Overview
- Prices vary by manager: Arapaho and Roosevelt permits cost $20 plus a $2.50 service fee, White River charges $10, Pike ranges from $10–$20, and BLM permits run $8–$10.
- Sulphur Ranger District cutting is open now, Canyon Lakes opens Saturday, and most forests list cutting windows through late December or into early January where specified.
- Rules bar cutting in wilderness and developed recreation areas, require setbacks from roads and trails (often 75–200 feet), limit trunk diameter to six inches, and include district-specific exceptions such as White River’s ban on Colorado blue spruce and the Camp Hale area.
- Several areas are closed to cutting, including the Boulder and Clear Creek ranger districts and Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Elk Creek District is not open this season.
- Fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass can obtain one free permit, Golden Gate Canyon State Park awarded 250 lottery permits for a Dec. 6 event, visitors should bring printed permits and winter gear, and unauthorized cutting can draw fines up to $5,000.