Mount Airy · Maryland
Gaver Farm
A Frederick County family farm on more than 60 acres with cut-your-own and fresh-cut trees, free hayrides to the back fields, a Wreath Shop and Christmas Café, and no tickets or reservations.
At a glance
Your tree visit.
- Tree choices
- Cut your own · Pre-cut trees
- Cut-your-own tree
- $65–$85
Priced by tree type, plus Maryland sales tax; fresh-cut trees by type and height.
Prices & conditions ↓ - Visit times
Preview Week Saturday–Wednesday, November 21–25, then daily to December 23, 9am–5pm. Closed Thanksgiving Day. No tickets or reservations.
Full schedule ↓
Find your tree
Choose your Christmas tree.
Gaver Farm invites visitors to choose from more than 60 acres of beautifully shaped Christmas trees. Most of the trees this year are on the front side of the farm, which is easy to reach on foot, and the back side is reached by the free hayride on its scheduled days. The Cut Your Own area carries four types, each priced by type.
A separate Fresh-Cut Area sells trees cut fresh from the farm’s own fields, priced by the type and height of the tree. The farm publishes no price list or size range for fresh-cut or taller trees, so ask the staff for the price before you choose. During Preview Week the farm names Douglas fir, Canaan fir, blue spruce and white pine for both cut-your-own and fresh-cut, and says it has its best selection of trees ever.
Everything you need for cutting is provided without charge: tree carts, saws, shaking to remove loose needles, baling to secure the tree for the ride home, pin-stand drilling and string for tying the tree to your car. Staff are on hand to help, and during Preview Week the expert tree handlers wear the signature red Gaver Farm hat.
Published varieties
- Colorado blue spruce
- Douglas fir
- Canaan fir
- White pine
Which variety suits your decorations?
General tree guidance; the farm’s selection, sizes and services are described above.
- Canaan fir
- Dark green needles with white undersides and firmer branches for decorations.
- Douglas fir
- Soft needles and more flexible branches, suited to lighter ornaments.
- White pine
- Long, soft needles and flexible branches; choose lighter decorations.
- Blue spruce
- Blue to silver-blue foliage with sharp needle tips.
Learn more: University of Wisconsin Extension ↗ · National Christmas Tree Association ↗
Compare the options
Trees & prices.
The farm accepts cash and credit cards and does not take personal checks or money orders.
| Selection & size | Price |
|---|---|
| Colorado blue spruce, up to 6 feet | $85 Cut your own; priced by the type of tree, plus Maryland sales tax. |
| Douglas fir, up to 9 feet | $85 Cut your own; priced by the type of tree, plus Maryland sales tax. |
| Canaan fir, up to 9 feet | $85 Cut your own; priced by the type of tree, plus Maryland sales tax. |
| White pine, up to 9 feet | $65 Cut your own; priced by the type of tree, plus Maryland sales tax. |
| Fresh-cut trees and taller trees | Priced by type and height Cut fresh from the farm’s own fields; the farm posts no price table or size range for the fresh-cut area. |
| Carts, saws, shaking, baling, pin-stand drilling and string for car tying | Free Free use of carts and saws and free services; staff are on hand to help. |
| Christmas-season admission and hayrides | No charge No tickets or reservations are needed for the Christmas season, and the hayrides are complimentary. |
The four cut-your-own trees
The farm describes each variety, with the price and the maximum height it lists for it.
| Tree | What the farm says |
|---|---|
| Colorado blue spruce, up to 6 feet, $85 | A premium tree with strong, sturdy branches, blue-green in colour, with excellent needle retention. |
| Douglas fir, up to 9 feet, $85 | The most popular variety, with dense branches and green needles; great for decorating with kids. |
| Canaan fir, up to 9 feet, $85 | Similar to Fraser fir, with beautiful bottlebrush needles and a bright green colour. |
| White pine, up to 9 feet, $65 | A traditional tree with long needles and soft, whimsical branches. |
Preview Week, free hayrides and the exit check
Because Thanksgiving falls late this year, Gaver opens early for Christmas Preview Week, from Saturday to Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Wreath Shop, Farm Market, fresh-cut trees and cut-your-own trees are open, but hayrides are not running that week.
The complimentary hayrides run on November 27, 28 and 29 and December 5 and 6, from 9am to 5pm, weather permitting. They take you to the back side of the farm. If the hayride is not running during your visit, you are welcome to walk to those fields or choose a tree on the front side. Strollers and wagons are not permitted on hayrides.
The farm’s photography policy says that on other Christmas-season weekends, all farm visitors must stop at the exit to have their vehicle inspected for trees and payment.
The Wreath Shop and Christmas Market
In the Farm Market, the Wreath Shop and Christmas Market sells real wreaths made by the farm’s team with greens sourced from local farms, from classic designs with red berries to wreaths with pinecones, ribbons and ornaments. It also sells swags, boughs and pine roping, ornaments made by local artisans, candles and plush Christmas creatures.
The market carries homemade jams, gallon jugs of apple cider and apples, and the Barn Bakery adds pies, fudge, cookies, brownies, gingerbread krispy pops and peppermint fudge. Bakery orders need at least 24 hours’ notice by email or phone. Prices and sizes are not posted.
