The Thanksgiving Your Kids Will Still Talk About: A Family Weekend in the White Mountains

Pie for breakfast. A summit before lunch. A Christmas tree riding home on the roof.

By Gwen & Danielle

That's a family Thanksgiving weekend in the White Mountains. This year Thanksgiving lands on November 26, and here's how the weekend unfolds.

1. Hand the map to the smallest hiker

Best for: little legs · Where: Lovell · Effort: easy

Let the kids set the pace. In neighboring Lovell, the Storybook Trail at Kezar River Reserve follows the river on a wide, gentle 0.4-mile path, with a picnic table along the way that makes a fine snack stop (and an even better finish line). Legs still going? The Blue and Red Loops at Heald and Bradley Ponds Reserve, also in Lovell, run flat along the edge of Heald Pond. Nobody's keeping time. You're just working up an appetite.

Good to know: Sunday is the safest day for a walk in the woods, because there's no hunting in Maine on Sundays.

2. A summit picnic with the White Mountains in view

Best for: the whole crew · Where: Lovell and Fryeburg · Effort: easy to moderate

Sabattus Mountain is the kind of climb that feels big and isn't: a 1.4-mile loop and about 500 feet up, until the trees open to Kezar Lake below and the White Mountains beyond. Before anyone starts down, go around the circle and name one good thing from this year. Then pass around the leftover turkey sandwiches. Cocoa just tastes better at 1,253 feet.

Still have a summit in you? Jockey Cap in Fryeburg is a quick, steep quarter-mile scramble to a bald granite dome, where a bronze peak-finder names the mountains on the horizon. Kids love checking its work.

Good to know: Sabattus has steep cliff edges at the lookouts, so keep little ones close. Jockey Cap's bare granite can get slick, so wear boots with grip.

3. Pie for breakfast, waterfall by noon

Best for: everyone · Where: North Conway, NH · Effort: easy

Black Friday rule: pie counts as breakfast. Pumpkin, apple, whatever survived Thursday. Then head about 45 minutes to North Conway, New Hampshire, for Diana's Baths, where Lucy Brook tumbles down a string of pools and cascades. The walk in is about a mile and a quarter out and back on a wide, mostly level path. Afterward, wander into town for lunch, and if anyone's still holding a holiday list, New Hampshire has no sales tax.

Good to know: The Forest Service lot on West Side Road stays open in winter, with a self-serve day-use fee, so tuck some cash in your pocket. Roadside parking isn't allowed.

4. Drive home with a tree on the roof

Best for: the kids (they're in charge) · Where: Fryeburg · Effort: easy

Save the best stop for last. Weston's Farm in Fryeburg sells cut-your-own and pre-cut trees, plus wreaths and garland. Put the kids in charge of choosing. It might take a while. That's part of it.

Good to know: Call ahead (207-935-2567) for this year's cut-your-own dates, and pack work gloves and roof straps. Weston's also takes Thanksgiving turkey orders, so the bird can stay off your packing list.

Know before you go

• ✦It's deer season. Maine's firearms deer season runs November 2–28, 2026. A bright orange hat or vest helps everyone stand out on the trail, and midday walks are best, since hunters are most active around dawn and dusk.
• ✦Pack for anything. Late November can bring first snow, cold rain or frosty ground, sometimes all in one day. Bring warm layers, waterproof boots and traction for icy mornings.
• ✦Daylight is short. The sun's down by about 4 pm, so make the most of midday.

Where the weekend comes together

However the day went, it ends at the treehouse. At Grand Oak, cook the feast together in the full kitchen, then carry the pie out to the private firepit. Trade the day's stories over s'mores, then look up: on a clear night, the stars are worth the cold noses. Once the kids are asleep, the private hot tub, covered and open all winter, is the grown-ups' reward. There's room for eight.

Bringing the whole crew? Book Grand Oak and the Spruce Suite together for about 12.

And keep the kids busy with the Treehouse Bingo card: nine little winter moments hiding around the property, waiting to be found and photographed. Kids spot them, grown-ups post them. Tag us on Instagram (@in_the_trees_maine) or Facebook for a chance to win a $250 gift certificate in the Little Treasures In The Trees Photo Contest. See the Bingo card →

Your family. Your traditions. A Thanksgiving in the trees.

Plan your Thanksgiving weekend: book Grand Oak →