If you buy your tree tag in person, you'll be at the Hungry Horse–Glacier View Ranger Station at 10 Hungry Horse Drive. That's the closest Flathead National Forest office to Columbia Falls, Martin City and Coram. The station grounds also serve as headquarters for the Coram Experimental Forest, a 7,500-acre research forest roughly 3 miles to the east. The 2026 permit lists Coram by name as a place where you can't cut a Christmas tree.
So the first stand of national forest you reach from the tag counter is off-limits. Past it, the road along the reservoir's east side has a seasonal gate on Dec. 1 and a timber project approved in September. Around Hungry Horse, a good tree day this year starts with the map, not with whichever trailhead is closest.
The basics haven't changed. Flathead National Forest Christmas tree permits run from Oct. 8 through Dec. 31, 2026, at $5 per tree, with a limit of three. Buying on Recreation.gov adds a $2.50 transaction fee. At the office, each tree takes its own tag, so a household cutting three trees buys three.
The Forest Behind the Ranger Station Is a Research Plot
The Forest Service set aside the Coram Experimental Forest in 1933 so researchers could study how western larch regenerates and how to manage it. Those long-running studies still guide larch management today. Abbot Creek and its tributaries cut through it, and the elevation runs from about 3,300 feet along the drainages to 6,370 feet at the top of the slopes. Western larch grows almost everywhere in it, mixed with Douglas-fir, subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce. That's exactly the kind of mixed conifer stand where a family would expect to find a good tree.
The forest has about 33 miles of roads, and two are open to the public: FS 497, the Desert Ridge Road, and FS 38, the South Fork Road. Grizzly bear habitat restrictions close all the others to motor vehicles, apart from limited administrative use. You can drive through the research forest on either open road, but your tag doesn't cover anything you pass along the way.
You don't have to leave the station to enjoy the larch. The International Larix Arboretum on the station grounds holds all ten of the world's larch species. The office also has brochures for the self-guided Walk With Larch Trail. That makes a nice stop while the kids are still fresh, before the long drive out to legal ground.
The South Fork Road Has Two Changes This Season
After Coram, most tree cutters from Columbia Falls keep going along Hungry Horse Reservoir. Both sides of the water work differently this winter, and the east side is changing in two ways.
On Sept. 8, 2026, the Flathead National Forest gave final approval to the Dry Riverside Project, a 7,409-acre forestry project on the east side of the reservoir. The project area runs from north of the Riverside boat launch to south of Peters Creek Campground. According to the Daily Inter Lake, the plan includes 3,726 acres of commercial treatment, 2,370 acres of prescribed burns and 17 miles of new road. Work was expected to start this fall, and commercial treatment is planned to continue for five years. That matters for your tree because the permit rules out active timber sales and any area recently replanted.
The second change comes with the calendar. The Forest Service's travel conditions page lists a winter seasonal closure at about mile 38 of FS 38, from Dec. 1 to May 15.
| Route | What's changing | What it means for a tree trip |
|---|---|---|
| FS 497, Desert Ridge Road | Open to the public through Coram Experimental Forest | You can drive it, but you can't cut anywhere in Coram |
| FS 38, South Fork Road, east side | Dry Riverside approved Sept. 8; seasonal closure near mile 38 from Dec. 1 | Avoid active sale units, and plan any trip beyond mile 38 for November |
| FS 895, West Side Reservoir Road | Open year-round, but winter conditions can make it impassable | Over-snow vehicles may be needed later in the season |
The west side has its own project in the works. The Forest approved the West Reservoir project in March 2026, covering ground west of Hungry Horse Reservoir. It includes 2,001 acres of commercial treatment, and the Daily Inter Lake reported in June that environmental groups had filed suit to challenge the approval. The district office can tell you which units, on either side of the water, count as active this winter. Call (406) 387-3800 before you go.
Highway 2 East Gets Its Turn Later
The other direction from Hungry Horse is Highway 2 east, up through the John F. Stevens Canyon. A newly approved project there won't affect this tree season much. As the Flathead Beacon reported, District Ranger Rob Davies signed the decision for the Granite Moccasin Project on Oct. 6. It covers 4,930 acres along a 40-mile stretch of the highway south of Glacier National Park. The project area takes in Essex, Pinnacle, Snowslip and Fielding. The first timber sale and its road work are expected in late 2026 or early 2027, and the decision states that public access won't change for any type of use.
The corridor has a different limit. The permit bars cutting any tree visible from a major road, so a nice fir standing on the highway shoulder isn't fair game. To cut along Highway 2, you need to get onto a designated forest road and out of sight of the highway.
What the Tag Covers Once You're Past the Line
Once you're off Coram ground, away from active sale units and out of sight of the highway, these permit rules still apply:
- Size: trees up to 12 feet tall, with a stump no taller than 6 inches and no wider than 6 inches across.
- Off-limits species: whitebark pine, white pine and western red cedar.
- Off-limits ground: private land, wilderness, designated recreation sites, previously thinned areas, tree plantations, anywhere within 150 feet of a stream or creek, and other well-used areas.
- The whole tree: cutting off just the top is prohibited. If there's snow, clear it from around the base so you can measure the stump accurately.
- On the dash: keep the permit displayed in your vehicle.
The Forest asks cutters to choose from dense stands. Thinning crowded young trees gives the ones left behind more room and helps them grow faster. Free Motor Vehicle Use Maps are available at the Forest offices, or you can load them in the Avenza app on your phone. Bring one either way, because Recreation.gov warns that cell service may be spotty and GPS may not have current forest roads.
Families with a fourth grader get one tree free. Get a pass at everykidoutdoors.gov, then bring it to a Forest office for a free permit, or enter the pass number at checkout on Recreation.gov. Online, the $2.50 transaction fee still applies.
The Dates That Shape a Hungry Horse Tree Run
Put the pieces together and this season has four dates worth planning around:
- Weekdays in November. The Hungry Horse–Glacier View Ranger Station's listed hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so a Saturday cutter who wants a paper tag needs to stop by during the week.
- Thursday, Nov. 26. Thanksgiving is a federal holiday, and the office closes on federal holidays.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1. The seasonal closure near mile 38 of FS 38 starts.
- Thursday, Dec. 31. The 2026 permit season ends.
The office hours come from a district page last updated in 2025, so call ahead before making the trip just for a tag. Whenever you go, the Forest's winter checklist applies. Roads may not be plowed, so pack tire chains, a shovel and a tow chain, start with a full tank, and plan to be out of the woods before dark.
On the drive home, Columbia Cafe at 509 Nucleus Avenue makes a warm stop. It opened in January 2026 in the old Columbia Bar building and serves breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. A spring Flathead Beacon profile noted the chicken fried steak, three kinds of benedicts and a lunch menu built around a patty melt and a corned beef and Swiss sandwich. An early start will get you back in time, depending on how far up the South Fork you went.
This is general information about Forest Service permit rules, not legal advice. Check the current permit terms with the Flathead National Forest before you cut.
Part of what I love about living here is that a Christmas tree can come from our own forest and still be home by lunch. If you're new to the Flathead and want someone to point you toward the station, the arboretum and the café, I'm always glad to help. Let's Connect with Heidi Lane.
