Jan 1, 2026, 4:00 AM CST
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is inviting residents to celebrate the start of 2026 with a New Year’s Day hike. The agency’s First Day Hikes will take place at over a dozen state parks across Wisconsin, including at Mirror Lake State Park from 11:00 to 1:00 and Devil’s Lake State Park from 3:30 to 5:30.
Mirror Lake State Park staff will offer a guided hike to ring in the New Year. The trail will be an easy route along a couple of trails that offer views of the lake and sandstone rock outcroppings. A state park admission sticker is required on vehicles.
This year at Devil’s Lake, all ages are invited to take a twilight hike or snowshoe through Steinke Basin. This will be around a two-mile hike on an uneven trail. Dress warm and bring a flashlight and your snowshoes. Staff will also have snowshoes to loan. Meet at the Steinke Basin Parking Lot along highway DL.
These hikes offer visitors an opportunity to begin the New Year rejuvenated and connected with nature. DNR officials say the community hikes are a great way for residents to explore the outdoors in their areas, and each one will cover between one to three miles. A full schedule of events is available on the DNR’s website.
Adam Hess has been involved in radio broadcasting since 1990, with many of those years spent on the air at WRCO FM in Richland Center. Currently, Adam hosts the Weekend Wake-up and Prime Mover Saturdays on WRCO FM, jumps in and helps out with news duties, handles Social Media duties for WRCO and WRCE, and is the Director of Technology at a Southwest Wisconsin School District. Reach him at [email protected].
Jo Ann Krulatz is Senior Radio Journalist and News Director at WRCO and WRCE in Richland Center. Email her at [email protected].
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