First Day Hikes

Ring in the New Year with Washington State Parks! First Day Hikes offer an experience for everyone to get outside and enjoy our beautiful state parks.

Participate in ranger and staff-led hikes, bike rides, snowshoe excursions and more offered at 40+ parks on New Year's Day. When you are done, don't forget to pick up your free, collectible Washington State Parks 2024 First Day Hikes pin!

All hikes are free and a Discover Pass is NOT needed to park on state managed lands on Jan. 1, our first Washington State Parks Free Day of 2024. However, you may need to register for some events with participation limits and/or purchase the appropriate Sno-Park permit. Please read hike descriptions carefully and check the park's event descriptions to make sure you are registered and have what you need! Enjoy your New Year's Day State Parks adventure!

Find your hike

For parks east of the Cascades Mountains, in the north central part of the state and along the Idaho border refer to the Eastern Washington table below. For parks west of the Cascades and north of Seattle, refer to the Northwest Washington table. For parks west of the Cascades and south of Seattle, refer to the Southwest Washington table below.

Eastern Washington First Day Hikes

Park	Event Time	Event Link
Columbia Plateau Trail	1 p.m.	First Day Hike - Columbia Plateau Trail
Easton Re-load Sno-Park	10 a.m.	First Day Snowshoe Hike
Fields Spring State Park	10 am - 2 p.m.	First Day Snow Play
Klickitat Trail- Lyle Trailhead	10 a.m.	First Day Hike
Lake Chelan State Park	9 a.m.	Little Bear Trail
Lake Wenatchee State Park	11 a.m. - 2 p.m.	First Day Guided Snowshoe Hike
Lincoln Rock State Park	Noon	Winter Critters and What They Eat
Mount Spokane State Park	9 a.m.	Smith Gap Warming Hut Snowshoe Hike
Mount Spokane State Park	9 a.m.	Summit Snowshoe Hike
Palouse Falls State Park	11 a.m. - 1 p.m.	The Palouse Falls Sketch and Stroll
Riverside State Park	TBD	Riverside First Day Hike Military Cemetery Trailhead Loop
Sacajawea State Park	11 a.m.	Sacajawea Dog Stroll
Steamboat Rock State Park	10 a.m.	Steamboat Rock 5K Walk/Jog

Northwest Washington First Day Hikes

Park	Evemt Time	Event Link
Bridle Trails State Park	All day	Trotting Into ’24 First Day Ride
Cama Beach State Park	9 a.m.	Cranberry Lake
Camano Island State Park	1 p.m.	Howard Adams Trail
Dash Point State Park	2 p.m.	New Year, New Trail!
Deception Pass State Park	10 a.m.	First Day Hikes and Scavenger Hunt


Fort Casey State Park	All day	History at Fort Casey
Fort Ebey State Park	9 a.m.	Medium to advanced biking at Fort Ebey
Fort Ebey State Park	All day	Trail Trivia - Self Guided Hike
Fort Townsend State Park	10 a.m.	From Fort to Forest: Discover the Transformation of Fort Townsend
Lake Sammamish State Park	10:30 -11 a.m. and 11 - 11:30 a.m.	Birds and Beavers on the Boardwalk
Larrabee State Park	10 a.m.	Clayton Beach
Lime Kiln Point State Park	10:30 a.m.	Hike Lime Kiln Point State with a Park Ranger
Millersylvania State Park	10 a.m.	Millersylvania Scavenger Hunt
Nolte State Park	11 a.m.	Nolte First Day Hike
Obstruction Pass State Park	10 a.m.	Obstruction Pass First Day Hike
Rockport State Park	10 a.m.	Silent Meditative Hike-West Loop Interpretive Trail
Rockport State Park	10 a.m.	Evergreen Trail Features
Saltwater State Park	10 a.m.	Saltwater State Park First Day Hike (North and South Loop Trails)
South Whidbey State Park	11 a.m.	Little Ones on a Hike
Spencer Spit State Park	1 p.m.	Spencer Spit to Spencer Spit Preserve Trail
Wallace Falls State Park	9:30 a.m.	Wallace Falls State Park

Southwest Washington First Day Hikes

Park	Event Time	Event Link
Battle Ground Lake State Park	10 a.m.	Walking in Volcanic Wonderland
Battle Ground Lake State Park	Noon	Walking in Volcanic Wonderland
Bottle Beach State Park	12:30 p.m.	Explore Bottle Beach
Cape Disappointment State Park	11 a.m.	Fog Forest Hike
Griffiths-Priday Ocean State Park	1 p.m.	River to Coast Hike
Harstine Island State Park	10 a.m.	Harstine Island State Park Loop
Ike Kinswa State Park	Noon -3 p.m.	Paddle at Ike! Lake Mayfield up the Tilton River Channel
Lake Sylvia State Parks	1 p.m.	First Day Hike
Mount Saint Helens Visitor Center - Seaquest State Park	10 a.m.	Bird Walk on the Boardwalk (Wetland Haven Trail)
Schafer State Park	10 a.m.	Schafer New Campground Loop
Twanoh State Park	9 a.m.	Twanoh Trail

Rules & safety

We at State Parks want you to enjoy all the wonders the winter season has to offer. Preparing for safety on your First Day Hike experience is the first step. Visit our park Rules & Safety pages, pay careful attention to the equipment lists and difficulty level of each event, know your own abilities and limitations and always pack the Ten Essentials.

If you have questions about the difficulty or equipment requirements of any hike, please reach out to the event organizers. Happy New Year from Washington State Parks!