IDAHO CITY, Idaho — Cutting down your own Christmas tree is an adventure, but unlike other years not very much snow has accumulated around Idaho City.
This weekend is the busiest weekend for families to go into the woods and cut down their own tree and it starts with securing a permit for ten dollars with a maximum of three permits.
Permits can be purchased online at Recreation.Gov or several vendors are selling them including Idaho City Grocery and Anderson Hardware and Supply in Idaho City. I picked mine up at Idaho City Grocery, I did have to pay cash, but I also received an awesome paper map.
If you get your permit online you need to print it out and you can use the Avenza App to download a map to your smart phone. It's important to make sure you cut down your tree in the proper location on national forest land.
Other rules include not cutting down trees over 12 feet, don't top trees, cut them at the base, people need to venture at least 300 feet away from roads and streams and don't cut down any whitebark pine.
Cutting down your a own tree is a family tradition, but it's also important to be safe as even though there isn't any snow in Idaho City I found forest road 327 covered in snow at the top of the pass that leads down to the North Fork of the Boise River.
There is cell service in Idaho City, but as people venture out that goes away pretty quickly so tell someone where you are going and have the proper gear in case of an emergency.
This weekend the Boise National Forest ranger station in Idaho City will be open and the businesses in this small historic mining town would love it if you stopped for lunch.
People have until Christmas to get their tree and if you have a fourth grader you can get the permit for free through the Every Kid Outdoor Program.
