Opt outside: ideas for a day-after-Thanksgiving hike

1. What “opt outside” means

Opt outside started in 2015, when the outdoor co-op REI closed its stores on the Friday after Thanksgiving and paid staff to spend the day outdoors (as reported by the trade publication Retail Dive). The phrase stuck, and it now works as a simple plan for that Friday: a hike, a walk, or a park you have been meaning to visit.

You do not need to join anything. The useful version of the idea is small: pick a trail close to where you are staying, get out while it is light, and bring the people who are already around the table. OXIVUE is not affiliated with REI, and this page is not part of its campaign. It is a list of ideas, plus a short note on where our camera sunglasses fit if you want photos without holding a phone.

It also works as a family tradition. Choose the same trail every year and take the same group photo at the same viewpoint, and after a few years you have a record of who came along and how tall the kids have grown. Keep it short enough that the least keen walker still enjoys it, and let the people who want a longer day add a second loop. The point is a few hours of daylight and fresh air between a heavy Thursday and the weekend, not a summit or a step count.

2. Which parks are free on November 27, 2026

Two state systems have confirmed something for that Friday; the National Park Service has not. We checked each official page on October 20, 2026. Free days are often announced in mid-November, so look at your own state’s parks website before you go.

A free park is a bonus, not a requirement. A county park or a city greenway ten minutes away usually beats a famous park two hours away on a day with this little light.

3. Twelve hike and walk ideas for the day after Thanksgiving

Twelve ideas, roughly from easiest to most effort. Most work for a mixed group of ages, which is usually who is around that weekend.

1. The leftover-sandwich loop. Pack turkey sandwiches and pie, choose a loop of a few miles with a bench or picnic table halfway, and make lunch the destination.
2. A paved greenway walk. City and county greenways are flat, often stroller- and wheelchair-friendly, and good for grandparents who want to come along.
3. A guided state park hike.If your state parks run day-after-Thanksgiving hikes, a ranger-led walk solves the “where do we go” question and adds some history or natural history.
4. The park you keep driving past. Most people have one. Make Friday the day you finally stop.
5. A sunrise walk. Leave the house quietly before everyone wakes, watch the light come up, and be back for coffee and leftovers.
6. A waterfall or creek trail. Wet leaves on rock can be slick, so pick a trail with a good surface and take it slowly.
7. A ridge or overlook with the leaves down. Bare trees open up views that summer foliage hides.
8. A birding walk. Bring binoculars and a field guide app; bare branches can make birds easier to spot.
9. A dog hike. The dog has been under the table for two days. Choose a trail that allows dogs, and keep the leash on where it is required.
10. A trail cleanup. Bring a bag and gloves and pick up litter on the way back, so the trail is better for the next group.
11. A family photo walk. Give everyone a small photo assignment (best leaf, funniest tree, one picture of the whole group) and compare at dinner.
12. A longer day hike for the keen ones. If part of the group wants miles, split up for the morning and meet at a trailhead café or picnic area afterwards.

For more on choosing and planning a day hike, see our guide to smart glasses for hiking, and if you are turning the weekend into a night outdoors, the camping guide covers that.

4. Planning a late-November hike

Three things make a late-November hike different from a summer one: short daylight, cold mornings and, in many areas, hunting season.

• Daylight. Days are short by late November. Look up sunset time for your trailhead, start by late morning at the latest, and plan to be back at the car with time to spare. A small headlamp in the pack costs nothing to carry.
• Layers. Start cold, warm up on the climb, cool off at the top. A base layer, an insulating layer and a wind or rain shell handle most of it; a hat and gloves weigh almost nothing.
• Hunting season.Many trails pass through land open to hunting in late autumn. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy advises hikers to learn the hunting seasons for the area before they go and to wear a fluorescent or “blaze” orange hat and vest, with orange for the dog too (checked October 20, 2026). Rules differ by state and by land type.
• Crowds and parking. Popular trailheads can fill on a holiday Friday. Have a second trail in mind.
• Tell someone. Leave your route and expected return time with someone who is staying home, and carry water and a snack even on a short walk.

5. Camera sunglasses on the trail: M08 or M02C

The OXIVUE M08 is $99 at checkout and the M02Cis $109; both take 8 MP photos from eye level with a touch on the temple, so your hands stay on the poles, the dog’s leash or a child’s hand. They also have open-ear speakers, so you can play music or a podcast, or take a call, while still hearing the trail and the people you are walking with. They are an optional extra for this day, not a requirement for it.

Prices checked 2026-10-20; checkout price may change. Listed prices are $149 (M08) and $159 (M02C); two or more pairs in one order are 50% off all eyewear, so two M08 come to $149.

• Lens choice. The sunglasses lens suits a bright open ridge. The photochromic lens adapts to light, so one pair moves between sunny clearings and shaded forest. Choose clear if you plan to walk into dusk; do not wear a tinted lens after dark.
• Weather. If rain is in the forecast, the IP65 M02C is the safer choice. The M08 has no published water rating, so keep it for dry days.
• Getting photos off. There is no display. Photos and clips go to the free HeyCyan app on your phone, where you can share the group shot that evening.
• Signal. Music, calls, the assistant and 40+ language translation need your phone nearby and connected, so expect less on a trail with no signal.

US delivery takes 5–9 business days; to have them by Thanksgiving, order by about November 13. If you are buying them as a present instead, our gifts for hikers guide includes non-glasses ideas too.

6. Photos of family and other hikers

Ask first. On OXIVUE frames a photo or clip starts only with a visible touch on the temple, and nothing records unless you start it, but the people around you cannot always tell when you have. Tell the group you are taking pictures, ask relatives before you film them, and ask parents before you photograph other people’s children. Leave strangers on the trail out of close-ups. Audio recording rules vary by state; our smart glasses recording laws by state guide has more detail. This is general information, not legal advice.

If you are driving to the trailhead, the glasses are for audio only while the car is moving: leave the camera and the phone app alone, and check your state’s rules in can you drive with smart glasses.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days after shipment, and buyers outside the US pay any import VAT or duties on delivery. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Compare every model on the comparison page.

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