We rang in 2026 with a First Day Hike at Anne U. White Trail in Boulder

We decided to celebrate the ringing in of 2026 by getting in 3.5 miles for a First Day Hike on the Anne U. White Trail in Boulder.

The First Day Hike is a national tradition, tracked by America’s State Parks, a strategic alliance formed in 2010 of all 50 state park systems, the National Association of State Park Directors.

The First Day Hikes is a program of free, guided 3-miles hikes, offered by the various state park systems throughout the United States each year on New Year’s Day. The program began back in 1992 in Massachusetts and went nationwide in 2012 under the America’s State Parks alliance.

The hikes are intended to promote an alternate way of celebrating the new year, by going outside, exerting some energy, and enjoying nature. To put it bluntly…start the new year off right.

Many of the state parks offered the hikes, guided by park rangers, for free, and had hot chocolate available for the participants.

We have hiked on New Year’s Day in the past – in Sequoia National Park in 2024 and Sedona in 2023.

Anne U. White Trail touched by snow and ice.

And while we have a number of state parks nearby that we enjoy, we chose to start our new year off right hiking our favorite trail – Anne U. White Trail in Boulder.

While not a state park, it is a very family friendly park. And there were a number of families out there enjoying the trail and getting in their own First Day Hike.

The trailhead is a bit hidden in a residential neighborhood, along US 36, up the canyon near Fourmile Canyon Creek. There is a parking lot with limited space and bathroom facilities.

A section of the Anne U. White Trail untouched by snow and ice.

You are welcomed by the sign for “Mountain Lion Country” and you can immediately see from the high rock formations overhead that there are plenty of places for mountain lions to hunker down.

Anne U. White Trail has an elevation climb of about 600 feet.

The trail is 1.7 miles one way, with an elevation climb of about 600 feet, and it hugs Fourmile Canyon Creek, crossing over it multiple times. This time of year, any water that might have been flowing was frozen solid, and there were residuals of snow and ice that had recently accumulated. You have to be mindful of each step especially in the winter time. Thankfully, we had decided to use our spikes that we put over our Merrell Moab 3 hiking boots.

Anne U. White Trail is challenging but in no way difficult or even moderate. It’s very family-friendly, and there were a lot of kids, and a lot of dogs. Melissa even decided to pet one. Hey, it’s a new year.