First-Day Hikes Don't End on Jan. 1
Some are still ongoing. Others can lead to additional outings.
First-day hikes are the gift that keeps on giving.
Mine began with three friends. Out of all the hikes offered in my area (and there were many), we chose one in Nyack, N.Y.—a historic village on the west bank of the Hudson River. It’s also the childhood home of American painter Edward Hopper, whose house in town (built by his grandfather) is today a museum (more on that later).
Despite an ice storm that night that would cancel many first-day hikes in the area, ours was still on as of early New Year’s Day. I briefly expected at least one of my crew to drop out. When that didn’t happen, I began to get ready, which included adding micro-spikes and trekking poles to my pack. Then drove to pickup my companions.
Our hike started at Nyack Beach State Park, which sits at the base of Hook Mountain and runs along the Hudson River. The hike was run by the Palisades Parks Conservancy, and consisted of guided easy, medium, and difficult hikes. Some 350 registrants attended! The easy hike along the river was cancelled due to concern hikers might slip into the river. We joined a guide, and our group hiked up the mountain.
Later, the four of us detached from the group to explore River Hook, a nearby preserve.
Several hours later, the event ended at the park’s parking lot in the Bathhouse, a 1936 Works Progress Administration project built from rock left over when the Palisades Interstate Park Commission purchased and closed five quarries. Inside the Bathhouse was a roaring fire, live jazz, hot cocoa, popcorn, and many hikers.
A First-Day Hike Leads to a City Outing
Back to Edward Hopper. It just so happened that one of the hikers from my first-day hike had gotten us tickets to the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC for the day after New Year’s Day. On Fridays, timed tickets are free after 5 pm. And since two of our crew weren’t familiar with Hopper’s work, the trip felt like a full-circle adventure whereby we hiked in Hopper’s childhood town and would see his later works at the Whitney.
We met at my house, walked to the train station down the hill, and took the train to Penn Station in NYC. Then we walked a few blocks to the High Line, which is reached by climbing a set of metal stairs. Suddenly, we were transported above the streets to a boardwalk lined with gardens of dried native grasses, perennials, and trees designed by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, as well as tons of art, including this colossal sculpture of a pigeon, which for reasons I can’t explain is titled Dinosaur.
The High Line deposits you at the Whitney. We grabbed pizza across the street, then spent the next few hours in the museum taking in art, including that of Edward Hopper. Later, we walked in the dark along the High Line to the train station, and were treated to views of a full moon, the Empire State Building and more art, including the one below.
But Wait! There’s More.
My home state of New Jersey had scheduled 32 first-day hikes plus a lighthouse climb up the Twin Lights Historic Site with views of Sandy Hook, a 6-mile-long barrier spit, and part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Some have been rescheduled, including a guided history hike along the Delaware River in the historic town of Lambertville that due to rain was cancelled a second time.
Three other rescheduled hikes I have my eye on: a history hike in Trenton exploring American Revolution battles there; a hike at Hope Farm, home of Scottish emigrant John Wallace whose house served as George Washington’s headquarters; and a hike at the 2,000-acre Round Valley Recreation Area.
Now that I’m familiar with Hook Mountain, I’ll probably return to hike more trails there. Maybe I’ll combine that with a walk to the town center where I’ll stop by the Edward Hopper Museum and Long Path Outfitters, the outdoor retail store in Nyack. Maybe I’ll grab lunch at one of the many eateries, and contemplate more outings in 2026.