How this works
79 national forests list a 2026 Christmas tree permit on Recreation.gov, and 65 Bureau of Land Management offices list one in BLM's permit store. We read both on Nov 12, 2026 and print what they say: the dates, the price, the limit and the rules, each with its source. Sale times are in each place's own time zone. Recreation.gov prints them in Eastern, and we convert. A permit is the agency's to sell, and the rules on it are the agency's. We quote them and link them. We don't sell permits, and nothing here is one.
2 forests have pages on Recreation.gov with no permit type named and no dates on them. We print what the page says and no date. 53 more Forest Service units and 50 BLM field offices don't list a permit in either store. We say "not posted yet" for those, never "no program": some sell at the office and never post one online. Distances are straight lines to a forest's boundary, not to the cutting area and not by road. The forest's own map shows where you can cut. How we read the agencies · Not a permit, not the agency
Read from the agencies Nov 12, 2026
Christmas tree permits near Denver 11 places within 100 miles
7 of them sell a permit today. The nearest national forest is the Pike and San Isabel National Forest, about 25 miles from Denver in a straight line, and it's on sale today. The nearest that publishes its own cutting-area map is BLM's Royal Gorge Field Office.
National forests, nearest first
- Pike and San Isabel National ForestAbout 25 milesOn sale nowNov 27 to Dec 18cutting days$20 per tree
- Arapaho and Roosevelt National ForestsAbout 25 milesOn sale nowNov 7 to Jan 6cutting days$20 per tree
- Medicine Bow-Routt National ForestAbout 70 milesOn sale nowOct 13 to Dec 31cutting daysOn the permit pageRecreation.gov's records disagree
- Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National ForestAbout 95 milesOn sale nowNov 14 to Dec 31cutting days$8 per tree
BLM offices, nearest first
- BLM Royal Gorge Field OfficeIts area takes in DenverSales open Nov 24Nov 24 to Dec 25cutting daysOn the permit page
- BLM Kremmling Field OfficeIts area starts about 45 miles outOn sale nowNov 5 to Dec 25cutting daysOn the permit page
- BLM Colorado River Valley Field OfficeIts area starts about 70 miles outSales open Nov 17Nov 17 to Dec 24cutting daysOn the permit page
- BLM Little Snake Field OfficeIts area starts about 90 miles outSales open Nov 17Nov 17 to Dec 25cutting daysOn the permit page
- BLM Gunnison Field OfficeIts area starts about 95 miles outSales open Nov 25Nov 25 to Dec 25cutting daysOn the permit page
Not posted yet
- Pawnee National GrasslandAbout 60 milesNot posted yet
Opening next near Denver
BLM's Colorado River Valley Field Office opens sales Nov 17.
Ranger districts nearest Denver
All 20 permits the Pike and San Isabel National Forest lists on Recreation.gov are for the South Platte Ranger District. That's the district nearest Denver.
Pike and San Isabel National Forest
South Platte Ranger District, about 25 miles. Office in Conifer: (303) 275-5610.
Pikes Peak Ranger District, about 35 miles. Office in Colorado Springs: (719) 636-1602.
South Park Ranger District, about 45 miles. Office in Fairplay: (719) 836-2031.
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Clear Creek Ranger District, about 25 miles. No office listed.
Boulder Ranger District, about 30 miles. No office listed.
Canyon Lakes Ranger District, about 40 miles. Office: (970) 295-6600.
Sulphur Ranger District, about 45 miles. Office: (970) 295-6600.
Dillon Ranger District, about 50 miles. Office in Silverthorne: (970) 468-5400.
Districts from the Forest Service's ranger district layer, read Nov 11, 2026. Offices from each permit's listing on Recreation.gov, read Nov 12, 2026.
Every distance here is a straight line from the Census Bureau's point for Denver city (read Nov 11, 2026) to a boundary, not road miles and not to the trees. The forest's own map shows where you can cut.
What locals say
Buffalo Creek on the South Platte district is the popular pick. A longtime cutter says it still has good trees, but its busy days sell out, and Camp Fickes is the backup. Another regular skips it for Georgia Pass and Como Pass.
From r/Denver, "Cut down your own Christmas tree for $35 in Golden Gate Canyon State Park" (2024), read Nov 11, 2026.
Buffalo Creek can be slushy on a warm day and deep in snow on a cold one, and one family got lost there after dark. Start early.
From Sentinel Colorado (Aurora) feature on a Buffalo Creek trip and CBS Colorado, "Family Gets Lost On Christmas Tree Cutting Outing" (Buffalo Creek, 2011), read Nov 11, 2026.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park's cut-your-own is a state park lottery, not a federal permit.
From r/Denver, "Cut down your own Christmas tree for $35 in Golden Gate Canyon State Park" (2024), read Nov 11, 2026.

