Golden Gate State Park offers Christmas tree harvest permits

JEFFERSON COUNTY – Folks who want a Do-It-Yourself yuletide experience can cut their own Christmas tree, courtesy of Golden Gate Canyon State Park.

The park will offer a limited number of permits at the Visitor Center, 92 Crawford Gulch Road, starting Wednesday, Nov. 3. The Visitor Center is 15 miles west of Golden. Permits also can be purchased by phone by calling 303-582-3707. Orders taken by phone must be paid with a credit card.

The tree-cutting permits, which cost $20 for one tree, must be used on Dec. 4 or Dec. 5 and cutting areas are provided for two-wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles. A detailed map with complete harvest information and cutting site locations will be provided with each permit. A daily or annual parks pass also is required for each vehicle. The daily pass costs $7.

No refunds will be given, even if weather keeps the permit holder from harvesting a tree.

A pre-selected backcountry cutting site will be available for four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance, but park officials warn such vehicles must have chains available in case of muddy or snow-packed roads. Access to the backcountry area will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All other vehicles will be required to stay in the designated parking areas along the main park roadway. Access to these areas will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hand tools such as a handsaw or an axe must be used and chainsaws and power saws are prohibited.

Trees must be no taller than 15 feet and must have a maximum trunk diameter of six inches to be taken. Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, lodge pole pine and Rocky Mountain juniper trees may be cut.

“By cutting a Christmas tree, the permit holders will assist Golden Gate Canyon State Park by thinning overcrowded and dense vegetation. This selective thinning will improve the overall forest health and reduce the impacts of future wildfires,” according to a park news release.

For additional information, contact the visitor center at (303) 582-3707.