Try these 4 Tri-Cities area hikes and rides to start the new year off right

What a great way to spend the first day of the new year.

First Day Hikes are offered by local organizations in our area each year on New Year’s Day.

Several Washington State Parks are also offering free guided hikes, snowshoe trips and fat-tire bike rides. Jan. 1 is also a no-charge, fee-free, no-parking pass day. A Discover Pass is not required to park, although Sno-Park permits are still required at designated Sno-Parks.

Bundle up! Dress for the weather and conditions and bring the essentials. Make sure you know where you are going. Bring hiking boots or shoes with good traction and micro-spikes, sunglasses, water and snacks. If there is snow, bring clothes and gear that is designed for the conditions such as snowshoes and trekking poles. Bring binoculars for viewing wildlife and a camera to bring home the memories.

Not sure where to go? Here are some suggestions:

Badger Mountain Hike

Members of the Intermountain Alpine Club are carrying on a tradition started by the club almost 70 years ago. The public is invited to join them for their annual hike up Badger Mountain on New Year’s Day.

No matter what the conditions, the group will meet at the Dallas Road Trailhead parking lot at 10:15 a.m. The hike is supposed to start at 10:30 a.m. The trail is 2 miles up and 2 miles back — about an hour going up and an hour back.

The hike is very informal. People just take off whenever they show up. There’s no official start to the walk. You can also extend the hike a number of ways and turn it into your own 6- or 7-mile round trip by taking the Canyon Trail and the Langdon Trails.

There’s more information online at the hike up Badger Mountain at imacnw.org/events.

Grayhawk Trail Hike

Start the new year with a fresh perspective and take a hike on the brand new, recently completed section of the Tapteal Trail north of Richland.

The new 100-foot section of the Tapteal Trail runs along the old irrigation canal behind the Horn Rapids development, overlooking the Yakima River.

The 4.5-mile (roundtrip) hike starts in the Grayhawk subdivision of the Horn Rapids Community off of Highway 240 and Kingsgate Way and proceeds south towards Kingston Road. After entering off 240 turn right on River Park Drive until it ends at Village Parkway. Turn right on Village Parkway and go one block to the intersection with Redhawk Drive.

For more information about the Grayhawk Trail hike, send an email to taptealgreenway@gmail.com or visit tapteal.org.

Columbia Plateau Trail Bike Ride

The Columbia Plateau Trail is a 4,109-acre, 130-mile railroad bed that traces the original path of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.

This year, Ranger Nic Roberts will lead a mountain bike ride along the Columbia Plateau Trail. The ride is very flat, but the trail is not paved. Parks staff will provide snacks and drinks at the Snake River junction of the trail — the half-way point.

Meet at the North Shore Recreation Area and boat ramp by Ice Harbor Dam at 8:45 a.m. The event starts at 9 a.m. and is rated as strenuous. Participants should be capable of riding for a minimum of two hours.

For information about the Columbia Plateau Trail Bike Ride, call 509-646-9218 or send an email to nicholas.roberts@parks.wa.gov or visit adventureawaits.com and search for First Day Hikes.

Sun Lakes Hike — Dry Falls State Park

If you want to really rock the new year you can join in this amazing 2.5-mile hike overlooking the rim of the lower Grand Coulee Canyon.

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls is located the central part of Washington’s ice-age landscapes. Dry Falls was carved by Ice Age floods a little over 13,000 years ago. The waterfall was once four times the size of Niagara Falls. Today it’s 400 feet hight with a 3.5-mile-wide scarp that is carved by deep, rocky gorges and cool, dark, reflective lakes. The park is a noteworthy site along the National Ice Age Floods Geologic Trail.

Meet at the Dry Falls Visitor Center a little before 10:30 a.m. A park ranger will offer an interpretive overview of the geology of Dry Falls, the Ice Age Flood National Geologic Trail, plus a tour of the visitor center. Then, you go on a looping hike through the amazing desert sagebrush and rolling shrub-steppe.

For information, call 509-632-5214 or email david.mcwalter@parks.wa.gov or visit adventureawaits.com and search for First Day Hikes.