Christmas Tree Permit 2026: Sale Dates and Rules, 9 National Forests

White River National Forest in Colorado sells Christmas tree permits for $10 each, and cutting runs from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31, 2026, according to its Recreation.gov listing, read Nov. 14. The table below sets nine national forests side by side: price where a 2026 price is posted, online sale date, cutting window, height limit and the fourth-grade rule. A one-page printable keeps the tree-trip checklist, and each forest name links to its own listing.

Christmas tree permit 2026 by national forest

“Not shown” means the forest’s page did not state it on Nov. 14, 2026 (Arapaho and Roosevelt’s page was last updated Oct. 8). Prices are 2026 prices only; times are as each listing prints them.

Forest	2026 price	Online sale	Cutting window	Height limit	Fourth-grade rule
White River National Forest, Colo.	$10 per permit, limit 5 per person	On sale since Thu., Nov. 12	Mon., Nov. 16 to Thu., Dec. 31	15 feet	Free tree with a pass, online or at district offices
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, Colo.	Not shown on the forest’s page	Permits available Oct. 8, 2026 to Jan. 6, 2027	Canyon Lakes Nov. 21 to Jan. 6; Sulphur Nov. 7 to Jan. 6	Not shown; trunk 6 inches or less in diameter	Free through Recreation.gov, $2.50 reservation fee
Eldorado National Forest, Calif.	$10 each at walk-in sales, cash only	Not shown	Permits valid Nov. 9 to Dec. 31, 2026	20 feet	Not shown
Coconino National Forest, Ariz.	Not shown	Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. in Arizona)	Nov. 14 to Dec. 31	10 feet	Not shown
Kaibab National Forest, Ariz.	Not shown	Thu., Oct. 8, 10 a.m. Eastern	Not shown	10 feet	Not shown
Pike and San Isabel National Forests, Colo.	Not shown	South Platte: Thu., Oct. 8, 8 a.m. Mountain Time; other districts list Nov. 16	South Platte last day Sat., Dec. 19; Pikes Peak through Dec. 23; South Park, Salida, Leadville, San Carlos through Dec. 31	15 feet tall or 6 inches in diameter at ground level	Not shown
Tahoe National Forest, Calif.	Not shown	Not shown	Not shown	20 feet	Not shown
Mount Hood National Forest, Ore.	2026 not posted	2026 not posted	Page says the season reopens in November 2026	Not shown	See the 2025 rule below
Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyo.	Not shown	Not shown	Not shown	20 feet	Pass or voucher gets a permit and tag for one free tree

Pike and San Isabel’s listing says “There is not a quota, so permits will not sell out” for several districts. Coconino lists 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time for its 2026 online sale, and Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time, so it is 8 a.m. there.

Free Christmas tree permits for fourth graders

Four forests in the table tie a free tree to the fourth-grade Every Kid Outdoors pass. The Every Kid Outdoors site describes the free pass for fourth graders and says nothing about trees, so the tree rule below belongs to each forest.

• White River: fourth graders with a valid pass “can recieve a free Holiday Tree either online through Recreation.gov or through our local District Offices,” the listing says. The pass “does not waive the Recreation.gov purchase processing fee,” and the listing does not give the amount.
• Arapaho and Roosevelt: fourth graders with a pass qualify for a free permit through Recreation.gov “with a $2.50 reservation fee,” according to the forest. The Elk Creek area “will not be open for drive-in tree cutting this coming season.”
• Bridger-Teton: “Present your pass or voucher to receive a permit and tag for one free Christmas tree,” the listing says. It gives no 2026 dates.
• Mount Hood, 2025 season: the page last updated Dec. 31, 2025 said fourth graders “must have their Every Kid Outdoors pass or voucher with them to receive the permit,” and that those permits “are not available from local vendors.” It also listed permits at “$5/permit/tree” and a Recreation.gov service fee of $2.50. The forest had not posted 2026 terms.

Cutting rules the forests print

Rules differ by forest, so the ones below are credited to the page that states them.

• Arapaho and Roosevelt: cut the tree “six inches or less from the ground.” The trunk must be six inches or less in diameter, “strictly enforced.” No cutting within 75 feet of any road or trail. Permits must be visible on the tree or on your dash.
• Pike and San Isabel: trees up to 15 feet tall or 6 inches in diameter at ground level.
• Mount Hood, 2025 season: a stump “no more than 6 inches from the ground,” no cutting within 100 feet of any highway, and the online permit and cutting guidelines printed and on your person. The annual limit was 5 trees per household.
• Eldorado: one tree per permit, and permits are valid Nov. 9 to Dec. 31, 2026.
• Tahoe: the listing says “The 2026 cutting areas have changed for Truckee and American River Ranger Districts,” and asks buyers to review the maps closely.

What the forests have not posted for 2026

• Prices: Arapaho and Roosevelt, Coconino, Kaibab, Pike and San Isabel, Tahoe and Bridger-Teton do not show a 2026 price on the pages we read.
• Cutting dates: Kaibab, Tahoe and Bridger-Teton show none.
• Mount Hood: the 2026 season, price and sale date.

Listings can change, so confirm the forest’s own page before you buy. For where the tree goes after the holidays, see Christmas tree recycling by city; for the tree on display in Washington, see the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour schedule and the Christmas tree lightings in 2026.

Tree-trip dates to mark and print

The printable starts from White River’s Nov. 16 opening and lists what to do before you go, what to bring and the rules at the site, with a box to tick for each. Mark the sale and cutting dates on the November 2026 printable calendar and the December 2026 printable calendar; the last cutting days in the table are Dec. 19 at Pike South Platte, Dec. 31 at White River, Eldorado and Coconino, and Jan. 6, 2027 at Arapaho and Roosevelt.