All state parks will offer free parking all day, Jan. 1, 2019, and the first 100 visitors to each park will receive a special bumper sticker.
Two contests give visitors two opportunities to win gift certificates valued at up to $500. Participants can be eligible to win prizes by registering, hiking and then recording the hike Jan. 1. An annual photo contest is also an opportunity for visitors to win gift certificates that can be used for camping and cabin reservations or to purchase annual passes. For complete contest details, visit vasp.fun/2019firstdayhikes.
Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield offers an adults-only ranger-led night hike on a trail usually reserved for biking with a bonfire to celebrate the countdown. The 2.3-mile guided hike begins at 11 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, and lasts until 1 a.m., Jan. 1. Registration for the midnight hike is required. Call the park office at (804) 796-4255 through Dec. 31.
A ribbon-cutting will be held at the new Co-op Trail at 12 noon Jan. 1 near the Swift Creek Bridge at the Pocahontas Boat Launch. The single-use hiking trail, which is located on the north shore of Swift Creek Lake, was built by volunteers.
There will be ranger-led trail hikes through the day.
The park also offers a variety of hikes and even a guided bike ride for different ages and capabilities.
