Whale's Tale is the White Mountains' waterpark — a full-scale one on Route 3 in Lincoln, with a wave pool, a lazy river, a stack of tube and body slides, a kids' area and a raft ride, open daily through the summer season. Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice has ranked it among the top waterparks in the country three years running, which for a park in a mountain town of a few thousand people is a real thing.
It is, squarely, a family attraction — and the lodge is adults-only, so we send very few guests here and would not pretend otherwise. But some couples want a hot-August-afternoon lazy river and a slide or two, and this is the only place in the valley to get it. Here is the plain read.
What's there
The lineup covers the waterpark essentials at a decent scale: a wave pool as the centerpiece, a lazy river circling the park, tube slides and body slides of graduated nerve, a family raft ride, a play structure with dump buckets for small kids, and plenty of lounge-chair real estate. Food stands, lockers, changing rooms, cabanas for rent, and a gift shop round it out.
It is bigger than a hotel pool and smaller than a Six Flags — a solid regional park, clean and well-run by the reviews and by reputation in town.
Season, tickets, timing
The park is a summer operation — roughly mid-June through Labor Day, open daily in the core season, with hours posted on whalestalewaterpark.net. Gate prices change year to year and by age and time of day, and the park sells discounted advance and afternoon tickets online, so we will not quote a number here that ages badly: check the site the week you go, and buy ahead on hot weekends, when it sells through.
Weekday mornings are the sane version; hot Saturday afternoons in late July are the full experience, lines and all. Arriving at opening buys you an hour of the good slides with no queue.
The grown-up read
If you are staying with us and thinking about it: the lazy river and wave pool are a pleasant way to spend a scorching afternoon, and the bigger slides are fun for anyone. Everything else is built for children, and the soundtrack is children. Go on a weekday, go early, and treat it as two hours, not a day.
For adults who want water without the waterpark, the better alternatives are the swimming holes — Lower Falls on the Kancamagus when the river is low, Echo Lake's beach in the notch. Our swimming-holes guide ranks them, with the safety caveats they deserve.
Where to stay for it
5 min up Route 3. We mention it for completeness and for the occasional couple who wants a lazy river on a 90-degree afternoon; most of our guests find their water at the Basin, Echo Lake, or the Swift River instead.
Sources & official info: whalestalewaterpark.net · tripadvisor.com · lincolnnh.gov
— Launchpoint Lodge, From the lodge
