FRASER | Pandemic or not, Colorado puts on Christmas like pros.
Coloradans, which pretty much includes anyone who’s lived here for a year, pity the Midwest and Texas transplant families who gather around the green-plastic hair brush or warm-weather “pine” tree to open gifts on Christmas.
Here, Christmas means trees. Real trees that look like they faithfully guarded a rugged mountainside before being selected as the chosen few to move into one of millions of living rooms, sport twinkling lights and big glass balls. They are The Guardians of the Presents. Only wild trees, bagged in our mountains can claim such an honor.
Well, the fact is, most people here like gorgeous, perfect fake trees just like everyone else. And those who drag real, dying trees into their homes usually get them from Christmas tree lots, which get them from farms in places like Oregon. In July.
But how Colorado is that? If you want a real Centennial State holiday high, go get your own tree. For far less than what even the scroungiest bush costs at a tree lot, you can help thin local forests ripe for wildfire, live the yule-tide dream, and bring home the Christmas tree of your dreams.
For years, select national forests — mostly out here in the West — have been encouraging people to get up for an experience most folks only hear about.
Now don’t grab the chain saw and start the car yet. There are rules. And this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic bears down, there are changes to this favorite holiday tradition. But the rules and limitations are easy ones. You can’t just go anywhere up in the hills and snag a fir. Tree cutting is limited to particular areas in the state. This year, because of the recent wildfires and also limitations created by the pandemic, your choices are more limited.
But on a warm, sunny, windless day just above Fraser, down the road from Winter Park, the snow was shin deep. Tthe hills near Elk Creek are an easy walk, and there are plentiful perfect Douglas fir and ponderosa pines, and even more than just need a good home.
Near Aurora, there are two choices this year: Buffalo Creek, which is fairly close, between Pine Junction on U.S. 285 and Deckers; and Fraser, just down the road from Winter Park. The Buffalo Creek site is the most popular and most limited. Tree cutting there is available only through Dec. 13, this year.
Permits are available for purchase online at https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits. Type in “Colorado” on that page and you’ll see a list of available places across the state. From there, the clicking is easy.
This year, the area around Red Feather Lakes and that region are closed because of the wildfires.
The day really is as romantic and nostalgic as you think it is. It also can be real work. Even for native Aurora-area residents. The elevation is higher and everything is either up or down a hill, and often both. Be prepared. The forest service websites tell you what to bring and what to leave behind.
But the scenery is beautiful, and a tree doesn’t get any fresher than cutting it down the same day you put it up.
The rules vary some, but generally, you must use a hand saw or an ax, not a chain or power saw of any kind. Save your energy and digits for the ride home; don’t use an ax or hatchet. Tree saws, available at any hardware store, are relatively inexpensive and make quick work of soft pine.
You’re actually working to improve Colorado’s landscape and forests. The Forest Service runs this program to get people to clear out younger trees that can fuel a forest fire. You’re not coming home with the Rockefeller Center tree.
Just make sure you read the rules, check the dates and save yourself serious disappointment. Some area’s actually sell out in October.
Be prepared for anything. Balmy weather and short pants, or something like a blizzard and deep snow. No one recalls anyone getting into serious trouble during these Christmas tree hunts, and you don’t want to be the first. Each site has a list of suggestions about tires, clothing and food that are wise to heed.
Tips
• Take water, the trek can be hard work.
• There are limited Port-a-pottees at some of the sites. There are public restrooms on Main Street Winter Park (U.S. 40) near the turnoffs for the nearby tree-cutting areas.
• Go uphill to hunt for a tree. Dragging your kill downhill is eminently easier than dragging it uphill. If you want a very large tree, carry a strong, lightweight, slick, plastic tarp with you to help make it easier to drag back and limit damage.
• Dress right. There is often deep snow in Elk Creek. On warm days, Buffalo Creek can be downright slushy.
• Trees look much smaller in the forest than they are when you get them home. Don’t be fooled.
• The trees are fresh, which means they can be sticky with sap, but they don’t lose their needles or feel like they might spontaneously combust. They smell extravagant in your home when they warm up, and they may be thirsty.
• They are often filled with dirt and dust, either from the mountain or from the road trip home on top of your car. Spraying them briefly at the manual car wash does the trick to get them clean. Just shake them good before bringing them inside.
If You Go
Either call the Forest Service or go online (URL is below) to get details and instructions. Permits are $20, and for Buffalo Creek, must be purchased in advance, in most cases.
At the Elk Creek area, there are occasional blue spruces and a fuller, sturdier fir. The Elk Creek site roads into the hills are closed at the gates this year, because of the pandemic. Almost any car can manage the dirt road to get to small parking areas, but it means more of a trek than in other years. The road is an easy walk into the area.
The downside of Elk Creek is having to navigate road construction and serious delays through Idaho Springs. You almost must crest Berthoud Pass, which is no big deal on a clear day, but sometimes impossible on snowy days. Call ahead for conditions.
Elk Creek Tree Cutting: https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits/ 303-275-5610
Buffalo Creek Tree Cutting: https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits/ 970-887-4100