Start your New Year off with hike at Dayton Bluffs Preserve

Get 2024 off on the right foot by going outdoors and enjoying a nature hike.

The Dayton Bluffs Preserve will hold its fifth annual First Day Hike on New Year’s Day.

According to the Ottawa Visitors Center, First Day hikes are held in many parks throughout the country in an effort to help people “start the year off on the right foot.” Begun in Massachusetts in 1992, the concept of a First Day Hike went nationwide in 2012. Dayton Bluffs Preserve has held a First Day Hike since 2019.

The hikes are open to everyone, and can begin anytime between 8 a.m. and noon at the Dayton Bluffs Preserve. Reservations are not required.

Guided hikes will be available, but individual hiking is allowed. The first 60 hikers will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate, and a bonfire will be available for warming.

Dayton Bluffs Preserve is located at 2997 Illinois Route 71 in Ottawa.