01/21/2026
❄️🥾 Our Annual Wayne Winter Hiking Challenge has begun! 🥾❄️
Winter in Wayne County has a special kind of magic to it. The trails are a little quieter, the air crisp, and you can see further to the surrounding hills, countryside, and into the forest through the leafless trees.
Annually soon after the turn of the new year, in collaboration with Through The Woods, Local Roots likes to help promote movement and wellness for ourselves and our community through the Wayne Winter Hiking Challenge! This challenge is open to all ages and abilities. Whether you're looking for a longer hike, or 10 minutes to enjoy fresh air in the natural spaces of our county, we know the time outdoors can be beneficial.
We have put together a brochure listing 8 different parks in or near Wayne County. Hikers must visit 6 of the 8 parks between 1/19 & 3/16 to complete the challenge. You can download and print this brochure from the online link at localrootswooster.com/waynewinterhikingchallenge, or pick one up at the checkout counter at Local Roots. Challenge finishers can fill out their brochure and drop it off at Local Roots anytime they complete the challenge before 3/16. They will then receive a $10 gift card from Local Roots per household, and a specialty challenge sticker per hiker as a way to congratulate their challenge completion. By completing the hiking challenge, participants are also automatically entered into the drawing for a Hiking Challenge Raffle Prize of a few more special Local Roots goods. Additionally, on the back of the hiking brochure are bonus activities. Each bonus activity completed adds an additional entry to the raffle. One of the bonus activities is to track your steps. So for those who use a fitness tracking app or smart watch, turn them on for your hikes to know how far you walked and how many steps you took for this year's challenge. And keep an eye out for updates on the raffle prize!
We would love to hike along with you - on social media use the tag and/or tag us in your posts so we can follow along! We can't wait to see where the winter trail takes you, happy hiking!
