Resaca de la Palma State Park and World Birding Center in Brownsville will host a First Day Hike on Jan. 1, joining state parks across the country in an effort to encourage outdoor exercise to “walk off the old year and hike into a new year.”
The New Year’s Day hike is scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m. and is expected to cover between one-half mile and one mile depending on participation, said Kelly Malkowski, Resaca de la Palma park superintendent.
“ It’s part of a nationwide initiative and it’s a great way to reconnect with nature. Ours will have a guide,” Malkowski said, advising those who participate to dress for the weather, bring water and bug spray.
Participants are to meet at the World Birding Center Visitors Center at 9 a.m. There is a $4 park entrance fee charged per-person to those 13 and older at the gate. The fee covers many park activities. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
An announcement posted on the park’s Facebook page encourages people to bring “water, bug spray, your family, your pets and please dress according to weather.”
The hike will follow the park’s tram route but could go beyond if the hikers wish, Malkowski said.
Resaca de la Palma State Park, 1000 New Carmen Ave., is one of three World Birding Center sites in the Rio Grande Valley managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. At 1,200 acres it is the largest.
Visitors can enjoy more than eight miles of off-road trails, four observation decks that overlook four miles of resaca wetland, and a 2.76-mile paved loop that visitors can travel by tram, hiking and biking. Bikes, binoculars, and explorer packs are available for rent. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The park’s Facebook page lists a number of activities, some of which are included in the daily use fee and others that charge a nominal participation fee. Among the most popular are an instructed archery class and a junior park ranger program, which are by reservation only.
There’s a nature walk on Fridays, a bird walk and yoga in the park on Saturdays, a butterfly walk and bike ride on Sundays and the park’s electric tram operates Wednesday through Sunday.
Resaca de la Palma is one of 89 Texas State Parks. Parks statewide, including several in Brownsville and throughout the Valley, will be hosting a variety of self-guided and guided events so visitors can walk, bike or paddle their way into the new year.
First Day hikes aim to help visitors commit to their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy. Last year, 2,668 visitors ushered in 2021 by hiking, biking and riding a total of 8,173 miles statewide, according to the parks and wildlife department.
For additional information call (956) 350-2920 or visit the park’s Facebook page.
