PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is inviting residents to #WalkInto22 and celebrate the New Year by joining a First Day Hike at Burlingame State Park and Campground on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, 1-3 PM. First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by America's State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors. Last year, nearly 85,000 people rang in the New Year, collectively hiking over 176,366 miles throughout the country on the hikes. This is the sixth such event DEM has hosted.

"DEM is thrilled to ring in the New Year with a First Day Hike at Burlingame State Park and Campground," said DEM Acting Director Terry Gray. "We invite Rhode Islanders to get out of the house, breathe in the fresh air, and get their hearts pumping after all the holiday celebrations."

DEM will be offering commemorative 2022 first-day hike pins to participating hikers. For safety, please maintain social distance from other groups who are hiking. DEM advises everyone to follow guidance about COVID-19 from Governor McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Health. More information about COVID-19 precautions can be found here.

Opened in 1934, Burlingame is Rhode Island's first camping grounds. It includes 755 campsites plus fishing, swimming, picnicking, boating, and hiking while the area north of Buckeye Brook Road, abutting the Pawcatuck River, is primarily a hunting area. In August, DEM crews spent weeks cleaning up Burlingame after 150 trees came down during Tropical Storm Henri. Numerous species of animals can often be spotted at Burlingame including white-tailed deer, eastern cottontail rabbits, gray squirrels, Eastern chipmunks, muskrat, mink, raccoon, red fox, white-footed mouse, short-tailed shrew, river otter, short-tailed weasel, and as many as 80 species of birds.

For information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.