The San Carlos Ranger District permit in your glovebox says you have until December 31 to cut a tree. The road to the trees may give you a lot less time. Permits for the San Isabel National Forest went on sale November 16, and they stay valid through the end of the year. The Forest Service also lists the "Greenhorn area near Westcliffe" among the places where seasonal road closures take effect every December 1.
If you cut in the Wet Mountain Valley, plan around that second date.
Six weeks on paper, two weekends on the ground
Here is the 2026 season as the calendar falls this year:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Monday, Nov. 16 | San Carlos Ranger District permit sales open, in person or online |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 21–22 | First full weekend with a permit in hand |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 28–29 | Last weekend before seasonal closures |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Annual seasonal road closures take effect, including the Greenhorn area near Westcliffe |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | Permits expire |
Snow can shorten the window further. The Forest Service says most of its roads aren't plowed, and they close once enough snow falls, after which you need a snowmobile, skis or snowshoes. One good storm before Thanksgiving can take a drivable trip and turn it into a hike.
So the six-week season really comes down to the two weekends before December 1, plus the Thanksgiving holiday between them. After that you'll likely be on foot, and on some roads you can't legally drive at all. The Forest Service asks visitors to obey the closures, and it also asks them not to rut a road surface by driving past the end of the plowed section.
To find out which Greenhorn-area roads close, the Forest Service says to check with the local office. For Custer County, Recreation.gov lists a San Carlos Ranger District number in Westcliffe at 719-783-2079. Call before you load the saw.
Why a Westcliffe permit costs half of what a Woodland Park permit does
Over the county line, the price changes. San Isabel National Forest permits from the Leadville, Salida and San Carlos ranger districts cost $10 each, with a limit of two per family. On the Pike National Forest, the Pikes Peak, South Park and South Platte districts charge $20 per tree and allow five per family.
A permit is good only in the district you bought it for. You can't transfer it, and it doesn't carry over to next year, as the Wet Mountain Tribune reminded readers last season.
Timing matters here too, because of where the district office sits. The San Carlos main office is at 3028 East Main Street in Cañon City, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed federal holidays. If you're planning to go Saturday morning, buy the permit online through Recreation.gov. You'll need a Recreation.gov account. Online permits have to be printed to be valid, and the printed copy goes on your dashboard the day you cut. Leave time to print it before you leave the house, since there's no printer at the trailhead.
Families with a fourth grader can get one permit free. A student with an Every Kid Outdoors pass can apply on Recreation.gov by entering the voucher or pass number at checkout.
The valley floor belongs to your neighbors
The Wet Mountain Valley is mostly ranch and residential ground, and the national forest sits up on the flanks of the Sangres to the west and the Wet Mountains to the east. A permit covers National Forest System land only. The Forest Service warns buyers to make sure they're on forest land, not private, state or other federal ground. Around here, the property lines you cross on the way up are the ones that matter.
Two cutting-area maps cover Custer County, and both are posted with the permit on Recreation.gov: "San Carlos – Sangre De Cristo" and "San Carlos – Wet Mountains." The Sangre de Cristo map marks where cutting is allowed and shades the wilderness areas and developed recreation sites where it isn't. That boundary matters on the west side, because the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is off-limits even where a road or trail leads straight into it.
For which roads you can drive, the reference is the San Carlos Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map, and there's a 2026 edition. The Forest Service says any route that isn't on the MVUM is closed to motorized travel, and the map shows the seasons each route is open. The San Carlos sheet shows familiar Custer County names, including Hermit Pass Road (FR 160), Alvarado, Davenport, Ophir and Grape Creek.
Out there, your phone won't carry you. The Tribune suggests downloading the Forest Service's interactive visitor maps to the Avenza mobile app or printing the PDFs. Recreation.gov warns that cell service can be spotty, that GPS may not show current Forest Service roads, and that batteries drain fast in the cold.
Recreation.gov suggests taking your tree from a dense stand so the trees left behind have more room to grow.
When the gates are shut
Once December 1 passes and the snow piles up, cutting your own tree in Custer County means walking in, and two places on Main Street in Westcliffe can help. West Custer County Library lists snowshoes among its sports equipment, with a 10-day checkout. All the Range, the mountaineering and outdoor gear shop at 212 Main St., has rented snowshoes in past winters, according to the Wet Mountain Tribune. The shop's number is 719-783-3266. A sled or backpack for small kids helps on the hike in, and so does a tarp or rope for dragging the tree back out. Recreation.gov says to carry the tree rather than drag it if you can, because dragging strips needles and bark.
There's also a local option that skips the permit. In December 2024, Greenleaf Forestry sold white firs cut from a local fire-mitigation project at its Greenleaf Sawmill on Rosita Road. Trees ran 4 to 8 feet tall and $15 to $45, and potted 2- to 4-foot trees were also for sale, according to the Wet Mountain Tribune. Greenleaf Forestry is at 1500 Rosita Road, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and asks Saturday visitors to call ahead at 719-429-4404.
Whichever route you take, the Tribune's after-care advice holds. Keep the tree in a sheltered, unheated spot out of wind and sun, standing in a bucket of water, until you're ready to bring it in. Then make a fresh cut just above the old one so it can take up water.
Before any of that, if you're cutting in the Greenhorn area this year, plan the trip for November 21–22 or November 28–29.
Seasonal road closures, forest boundaries and private land lines are the same things that come up when a mountain parcel changes hands, and Danni has been working through them in this part of Colorado for more than 30 years. If you're curious how access and adjoining forest land affect what your property in the Wet Mountain Valley is worth, Rocky Mountain RLA can help. Request a free property valuation and consultation, and you'll talk with Danni directly.
