Your visit to Wisconsin State Parks will carry extra meaning this year as they celebrate a benchmark anniversary. On New Year's Day, state officials kicked off the system's 125th anniversary as a part of the First Day Hike Event hosted at Mirror Lake State Park in Baraboo. Governor Tony Evers was there for the festivities, saying it was exciting to kick off more than a century of land stewardship as a part of growing state tradition. "Since 1900, our state parks have represented Wisconsin's rich history of conservation and stewardship while also being a place where Wisconsinites for generations have made memories together," said Evers. Visitors to Whitefish Dunes, Peninsula, and Newport state parks celebrated similarly on Wednesday, welcoming dozens of people to start the New Year outdoors. Friends of Whitefish Dunes State Park President John Swanson says it was the first of many events they are excited to host this year to encourage people to explore Door County's state parks.

Whether there is enough snow to ski or not, Whitefish Dunes State Park and Newport State Park are hosting candlelight events on January 25th and February 8th, respectively. The attendance numbers for 2024 have not been released yet, but park superintendents across the county said early last year that the mild winter slowed down park traffic because of a lack of winter activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.