Fort Ontario State Historic Site offers a free self-guided hike to help kick off New York State Parks’ centennial celebration! Join the commemoration between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 and enjoy a walk-back through the last 100 years of the Fort’s history.

The First Day Hike begins at the historic fort located at 4 E. Fourth St., Oswego. Participants are to report inside the old stone fort where they will receive a free tour booklet and begin their tour. AmeriCorps member Jonathan Kobelia developed the tour and will be available to answer questions or provide directions as needed.

The self-guided tour will use photographs to take participants to sites of historical events and activities at Fort Ontario from 1924 to 2024. Visitors will view images of the conversion of Fort Ontario’s 36-acre grounds from a World War I U.S. Army General Hospital back to a Regular Army infantry post, its service as a New York National Guard summer artillery training camp and reviews by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt.

They will also see the Fort’s transition to a special unit training post as the U.S. geared up for World War II as well as its transformation into a veterans’ housing complex following the war. Finally, participants can witness the Fort’s final development into a state historic site by the New York State Education Department and later, New York State Parks. 

Fort staff reminds participants to dress for cold and windy lakeside weather conditions and wear appropriate shoes for walking. Restrooms will be available.

In the event of inclement weather, check Friends of Fort Ontario’s Facebook page for updates.

First Day Hikes are a National Park Service initiative held in cooperation with New York State Parks. They are intended to encourage people to begin the New Year by reconnecting with the outdoors.

In 2024, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation celebrates 100 years of providing visitors the opportunity to visit historical and recreational sites throughout the state. The agency oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, all of which are visited by 78 million people annually.

For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit www.parks.ny.gov, download the free New York State Parks Explorer mobile app or call 518-474-0456. Visitors can also connect on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

For more information on the Fort Ontario First Day Hike, contact AmeriCorps member Jonathan Kobelia at 315-343-4711 or jonathan.kobelia@parks.ny.gov.