The state will once again offer short guided hikes at four state parks on New Year’s Day, including Popham Beach and Wolfe’s Neck Woods state parks.
First Day Hikes is a national initiative with participation by every state park systems in the country, the Maine Department of Conservation said in a news release.
In Maine, the four First Day Hikes range from less than half a mile to 1.5 miles. All four trails are rated easy or moderate. Park admission is free and there is no charge for the guided hikes.
At Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg, the onemile hike, rated as easy, begins at 9:30 a.m. and lasts about an hour. Hikers will explore the beach during the first low tide of the New Year. Hike leaders have created a “beach Bingo” game so participants can “rove between our series of beach stations and learn about the creatures of the intertidal zone.”
At Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport, the shortest of Maine’s First Days hikes is just one-third of a mile. Participants will meet at the picnic shelter by the second parking lot. The event is 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.; all ages are welcome, but dogs are not. The hike provides views of Casco Bay and discussion of the park’s plants and animals.
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