New Year’s Day is a great time to kick the 2020s off on the right foot with one of 18 First Day Hikes hosted by DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation. First Day Hikes is a national movement sponsored by America’s State Parks to encourage the celebration of fitness in the nation’s great outdoors.

There’s no need to register for any of the hikes listed below; just show up prepared to walk! Items hikers may want to bring along include comfortable hiking/walking shoes, a camera, a bottle of water, appropriate layers for the weather, a hat, sunglasses, a backpack, and snacks. Some hikes may require water-resistant shoes, or have age or pet restrictions. Not all hikes are suitable for strollers.

Check out one of the following hikes to celebrate the New Year at a Delaware State Park.

• 10 a.m. – Alapocas Run State Park, Wilmington – 2 to 3 miles – Easy/Moderate
Meet at Blue Ball Barn. Leashed, well-behaved dogs welcome.

• 10 a.m. – Fort Dupont State Park, Delaware City – 1.1 miles – Easy
Meet at the parking lot closest to the river, at the end of Wilmington Avenue/Old Battery Lane.

• 10 a.m. – Trap Pond State Park, Laurel – 2 miles – Easy
Meet at Baldcypress Nature Center.

• 11 a.m. – Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes – 1.5 miles – Moderate
Park in the Point Comfort Station Parking lot and walk north to the Point parking lot. Minimum age: 7 years old with an adult.

• 12:30 p.m. – Brandywine Zoo, Wilmington – 1/4 mile – Easy
Meet at the gift shop.

• 12:30 p.m. – Fort Miles Museum and Historical Area, Lewes – 1.7 miles – Easy
Meet at Fort Miles Parking Lot. Minimum age: 7 years old with an adult

• 1 p.m. – Bellevue State Park, Wilmington – 1.5 to 3 miles – Easy
Meet at Bellevue Arts Center. This hike is for all ages and is stroller friendly.

• 1 p.m. – First State Heritage Park, Dover – 1/4 mile – Easy
Meet at the John Bell House.

• 1 p.m. – Holts Landing State Park, Bethany Beach – 1.7 miles – Easy
Meet at Holts Landing Picnic Pavilion.

• 1 p.m. – Killens Pond State Park, Felton – 1 to 3 miles – Varying Difficulty
Meet at the Nature Center.

• 1 p.m. – Lums Pond State Park, Bear– 2.5 miles – Easy/Moderate
Meet at Area 1 Pavilion/. Pets are permitted but must be on a 6-foot leash.

• 1 p.m. – Auburn Valley State Park, Yorklyn – 1.1 miles – Moderate
Meet at 1516 Snuff Mill Road Trail lot.

• 1 p.m. – Brandywine Creek State Park, Wilmington – 2-2.5 miles – Moderate
Meet at the Nature Center.

1 p.m. – White Clay Creek State Park, Newark – 1 to 2.5 miles – Multiple Difficulties
• 1.3 miles – Moderate – Millstone Pond Trail. Meet at Carpenter Recreation Area.
• 2 miles – Moderate/Difficult – Arc Corner Monument Loop. Meet at Nature Center.
• 2 miles – Moderate – PennDel/Pomeroy Trail. Meet at Nature Center
• 2.5 miles – Moderate/Difficult – Twin Valley Trail. Meet at Carpenter Recreation Area.

• 3:30 p.m. – Auburn Valley State Park – Easy – 1 mile
Meet at the Paper Mill Parking Lot on Benge Road.

For more information about the Delaware State Parks First Day Hikes and to see maps of the park trails beforehand, go to https://destateparks.com/firstday or call 302-739-9220.

(DOVER, DE) In his weekly message, Governor Markell says the new year gives us a chance to make some new resolutions, both personal and shared. The Governor shares some of his…

“Some of my personal resolutions are the kind I’m sure I share with many Delawareans such as my resolution to work off all those amazing cookies and slices of pie that seem to pop up between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. But some shared resolutions we can make together to try and help all Delawareans… like resolving to keep job creation our top priority; to fight to bring new jobs to our state and to help existing employers expand the number of Delawareans on their payrolls,” said the Governor. “We need to keep supporting our state’s small businesses, helping entrepreneurs turn innovations into jobs. And, we resolve to continue our efforts to make our public schools stronger; to work together with teachers, parents, students and the companies that will someday hire them; to ensure that kids graduate our schools ready to compete and win against students from all over the world. We resolve to remain sound stewards of our state’s resources, aligning our budget priorities with our state’s needs and commitments. We resolve to support our communities by spending time volunteering and learn from one another; to recognize that the areas where we’ll find agreement are so much greater than the areas where we’ll find conflict.”

“I think 2012 will be a more successful year if we keep these resolutions together,” said the Governor. “I look forward to working with you as we resolve together to keep Delaware moving forward.”

About the Governor’s Weekly Message:

At noon every Friday, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form. The message is available on:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/GovernorMarkell
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook: www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/governormarkell

Transcript of the Governor’s Weekly Message: Happy New Year

The holidays are a time for serious celebrations, and the start of the New Year is a time to get seriously focused. While many times during the last year tested our resolve, this weekend gives us a chance to make some new resolutions.

Some of my personal resolutions are the kind I’m sure I share with many Delawareans – like my resolution to work off all those amazing cookies and slices of pie that seem to pop up between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. But some shared resolutions we can make together to try and help all Delawareans. For example, resolving to keep job creation our top priority – to fight to bring new jobs to our state – and to help existing employers expand the number of Delawareans on their payrolls. And we need to keep supporting our state’s small businesses, helping entrepreneurs turn innovations into jobs.

We resolve to continue our efforts to make our public schools stronger – to work together with teachers, parents, students and the companies that will someday hire them – to ensure that kids graduate our schools ready to compete and win against students from all over the world. We resolve to remain sound stewards of our state’s resources, aligning our budget priorities with our state’s needs and commitments. We resolve to support our communities by spending time volunteering and learn from one another, to recognize that the areas where we’ll find agreement are so much greater than the areas where we’ll find conflict.

We’ll continue our resolve to work WITH each other and fight FOR things that matter rather than fight AGAINST each other. We may not be able to control some of the issues with the national and international economy – but we can control how we react to it, and I think 2012 will be a more successful year if we keep these resolutions together.

I look forward to working with you as we resolve together to keep Delaware moving forward.