New Mexicans urged to get outdoors, #OptOutside
State parks get behind growing post-Thanksgiving campaign, plan free entry, special events
State parks in New Mexico are joining the national #OptOutside movement and encouraging residents to use the upcoming holiday weekend to enjoy the outdoors.
All of New Mexico’s 34 state parks will waive the $5 entry fee Friday, and some are planning special events, raffles and opportunities to interact through social media, “offering an alternative to the retail frenzy” that typically dominates the day after Thanksgiving.
“Naturally, we want everyone to visit our state parks every day,” said State Parks Director Christy Tafoya. “… We’re encouraging visitors to extend the family gathering beyond the Thanksgiving holiday table, get outdoors on Black Friday and visit a New Mexico State Park for free.”
At Cerrillos Hills State Park near Santa Fe, there will be a “stuffin’ strut” hike beginning at 11 a.m. Friday.
At Bandelier National Monument, special activities are planned throughout the day Friday, and park officials encourage
visitors to post pictures to Bandelier’s Facebook page.
“When you consider whether you’d rather spend the day in crowded stores, or out in the autumn sunshine at Bandelier or another favorite outdoor place,” Bandelier National Monument Superintendent Jason Lott said in a statement, “we hope you’ll decide to OptOutside.”
The campaign was first started by outdoor retailer REI in 2015 and repeated last year. The company said it wanted to skip the traditional madness of holiday sales and instead closed its stores nationwide on the day after Thanksgiving, giving employees a paid day off.
“Let’s make a new tradition,” REI’s #optoutside campaign website reads. “That’s how a moment becomes a movement.”
The campaign includes thousands of Facebook and Instagram images of people biking, hiking and running in nature from beautiful vantage points, including shots from the top of Atalaya Mountain in the Santa Fe National Forest.