About 50 people turned out for the annual First Day Hike at Pope John Paul II Park sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Neponset River Greenway Council.

The First Day Hikes program originated in the nearby Blue Hills Reservation in 1992, according to the DCR, and has since become a popular activity that has been adopted by parks systems in all 50 states. The Blue Hills event has several different hikes including some strenuous ones on rocky hills. In contrast, the Dorchester walk is much more family friendly.

The DCR’s Antoine Cureton led the walk, which circled around the park’s ballfields for about a mile in total. Discussions included the history of the 66-acre facility and how parts of it were a drive-in movie theater and a trash dump.

Looking ahead, many are waiting on the opening this spring of the Neponset River trail extension to Morrissey Boulevard, as well as plans in the works to connect the southern end of the trail at Neponset Valley Parkway in Hyde Park to the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton.

The Neponset River Greenway Council will host walks and talks along the trail this winter highlighting how king tides inundate low-lying areas like Tenean Beach.