Thanksgiving pie and donut pre-orders
Separately from the tree visit, the farm takes Thanksgiving pie and donut pre-orders online. Orders are due by November 18, and pickup is on Wednesday, November 25, from 9am to 5pm at the Gaver Farm Market. The online order page asks you to choose a pickup date before it shows items, so pie types and prices are not listed here. Items that are not pre-ordered, such as frozen pies, apple cider donuts, fudge, apples, cookie platters, jams, soup mixes and preserves, are first come, first served.
Parking, terrain and farm rules
Parking is free, in a large gravel lot with overflow field parking. This is a working farm with unpaved, uneven paths, bumps and hills; strollers and wagons are allowed on the paths but not on hayrides. The Farm Market is handicap accessible. Portable restrooms are placed around the farm. Dress warmly and wear sturdy, closed-toe footwear and layers.
Pets are not permitted; service animals with valid health paperwork are welcome on a leash or harness, one per guest. The farm accepts cash and credit cards, not personal checks or money orders. Smoking is allowed only in the parking lot and vaping is not allowed in guest areas; alcohol is not permitted, and drones, hoverboards, segways and personal golf carts or ATVs are not allowed. Lost and found is at the Farm Market counter.
The farm has not posted a rain, snow or mud rule for the Christmas season. The Farm Market is always open, and the farm reserves the right to close any or all of the farm for weather or farm conditions, announced on Facebook, its home page and its phone recording.
Photography at the farm
The farm closes to visitors from November 2 to 20 to change over from fall to Christmas, so mowing, shearing and machinery work can go on safely. The exception is its Christmas Minis weekend for photographers, on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15. Photographers reserve and pay a fee through the farm’s photography policy.
Professional photography sessions are otherwise allowed from September through December in regular hours with no fee; outside regular hours the fee is $50 per hour, capped at $250 a day. Sessions are not available on November 27, 28 and 29 or December 5 and 6. Photographers send a request form at least seven days ahead, check in at the Farm Market with a manager, park in the lot, and credit the farm; the farm does not schedule sessions by phone. Families may take their own photos.
Fall at Gaver is a separate visit
From early September to the start of November the farm runs its Fall Fun Festival, pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, the sunflower festival, the corn maze, school field trips and party pens, with ticketed admission and a season-pass option. Those are separate from Christmas, and no tickets or reservations are needed for the Christmas season.
Finding the farm and its family story
From Interstate 70, take Exit 62 for New Market and follow Route 75 north. Turn right on Old National Pike (Maryland Route 144), past the McDonald’s and Food Lion, then turn left on Detrick Road. The farm is the first driveway on the right.
The Gaver family has farmed here since the late 1970s. Michael and Lisa Gaver run the farm with their children Laura and Greg, and a third generation of grandchildren is growing up on it, on the historic Glenmont property.
Caring for your tree
Always make a fresh horizontal cut about half an inch up the trunk just before putting the tree into the stand, so it can absorb water. Use plain water free of additives and a stand with at least a 2-gallon water capacity, and never let the tree run out of water. Do not place the tree too close to a direct heat source. As the farm puts it, real trees have a shelf-life.
Pick your day
Dates & hours.
Tree season: November 21 to December 23, closed Thanksgiving Day
The farm opens a week before Thanksgiving for Christmas Preview Week and then stays open daily. No tickets or reservations are needed for the Christmas season, and the fall admission passes do not apply.
| Christmas season | Hours |
|---|---|
| Christmas Preview Week, Saturday–Wednesday, November 21–25 | 9am–5pm; Wreath Shop, Farm Market, fresh-cut and cut-your-own trees open; no hayrides; Christmas Café open November 21, 22 and 25 |
| Thanksgiving Day, November 26 | Closed |
| Daily from Black Friday, November 27, to December 23 | 9am–5pm |
| Free hayrides: November 27, 28 and 29 and December 5 and 6 | 9am–5pm, weather permitting |
| Christmas Café | Open Black Friday and select weekends; the farm has not posted its December café days |
| Thanksgiving pie and donut pickup, Wednesday, November 25 | 9am–5pm at the Farm Market; order online by November 18 |
Closing for Thanksgiving Day and the farm’s right to close for weather or farm conditions are the farm’s stated exceptions. The farm posts closures on Facebook, its home page and its phone recording.
Before you go.
- No tickets or reservations are needed; cut-your-own prices are by tree type plus Maryland sales tax.
- Hayrides run only on five posted days; otherwise walk or choose from the front side.
- Pets are not permitted; service animals are welcome.
- The farm accepts cash and credit cards but not personal checks.
- This season’s Christmas pages do not list a Santa visit.
- The farm’s email is gaverfarm@gmail.com.
5501 Detrick Road, Mt. Airy, MD 21771
Keep exploring
Other farms to compare.
Oakland, Maryland
Woodlake Tree FarmA Garrett County farm near Deep Creek Lake with limited choose-and-cut trees from 6 to 14 feet, fresh pre-cuts and a barn Christmas shop.
Hagerstown, Maryland
Good Spirits Christmas Tree FarmA Washington County tree forest with five species up to 20 feet, cash prices by species, free shaking, baling and drilling, and a Warm-Up Shed.
Smithsburg, Maryland
Mountains Edge Tree FarmA Washington County choose-and-cut farm: one $65 price for any tree, four firs and spruces, free baling, drilling and shaking.