In Mi Wuk Village, the Christmas Tree Permit Runs Longer Than the Roads Do

This year's Stanislaus National Forest Christmas tree permit is good for 35 days. If you're heading out from Mi Wuk Village, plan on about 18 of them for trips by car, and fewer if the snow comes early.

The Stanislaus National Forest's 2026 permit is valid from Friday, Nov. 27, through Thursday, Dec. 31. The same Recreation.gov page also notes that "On December 15 many forest roads are closed to motor vehicle use." So the season you can drive to runs from the day after Thanksgiving to a Tuesday in mid-December. After that, the permit is still good, but you'll probably be walking farther to find a tree.

This year the permit also costs twice as much.

The price went up, and the paperwork stayed the same

Last season, the Union Democrat reported that permits were $10 per tree plus a $2.50 service fee per permit, with cutting dates of Nov. 28 through Dec. 31. The paper also reported that the price would go up to $20 per tree starting in 2026. That's now the listed price on Recreation.gov.

Sales opened online on Saturday, Oct. 10, according to the Forest Service's Oct. 9 announcement. You'll need a Recreation.gov account to buy. Fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass can get a free permit by entering their pass or voucher number, though a $2.50 reservation fee still applies. If your household has a fourth grader this year, that's the cheapest tree in the forest.

Permits can't be transferred or refunded. You'll need to print yours and leave it on the dashboard while you cut and haul the tree home. Since a $20 tree is now a real expense, it pays to print the permit before you're standing at a turnout above Long Barn with no printer.

The date on the permit and the date on the gate

The Dec. 15 line matters more than the price, because it decides when you go. Recreation.gov tells permit holders to observe seasonal road closures, be ready to hike to the cutting area, and check the forest's Motor Vehicle Use Map. Vehicles have to stay on existing roads and trails that are open to the public. The only off-road travel allowed is by snowmobile in open-riding areas.

For a household in Mi Wuk Village, this puts the most convenient trips in the first two and a half weeks. Nov. 27 is the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Dec. 15, 2026, falls on a Tuesday. That leaves three weekends to drive in: Nov. 28 and 29, Dec. 5 and 6, and Dec. 12 and 13. Trips after Dec. 15 are still legal under the permit, but more of the forest will be reachable only on foot.

Snow doesn't wait for the calendar, either. On Oct. 29, Caltrans reported State Route 108 closed by snow from 26.4 miles east of Strawberry to 5.6 miles west of US 395. That stretch is far up the pass from Mi Wuk, but it was already closed a month before cutting opened. The permit page warns that forest roads may not be plowed. It tells you to carry tire chains, a shovel and a tow chain, bring a spare key, and head out with a full tank. Caltrans adds that California has no fixed dates for chain controls. Drivers of all-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles still have to carry chains when they enter a chain-control area. Real-time controls are on QuickMap, or you can call the Highway Information Network at 800-427-7623.

There's one more layer of closures. A separate Forest Order on temporary road closures runs through Dec. 31, 2026. It lists specific roads, including several under the old Mi-Wok and Summit district names. Check that list before you count on a road you've driven in past years.

Where the cutting areas are

The Highway 108 corridor falls in what's now the Sugar Pine Ranger District, and it has its own map. The permit page links the "Sugar Pine Ranger District Highway 108, 2026" map, and its legend shows which areas are open to tree cutting and which are closed. Long Barn is labeled on it. Download the file at home, because it's 16 MB and cell service drops out on forest roads.

You can also rule out some places without the map. Recreation.gov bars cutting on private property and in campgrounds, day-use areas, trailheads, scenic pullouts, wilderness areas and special-use permit areas. In practice, that means your tree won't come from a pullout along the highway or the edge of a trailhead parking lot.

If you have questions, Recreation.gov lists (209) 264-8317 for the Sugar Pine District's Highway 108 corridor. The Forest Service lists the district office at #1 Pinecrest Lake Road in Pinecrest, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at (209) 965-3434. Permits themselves are sold through Recreation.gov.

The rules come down to the stump

The Forest Service describes the program as thinning. Local forest health experts pick crowded stands of small trees, and removing those trees lets the others grow larger and opens up forage for wildlife. Every size rule follows from that purpose:

• Species: pine, fir or cedar. No hardwoods such as aspen or oak.
• Tree height: 20 feet at most.
• Stump height: 12 inches at most.
• Stump diameter: 6 inches at most.
• Location: don't cut isolated trees growing in the open. Pick from a dense stand.
• Whole tree only: take a tree that fits your home. Cutting a bigger tree and keeping only the top isn't allowed.
• Snow: if there's snow on the ground, clear it from around the stump so you can measure the stump and tree accurately.

The 6-inch stump limit is the one that surprises people. A tree that looks right on the hillside can be too thick at the base, and you'll find that out with the saw already in your hand. The permit page suggests bringing a measuring tape. It also says to measure the spot in your house and the cargo space in your vehicle before you leave. If your cabin has a vaulted great room, a tree taller than the vehicle can carry is still a tree you can't get home.

Once it's cut, carry the tree out instead of dragging it, so it keeps its needles and bark. Trim the leftover branches off the stump and scatter them. If the tree has to wait outside for a few days, the Forest Service suggests the north or east side of the house, out of the wind.

Smoke and skating before cutting opens

Before Nov. 27, the forest around Mi Wuk will be busy with other work. On Oct. 15, the Stanislaus National Forest announced pile burning across the Sugar Pine, Calaveras and Groveland ranger districts. Crews are starting with piles near communities and infrastructure along the Highway 108, 4 and 120 corridors, and with the highest elevations first, before snow limits travel. According to the Forest Service's pile burning notice, smoke may settle in low areas overnight and early in the morning. It recommends closing doors and windows at night and running a portable air cleaner if you have one. Burns depend on the weather, so the haze can come and go without much notice.

Up the road, the season may start even earlier. The Long Barn Lodge at 25957 Long Barn Road says on its site that its ice rink opens Nov. 21, and it calls the rink the only real-ice rink in the county. The lodge's site says the rink closes March 1. Its rink page lists skating at $15 for entry plus $5 for skate rental. It also posts extended daily holiday hours, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1 and Dec. 20 to Jan. 5. The opening date and the holiday dates don't show a year, so call the lodge at 209-586-3533 before you plan a Thanksgiving-week skate around them.

Late November and December, in order

1. Now through Nov. 26: buy and print the permit on Recreation.gov, and download the Sugar Pine Ranger District Highway 108 map.
2. Nov. 21: the opening date listed on the Long Barn Lodge's site for its rink. Call ahead to confirm.
3. Friday, Nov. 27: tree cutting opens across the Stanislaus National Forest.
4. Weekends of Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12: the three weekends before the Forest Service says many forest roads close to vehicles.
5. Tuesday, Dec. 15: many forest roads close to motor vehicles.
6. Thursday, Dec. 31: the 2026 permit expires.

If the season has you wondering about your own place's roof, decks or winter readiness, or about what it might be worth this year, Vass Haus RE can walk through it with you. Yana Vass brings a builder's eye to those questions and knows the Highway 108 corridor from Mi Wuk Village to Long Barn. Schedule a free home valuation and consultation.