First Day Hikes set at Lieber, other state parks

The first hike for the Putnam Parks & Pathways group will be Jan. 1 at Lieber State Recreation Area.

The hike is sponsored by the staff at Lieber SRA. Hikers should meet at the Hilltop shelter in the park at 10 a.m. for the annual First Day Hike.

Length of hike is approximately one mile and hiking boots are recommended. Participants can bring binoculars for bird viewing (if the birds cooperate).

Several others Indiana state parks in the Putnam County area will offer First Day Hikes to help ring in the new year. They include:

-- Owen-Putnam State Forest. Participants will meet at the park office at 8 a.m. for a guided hike on Poplar Top Trail.

-- Raccoon SRA/Cecil M. Harden Lake. Hikers will meet at the Hollandsburg Boat Ramp, near the main park entrance, at 1 p.m. for a half-mile hike along old U.S. 36.

-- McCormick’s Creek State Park. Hikers will meet at Canyon Inn at 2 p.m. for a hike to the waterfall.

-- Turkey Run State Park. Participants will meet at the Nature Center at 11 a.m. for a guided hike through Rocky Hollow Nature Preserve. The two-mile hike is over a very rugged trail. Organizers suggest hikers wear sturdy, comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water.

In addition to the hikes, six Indiana state park inns will be open for meals.

Turkey Run Inn at Turkey Run State Park and Canyon Inn at McCormick’s Creek State Park will have breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. and brunch beginning at 10 a.m. on Jan. 1.

The hikes are organized in cooperation with America’s State Parks and will take place in all 50 states. First Day Hikes originated more than 20 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Mass.