Hike the Prickly Pear Trail Jan. 23 at Seashore State Park

Start the year off right with an outdoor hike. The staff at Delaware Seashore State Park is offering a guided hike of the Prickly Pear Trail at Fresh Pond.

This piece of state park land, located just east of Ocean View, includes more than 700 acres of upland forest, meadows and marshes. Delaware Seashore State Park acquired this land in the 1990s, which brought the last piece of undeveloped land in eastern Sussex County under state open-space protection.

The Prickly Pear Trail is a mostly flat 3.4-mile trail. Participants will have the opportunity to explore upland forest, meadow and saltwater marsh habitats, looking for signs left by the resident deer, fox, owls, and other birds and critters that call this area home. Hikers should dress for the weather and wear shoes that can get muddy.

The hike will take place at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 23. The cost is $4 per person and preregistration is required.

For information, directions and preregistration call the Indian River Life-Saving Station at 227-6991.