GO TAKE A HIKE
Hit the trails in Va. state parks on New Year’s Day for chance to win prizes
VIRGINIA BEACH — If getting in shape is one of your New Year’s resolutions, Virginia’s state park system wants to help you kick it off.
Residents can hit the trails on New Year’s Day in one of the commonwealth’s 39 parks for the annual First Day Hike.
This year’s event features free parking at most parks and two contests: a hiking challenge and a photo competition. The rules are available online at https://www. dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/firstdayhikes.
Prizes include gift certificates ranging from $75-$500 that can be used for overnight stays, picnic shelter rentals or annual passes. Commemorative stickers for 2021 First Day Hike will be sent to each person that signs up for the hike challenge.
Some of the parks have created
self-guided hike maps and activity sheets — including a sensory scavenger hunt, which involves looking for animal tracks, smelling an evergreen tree and listening for birds — that can be downloaded.
With the coronavirus pandemic leading people to seek more outdoor activities, Virginia state parks have seen an uptick in visitors this past year, according to Dave Neudeck, communications director for the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation.
“There’s been a lot of people out there enjoying the fresh air, getting some exercise,” he said.
Virginia Beach is home to Virginia’s most visited state park: First Landing. It has 20 miles of trails that wind through a maritime forest and 1.5 miles of beach along the Chesapeake Bay.
Due to COVID-19, groups of more than 10 people are prohibited. Face coverings are required in indoor public spaces and outdoors if 6 feet of distance can’t be maintained.