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Nancy Yang

Happy New Year! Now take a hike

A man walks with snowshoes.
All that rest has been fun but now the DNR wants you to get off the couch. It's offering 14 First Day hikes at more than a dozen state parks on New Year's Day as part of a nationwide effort to start 2018 with physical activity.
Pascal Pochard-Casabianca | AFP | Getty Images

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We get it, you've been home for the holidays and all you want to do is relax. You've earned it after a long and wacky year, right?

But come Jan. 1, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants you to get off the couch and take a hike.

Fourteen First Day hikes are taking place at more than a dozen state parks on New Year's Day as part of a nationwide effort to start 2018 with physical activity. More than 400 hikes are scheduled this year in all 50 states.

Minnesota's events include five daytime hikes, four snowshoe hikes and three full moon hikes. All will be free, but you'll need a $7 daily vehicle permit to enter the park.

Note: Each will last between 1 1/2 hours to three hours, so make sure you dress for the weather.

The DNR is sweetening the deal, too: For the first time you can opt to go underground. Hourly guided tours of the cave at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bonus: It's a balmy 48 degrees year-round.

Mystery Cave is the longest cave in the state, spanning more than 13 miles underground. It's typically open for public tours only between April and October.

If that sounds like a grand old time, you should hurry up and make a reservation now; spots are filling up. If you miss out, there's still hope — tours also will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis if space is available.