(Wahpeton)– Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say 4,358 hikers took part in First Day Hikes Wednesday (New Year’s Day) in 49 Iowa state parks, including Gull Point on West Lake Okoboji. Todd Coffelt, Forests and Preserves Bureau Chief at the DNR, says it was the highest attendance since the annual event began in 2012.
The New Year’s Day hikes launched the Iowa state park centennial which is being observed in 2020.
Coffelt says of the 49 state parks, Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines had the highest turnout with 410 hikers.
