A pair of beach walkers enjoy low tide at Harris Beach State Park on the South Oregon coast.

What’s better than starting the new year on a beautiful hike?

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is once again offering just that, with another slate of free, guided hikes on New Year’s Day.

This year there will be 37 hikes across 30 different parks, the department announced Tuesday, from the coast to the Willamette Valley and into the high desert. All hikes will be free and open to the public, though some require advance registration.

Additionally, the $5 (soon to be $10) parking fees charged at 25 parks across the state will be waived for the day – one of the few fee-free holidays at Oregon State Parks.

The First Day Hikes program isn’t unique to Oregon parks. The national movement, now sponsored by America’s State Parks, began in Massachusetts in 1992. Oregon State Parks began participating in 2012.

Here’s a list of all 30 parks hosting First Day Hikes for the first day of 2025:

• Champoeg State Heritage Area
• Cottonwood Canyon State Park
• Detroit Lake State Recreation Area (registration required)
• Elijah Bristow State Park
• Emigrant Springs State Park (registration required)
• Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint
• Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area: ( 10 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. registration required)
• Fort Stevens State Park
• Harris Beach State Park
• Heceta Head Lighthouse
• Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site
• Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
• L.L. Stub Stewart State Park
• La Pine State Park
• Milo McIver State Park ( 10 a.m.)
• Milo McIver State Park ( 1 p.m.)
• Oswald West State Park
• Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside
• Shore Acres State Park / Sunset Bay State Park
• Silver Falls State Park ( 9 a.m.)
• Silver Falls State Park: ( 11 a.m.)
• Sitka Sedge State Natural Area
• Smith Rock State Park (registration required)
• Spring Valley Access (registration required)
• The Cove Palisades State Park
• TouVelle State Recreation Site
• Tryon Creek State Natural Area ( 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.)
• Tumalo State Park
• Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
• Valley of the Rogue State Park
• William M. Tugman State Park
• Yachats State Recreation Area