Wanting to toss the plastic Christmas tree or ditch the barely festive ritual of picking one out in a parking lot? Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced Christmas tree cutting permits for to help you get your Griswold on.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced it will issue a limited number of permits for “the perfect tree” hunters to get their holiday centerpiece Dec. 6 and 7 in specified areas of the park. To fuel the trek, Golden Gate’s visitor center at 92 Crawford Gulch Rd., Golden, will host a holiday open house with hot cider, cookies and candy canes each of those days.
Permits go on sale for $25 each at 9 a.m. Nov. 10, with a limit of up to four permits per person. In addition to a permit, Christmas tree hunters will need the $7 parking pass required to enter the park and they must check in at the visitor center to pick up their permit prior to cutting.
Christmas tree permits help the park with thinning overcrowded and dense vegetation, said in a release. Eligible trees include douglas fir, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and Rocky Mountain juniper.
. Some of the areas will be open to two- and four-wheel vehicles, but there’s bound to be some hiking, and chains are required in case of bad weather. Also, power tools are prohibited, so trees must be cut using hand saw, axe or your bare hands. Permits in the backcountry are for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and others go until 3 p.m. on Dec. 6 or 7, depending on the permit awarded.
Starting at 9 a.m. Nov. 10, permits are available at the visitor center or by phone, using a credit card for payment, by calling 303-582-3707.
For folks just looking for a festive visit to the park, the visitors center is also hosting a canned food drive and 10 percent off at its gift shop during the weekend’s holiday open house .
For more information, contact the Golden Gate Canyon State Park visitor center at 303-582-3707.
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JosieKlemaier
