Start the year off on the right foot, the left foot, or any foot — find a First Day Hike in a state park near you on New Year’s Day!
First Day Hikes vary from short, leisurely nature walks through forested trails and along boardwalks to climbs into the mountains of the Chihuahuan Desert. State park staff and volunteers will guide most hikes, and will talk about native plants, animals or park history along the way.
Many walks average one to two miles long, with shorter or longer treks available. A few parks will even offer runs or paddles. There’s something for everyone! See a full list of First Day Hikes across Texas here. Here’s a list of over 30 hikes close to Austin:
DECEMBER 31
Reflections & Resolutions Hike – TO THE TOP!
Garner State Park (169 miles from Austin)
Give 2015 a grand finale in the outdoors! Join our ranger on an inspiring and invigorating hike up to “Old Baldy” and discover the many spectacular features of the Frio Canyon.
JANUARY 1
New Year Hike
Meridian State Park (133 miles from Austin)
Start 2016 with an outdoor hike
First Day Bird Walk and Survey
Guadalupe River State Park (82 miles from Austin)
Join us to see how many species of birds we can get throughout the day and raise money for a new bird blind!
First Day Hikes and Bike Ride
Government Canyon State Natural Area (95 miles from Austin)
Happy New You!
First Day Hike
Cleburne State Park (162 miles from Austin)
Self-Guided Nature Scavenger Hike
First Day Hikes….and Runs
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (96 miles from Austin)
Join us for a number of options on New Year’s Day. Run with the Ranger, Summit Trail Hikes, or a hike to The Other Side of the Rock. Ring the New Year in right at Enchanted Rock!
First Day Hike-LBJ State Park and Historic Site
Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site (61 miles from Austin)
LBJ State Park and Historic Site First Day Hike Join us for a walk back in time to life in the Texas Hill Country in the mid-1800s to the early 1900s!
First Day Run
Government Canyon State Natural Area (95 miles from Austin)
Start the Year with a Run!
“First Day Hike” in the Hill Country
Hill Country State Natural Area (130 miles from Austin)
Make a resolution to get outdoors and hike on New Year’s Day! Your guide will lead you along some very scenic trails in the farthest reaches of this 5,000-acre state natural area, located near Bandera.
First Day Hikes in the Valley
Dinosaur Valley State Park (164 miles from Austin)
First Day Hike
Monument Hill & Kreische Brewery State Historic Site (65 miles from Austin)
Enjoy starting the new year off with a healthy hike through Monument Hill & Kreische Brewery.
Devil’s Sinkhole First Day Hike
Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area (168 miles from Austin)
Join us for a First Day Hike on our nature trail and get to see down into Devil’s Sinkhole, the largest single chambered cavern in Texas.
First Day Hike: Wildlife Walk
Lockhart State Park (4o miles from Austin)
Join us on a walk in search of the amazing wildlife that call Lockhart State Park home! Who knows what we will find?
San Jacinto Battleground SHS First Day Hike “In the Footsteps of Texians”
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site (185 miles from Austin)
First Day Hike
Visiting the Past, Hiking for the Future
Bastrop State Park (37 miles from Austin)
New Year’s Day is a time for reflection and hope for the future! Join us on a hike to one of the best kept secrets of Bastrop State Park – Fehr’s Overlook.
First Day Hike
Stephen F. Austin State Park (123 miles from Austin)Start the New Year off on the right foot and join us on a Ranger led First Day Hike through the Brazos River bottomland forests of Stephen F. Austin State Park. Experience for yourself the sights and sounds of the beautiful resource right near your own backyard. All ages are welcome for this 1.5-hour event. Bring your picnic lunch and plan to stay the whole day!
The A-B-C’s of Buescher State Park (Guided Hike)
Buescher State Park (44 miles from Austin)
Go on a scavenger hunt style guided hike with a Ranger!
First Day Hike
Lake Brownwood State Park (161 miles from Austin)
Start the New Year with a hike on the trails.
First Day Hike — Fawn Trail Nature Hike – 10:00 am
South Llano River State Park (144 miles from Austin)
Start off 2016 right–outdoors!
First Day Hike Lost Maples
Lost Maples State Natural Area (158 miles from Austin)
Start the New Year off right with a beautiful hike in Lost Maples on the east trail.
1st Day Hike – Morning
Mother Neff State Park (87 miles from Austin)
Begin the New Year outdoors!
First Day Hike
Brazos Bend State Park (16o miles from Austin)
Start the year off on the right foot . . . . then the left foot . . . . then the right foot again. What better way to start off the new year than with a hike in a state park!
New Year, New Trail
Inks Lake State Park (68 miles from Austin)
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the Devil’s Backbone Nature Trail!
Tot’s First Tromp!
Bastrop State Park (37 miles from Austin)
Do you have a tot that loves to tromp around outside but don’t want to brave the trails? Bring your little ones – even those in a stroller – and join us for a quick half hour nature exploration on the Old Golf Course paved trails!
Hike through History
Blanco State Park (50 miles from Austin)
Welcome in the New Year by learning about our past.
First Day Hike – Goliad State Park and Historic Site
Goliad State Park & Historic Site (131 miles from Austin)
Join us for a First Day Hike with a park ranger. Get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family.
A New Start – Life in the Civilian Conservation Corps
Buescher State Park (44 miles from Austin)
Join us for a guided hike to explore how the Civilian Conservation Corps gave state parks and the men that built them a new start for the future.
First Day Hike
Palmetto State Park (56 miles from Austin)
Start 2016 off on the right foot with a First Day Hike at Palmetto State Park.
First Day Hike – Gorman Falls – 2:00 PM
Colorado Bend State Park (96 miles from Austin)
This hike will take you on a journey where you will experience the geology, history, and landscape of Colorado Bend and view the famous Gorman Falls.
First Day Run for Kids!
Government Canyon State Natural Area (95 miles from Austin)
Start the New Year Off Right!
First Day Fido Hike
Pedernales Falls State Park (42 miles from Austin)
Grab your best canine friend (and maybe a human or two) and come out to Pedernales Falls for our first ever Fido Hike!
New Year’s Twilight Hike
Inks Lake State Park (68 miles from Austin)
Start the New Year in Nature hiking at Inks Lake.
First Day (Night) Hike
McKinney Falls State Park (1o miles from Austin)
It’s a new year – get outside!
