virginia State Park.

Ring in the New Year with a guided hike led by Leesylvania State Park rangers and volunteers.  Hike Through History at 11 am &  2 pm  - Lee's Woods Trail  Journey back in time on the Lee's Woods Trail to discover hundreds of years of human history. Follow a range or volunteer on this guided hike to learn about the people, places, and events that make Leesylvania State Park unique.

Join Park Manager, Adam Bresnehan, for a 0.5 mile hike on easy terrain that will follow Buck Lick Trail.

Start the year off on the right foot, and what better place to do it then James River State Park. Back by popular demand is our First Day Hike, which is a national event encouraging people to get outside on the first day of the year. We will be offering two guided hikes, and you can pick which one interests you the most. For the nature lover, we will be offering a Wetlands Hike.. For those passionate about history, we will be offering a History Hike. We will show you some historical highlights in the park as well as covering the area's history from fossils to the Civil War.

For the 2024 First Day Hike, join a park ranger for a guided history hike down the Custis Lee Trail.

First Day Hikes are all about new beginnings and soaring over any obstacles that getting in the way of your goals.

Hike along the shoreline of Fairy Stone Lake and discover how the Civilian Conservation Corps created the lake and other park features as they helped to bring our country out of the Great Depression.

What can we see, hear, smell, and possibly touch?

Our second First Day Hike is a little more on the quiet side for anyone who may have celebrated ringing in the New Year.

Bring in 2024 the right way by burning some of those holiday season calories during a First Day Hike in the high country.

As our modern-day fades, journey through the history of southwest Virginia on your first day hike.

Enjoy the New Year on a guided walk with a park guide down to the Natural Tunnel.

Join a park ranger for Clinch River State Park's First Day Hike from Oxbow Lake to St.

Participants will meet rangers at the front gate of the museum and take a walk through time as they begin their hike on the grounds of the museum.

The legendary Christmas Opossum has come again and has hidden ornaments around the Fern Hollow Trail.

Celebrate the New Year by going back in time to the historic village of Foster Falls.

Start the new year off on the right foot.

Looking for a challenge this new year?

The 4 Senses Scavenger Hunt Hike will take us out to Wortman Pond, and around the picnic shelter area.  Along the way we will learn how animals use their senses for survival and see if we can use our senses to fill in our scavenger hunt card.

Do you have a bad case of "cabin fever"?

Join a certified Virginia Master Naturalist for a nature hike through our beautiful forest surrounding the Visitor Center in a search for animal tracks. Bring your phone for pictures and help solve the mysteries of the critters that left them behind. If you're lucky, you may even see the animal in the wild from a safe distance!

Celebrate the New Year by exploring the historic town of Fries.

This tradition of the First Day Hikes is for the whole family!

This ranger-led hike, designed for friends, families, and well behaved pets on leashes, will bring you on all or portions of Big Poplar, Ground Pine Path, and Beaver Lake Trails.

Explore helpful ways to relax and de-stress yourself in nature while learning about the history and culture of using nature as a means of therapy. Join certified Forest Therapy volunteer, Tina Hayes, on a relaxing hike made to calm the mind.

Celebrate the New Year by hiking to Lovers' Leap to hear about the tale of the star-crossed lovers.

End your First Day on a hike to see one of the crown jewels within the park.