First Day Hikes for Families: A New Year’s Nature Hunt

Start January 1 with a small question: What can we find in winter that we walk past the rest of the year? One tree near the trailhead can supply half a morning’s discoveries. Pack a pencil and tuck this six-clue hunt into a pocket.

Holiday dates for planning

First Day Hikes date reference

Pick a route your family can enjoy

First Day Hikes are a January 1 tradition at America’s state parks. Look up your own park for meeting times, registration, route length, trail surfaces and day-of weather notices. Ask about benches or paved alternatives if someone in the group needs them. For a family-led walk, choose a turnaround landmark everyone recognizes and leave plenty of daylight for the return. Find a First Day Hike through America’s State Parks.

Six clues for winter explorers

• Find a fork. Trace with your finger in the air where one branch splits into two.
• Listen for a layer. Stand still and name the nearest sound, then the farthest.
• Spot shelter. Where could a small animal get out of the wind? Look from the path.
• Find last season. Look for a seed head, an empty acorn cap or a leaf caught in a branch.
• Match a pattern. Search for stripes, patches or repeated shapes in bark or stone.
• Watch for movement. Point out something moving before saying its name. Can your partner find it?

Let one person call each clue and another sketch or describe what they find. Leave discoveries where they are. Bare branches, dry grass and wet pavement all count, so the hunt works in places that rarely see snow.

Make the last stop count

Pick one thing everyone can see from a bench, doorway or window. Spend one quiet minute looking at it, then take turns naming a detail nobody has mentioned yet. If the trail is icy, you can play the entire hunt from this spot. Write down the date and your favorite discovery, then visit again in spring to see what changed.

Optional supplies

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Crayola crayons give young hikers a way to record the colors and shapes they spotted back at home.