Celebrate the beginning of 2026 by hitting the trail! Start a new tradition with your friends and family as you get some healthy exercise and enjoy the great outdoors during a guided hike in a Missouri state park or historic site on Jan. 1. First Day Hikes are promoted by America’s State Parks and are held throughout the country.
You have many First Day Hikes to choose from in Missouri State Parks. The hikes vary in length and intensity, and each hike offers different features along the way. Depending on which hike you choose, you may pass by idyllic streams or rivers, gaze up at rugged limestone bluffs, walk through impressive woodlands or forests, see historically significant buildings, or encounter charming wildlife. If you like spending time outdoors, there’s a hike that’s sure to meet your needs.
Preregistration is required for each hike. Click on a park or historic site name below to find out more the hike and register.
Note: The address provided is for Jefferson Landing State Historic Site – First Day Hikes take place in parks and sites all across the state.
Central
- Brumley: Lake of the Ozarks State Park, noon to 1:45 p.m.
- Columbia: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (Sinkhole and Devil’s Icebox trails, morning), 9:30-11:30 a.m.
- Columbia: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (Deer Run Trail), noon to 3:30 p.m.
- Columbia: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (Gans Creek Wild Area), noon to 3:30 p.m.
- Columbia: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (Sinkhole and Devil’s Icebox trails, afternoon), 12:30-2:30 p.m.
- Columbia: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (Grassland Trail), 2:30-4:30 p.m.
- Jefferson City: Jefferson Landing State Historic Site and Missouri State Museum, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Knob Noster: Knob Noster State Park, 1-2 p.m.
- Lebanon: Bennett Spring State Park, 1-4 p.m.
- Warsaw: Harry S Truman State Park, 1-2 p.m.
Northeast
- Imperial: Mastodon State Historic Site, 10 a.m. to noon
- Kirksville: Thousand Hills State Park, Kirksville
- La Grange: Wakonda State Park (Jasper Lake Trail), 2-3:30 p.m.
- La Grange: Wakonda State Park (Agate Lake Trail), 2-3:30 p.m.
- Owensville: Rock Island Trail State Park, 11 a.m.
- Robertsville: Robertsville State Park, 10 a.m. to noon
- St. Charles: First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site and Katy Trail State Park, 10 a.m. to noon
- Sullivan: Meramec State Park, noon to 2:30 p.m.
- Troy: Cuivre River State Park, 10 a.m.
- Wildwood: Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park, 10 a.m.
Northwest
- Trenton: Crowder State Park, 2-4 p.m.
Southeast
- Bonne Terre: St. Francois State Park (walk), 10:30 a.m.
- Bonne Terre: St. Francois State Park (hike), 1-3:30 p.m.
- Bourbon: Onondaga Cave State Park, 10 a.m. to noon
- Jackson: Trail of Tears State Park, 12:30-3:15 p.m.
- Park Hills: Missouri Mines State Historic Site, 9-10:30 a.m.
- Park Hills: St. Joe State Park, 1-3 p.m.
- Ste. Genevieve: Hawn State Park, 1-3:45 p.m.
- Salem: Montauk State Park, 10 a.m. to noon
Southwest
- Ash Grove: Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site, 10 a.m. to noon
- Ava: Bryant Creek State Park, noon to 3:15 p.m.
- Branson: Table Rock State Park, noon to 2 p.m.
- Cassville: Roaring River State Park, 10 a.m. to noon
- Dadeville: Stockton State Park, 9-11:30 a.m.
- Pineville: Big Sugar Creek State Park, 10 a.m. to noon