First Day Hikes in the Finger Lakes 2024

First Day Hikes – a 32-year moving tradition

Many of us look towards the New Year with all sorts of plans for improving our lives. First Day Hikes make it easy to start your year on the right foot by getting the family outdoors and moving!

After the cookie fest that is the holidays, I’m especially grateful for the extra push out the door I get from this nationwide hiking event on New Year’s Day.

Celebrating their 32nd anniversary in 2024, First Day Hikes invite people of all ages onto guided — and, in step with COVID times, virtual and self-guided — hikes in state parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, and public lands across New York and all 50 states.

First Day Hikes started in Massachusetts at the Blue Hills Reservation state park in 1992 and became a nation-wide tradition twenty years later under the America’s State Parks alliance.

In New York, First Day Hikes are going into their 13th season in 2024, coordinated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that either host the hikes or partner with volunteer organizations.

The hikes include some of the well-known, best Finger Lakes hiking sites and some that may be new discoveries for you this year. There are definitely some on the list I’d like to check out!

NOTE: Some hikes may require pre-registration, and you may want to verify whether there are any entrance fees to state parks involved. (Entrance is free if you have the Empire Pass or Lifetime Empire Pass. Learn more about how to get the most out of them here.)

First Day Hike 2024 options in the Finger Lakes

Here is a list of First Day hikes that will take place in the Finger Lakes on January 1. (To the best of my knowledge – I can’t guarantee completeness. For a complete listing of First Day hikes in the state, see the governor’s recent announcement.)

Find additional details for each hike and registration information through the NY state parks site, NY canals and the DEC.

• Brockport Welcome Center, Brockport; (585) 637-1000
• Catharine Valley Trail, Watkins Glen; 10 am; (607) 481-0584
• Clark Reservation State Park, Jamesville; 11 am
• Delta Lake State Park, Rome; 10 am; registration required, call (315) 337-4670
• Genesee Valley Greenway State Park, Avon (585) 278-5100, Nunda (585) 905-2117, Rochester (585) 256-2130, Scottsville (585) 943-2611, York (585) 493-3614
• Green Lakes State Park, Fayetteville; 12 pm; (607) 338-2021
• Groton Trail System, Groton; 12 pm; more information here (note that as of 12/27 the date in the article is listed incorrectly as 2023)
• Hamlin Beach State Park, Hamlin; (585) 964-2462
• Hemlock-Canadice State Forest Hike with Springwater Trails, Canadice; 2 pm
• Macedon Canal Park, Macedon; (315) 986-5631
• Montezuma Audubon Center, Savannah; 10 am
• Newtown Battlefield State Park, Elmira; 1 pm
• Seneca Lake State Park, Geneva; 10 am; (315) 789-2331
• Taughannock Falls State Park, Trumansburg; 10 am-4 pm
• Two Rivers State Park, Waverly; 10 am; (607) 732-6287
• Waterloo hike on the canal, 1.5 mi guided snowshoe hike; Waterloo, 1 pm (sold out)
• Watkins Glen State Park, Watkins Glen; 10 am; registration required

Even if you can’t make it to any of the specific First Day Hikes offered, you can always just step outside and get moving. It’s a great way to start the year!

Other resources for finding great trails include:

• Empire State Trail
• Finger Lakes Trail
• Ithaca Trails
• Alltrails

This will be our first year going on a New Year’s Day hike. I have several great First Day Hikes near me, such as Taughannock and Watkins Glen, but maybe we’ll venture out a bit farther.

Where are you planning to go for your first hike of 2023? Let us know in the comments!

Tips for winter hiking

Venturing out on a cold day requires just a little bit of extra preparation.

Here are a few tips for winter hiking directly from the American Hiking Society. Find more details at their site.

• Dress in layers. While it is perhaps nice to have a huge, fluffy parka on the ski slopes, it really isn’t practical for the trail. Instead, take several layers you can peel off or put on when you stop and go on the trail. Your base layer should be a wicking fabric that will pull your sweat away from the skin. Overheating is a dangerous threat since excessive moisture that isn’t allowed to escape can freeze and cause hypothermia. If you ever wondered why some of your jackets have zippers under the armpits, it’s to keep air circulating and prevent your clothes from getting wet.
• Wear a hat! Our heads are filled with oxygen-carrying capillaries which fuel our brains and consume one third of the body’s energy. During the colder months it is important to keep your head covered to maintain function and not lose precious body heat. You may want to bring a warmer/heavier hat for rest periods.
• Keep your water bottle warm. Whether you are at the campsite or on the trail, a foam sleeve like a koozie will help prevent the water from freezing in a bottle. Nothing warms your body or your spirits like warm liquid by a campfire. Boil water to take with you as you hike. Also, to keep water from freezing, keep your water bottle on the inside of your jacket – properly sealed, of course. [Or use a water bottle that is itself really well insulated, like this one.]
• Don’t toss the sunscreen. While this is most important if you are hiking in a snowy region, winter hikers often forget about the sun’s glare reflecting off of white snow. [I swear by this sun screen because it’s with zinc oxide and doesn’t leave a white layer on your skin.]
• Be prepared for shorter days. As early as October, dusk settles earlier and more quickly than in the summer. Have a good idea of the usable daylight hours before going hiking. Always carry a headlamp or flashlight with extra batteries. [We’ve had good experiences with these lanterns and headlamps.]