People seeking to follow up holiday celebrations with a walk in the woods can head to Clarkco State Park on New Year’s Day. The park, located at 386 Clarkco Road in Quitman, will be part of a national initiative called First Day Hikes this Monday.

Park Manager Tony Fleming said the event gives the public a chance to go for a hike and to get a few good glimpses of a state park they not yet have encountered.

“We’re going to do everything we can” to help people learn about the park, Fleming said, as he reflected upon the benefits of the free hike. “You’ve got folks (in the area) who don’t even know that Clarkco State Park is here.”

Fleming said the trail designated for the hike, which covers about 3.5 miles, will go around Ivy Lake. It will move through a wooded area, he said, and extend to a lookout tower that provides an expansive view of the lake. He said the path will also traverse a “primitive area” where people can camp without the use of utilities, as well as an area with 21 cabins that are fully furnished.

The window of time for the hikes will be 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with refreshments served at 10 a.m. at the beginning of the trail, Fleming said.

The event is part of the First Day Hikes national project which began, according to a report from Clarkco State Park, at the Blue Hills Reservation state park in Milton, Massachusetts more than 25 years ago. Fleming said the state of Mississippi has promoted the event vigorously this year and that it helps to do what Fleming has been working to do throughout the year: Let residents know about Clarkco State Park so that they come back and visit again.

“This corresponds with what we want to do,” Fleming said.

Other participating state parks in Mississippi include Clark Creek, LeFleur’s Bluff and Tishomingo, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks website.

People who finish the hike at Clarkco State Park will receive one of three medallions, Fleming said. One is designed to attach to a walking stick, another is crafted to stick magnetically to a refrigerator and a third is made to attach to a lapel.

People seeking more information can call Clarkco State Park at 601-776-6651 or email clarkcostatepark@mdwfp.state.ms.us. They can also visit the Clarkco State Park website at www.mdwfp.com/parks-destinations/state-parks/clarkco and the website for America’s State Parks at www.naspd.org.