Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      December 1, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Owls and UFOs with Ultralight Expert Mike Clelland

      September 9, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

      January 25, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      OpenSnow Weather Now Available at-a-Tap on the Map

      November 9, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      New Edit Tools: Creating Your Own Routes Just…

      September 1, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      August 30, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      May 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover & Reserve Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 22, 2022

  • New Maps
    • Backcountry Skiing

      New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

      January 11, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle…

      December 14, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Activate Snow Mode with Gaia Winter

      October 26, 2022

      Adventures

      Take a Trip to Baja California with Nat…

      September 13, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia Overland: One Map to Rule Them All

      May 24, 2022

  • Home
Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      December 1, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Owls and UFOs with Ultralight Expert Mike Clelland

      September 9, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

      January 25, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      OpenSnow Weather Now Available at-a-Tap on the Map

      November 9, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      New Edit Tools: Creating Your Own Routes Just…

      September 1, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      August 30, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      May 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover & Reserve Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 22, 2022

  • New Maps
    • Backcountry Skiing

      New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

      January 11, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle…

      December 14, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Activate Snow Mode with Gaia Winter

      October 26, 2022

      Adventures

      Take a Trip to Baja California with Nat…

      September 13, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia Overland: One Map to Rule Them All

      May 24, 2022

  • Home

How to Find a Christmas Tree Using Gaia GPS

by Abby Levene December 1, 2022
by Abby Levene December 1, 2022

Pine-ing for a tree-mendous Christmas? Spruce up your holiday decor. Celebrate the holidays outside by harvesting your own Christmas tree. 

Terrible puns aside, finding your own Christmas tree is an adventure you’ll never forget. And choosing a real tree over an artificial one is also a gift to the planet. Even the United States Forest Service agrees, writing on its site, “By cutting your own tree, you take an active part in managing your national forests!”

Gaia GPS Principal Engineer Andy and his wife Angela found their tree in a Washington forest last year.

Fir, pine, spruce, cypress, cedar—trees traditionally used for yuletide cheer provide a home to wildlife, filter air, and prevent soil erosion as they grow. Harvesting your own tree from the forest gives remaining trees breathing room to thrive. By freeing up access to water, nutrients, and sunlight, thinning the forest reduces stress and improves resiliency to disease, insects, and wildfire.

Unlock Holiday Savings

Supporting your local tree farm is always a viable option. But if you want to inject adventure into your holiday decor, go find a tree of your own. Grab your skis, snowshoes, or sled, a hot thermos, and a hand saw. Here’s how to find your own Christmas tree.

1. Find Your Forest

Many national forests around the US let you cut your own Christmas tree. Find a participating national forest near you at recreation.gov. You may need to purchase a permit for a nominal fee, which you can do on rec.gov as well. While you’re there, check your forest’s tree-cutting guidelines to keep the Christmas elves happy.

2. Hone Your Zone

O’er the fields we go! Now that you have a forest in mind, pull out the maps and make a game plan to get there. Gaia GPS provides several specific maps that will help you pinpoint where to find the perfect tree. 

Find Seasonally Open Roads

Start by opening Gaia GPS. Select the Gaia Overland map as your base map. Overlay Gaia Overland with the MVUM map. Use these two map sources to see which roads are seasonally open in your national forest of choice. If there’s snow on the ground, bring snowshoes or backcountry skis to venture off the beaten path in your search for the optimal tree.

Spot Snowmobile Trails

If you have a snowmobile, you can head even deeper into the forest beyond the reach of plowed roads. Select Gaia Winter as your base map, and add the Snowmobile Trails map if you’re in the US, or the BRMB Snowmobile Trails map if you’re in Canada. Use these maps to find groomed roads and trails, as well as roads open to sleds.

Stay on Legal Ground

No grinches allowed this Christmas. To ensure you stay on public land and away from persnickety land owners, add the Public Land and Private Land maps. Use these maps to plot how to access national forest without trespassing. 

Size Up Your Prize

And finally, find the ideally sized Christmas tree by adding the Timber Harvests map from the USFS. Timber harvests in the five-to-10-year-old range should lend way to young trees of ideal Christmas tree heights. Tap on green highlighted regions to see what year that area was forested.

Ho Ho Ho! Offline

Once you’ve mapped your tentative route, download your base map. Taking your maps offline means you can follow your route and find your way home—even without cell service. 

3. Record Your Tree Tracks

Before heading out on your adventure, choose an opportune weather window. Tap on the map to see the forecast from OpenSnow. When it’s time to head out the door, record your tracks in Gaia GPS. That way you’ll leave a breadcrumb track in the app that you can follow to find your way home. Plus, you can follow your tracks when you go Christmas tree hunting next year. Don’t forget to drop a waypoint to mark where you found your tree!

Gaia GPS Product Marketing Manager Julia, her partner Cooper, and puppy Hank found their tree in an Oregon forest this year.

Some general tree-cutting rules to keep in mind:

  • Use a handsaw. Chainsaws are generally not permitted. 
  • Do not top the tree.
  • Cut below the lowest live limb. Leave stumps no higher than six inches.
  • Avoid damage to other trees.
  • Once the new year rolls around, give your tree the proper disposal it deserves. Use your tree for wood chips, compost, mulch, or firewood.

Bundle Up with Gaia GPS Premium Powered By Outside+

Unlock all of these Christmas-tree-finding maps by upgrading to Gaia GPS Premium with Outside+. Premium also lets you download your maps for offline use so that you can find your way even without cell service. Plus, get the most out of the app by taking our masterclasses on Outside Learn. Tap into our holiday savings when you purchase on the web.

4
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Abby Levene

Abby Levene is a writer, editor, and podcast producer for Gaia GPS. She's also a professional endurance athlete based in Boulder, Colorado. In her free time you can find her sweating in the mountains by foot, bike, and skis, or at home painting or curled up with a book.

previous post
Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators
next post
How to Use Maps to Help Avoid Avalanches

You may also like

How to Plan a Backcountry Ski Tour with...

January 26, 2023

Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

January 25, 2023

New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

January 11, 2023

How to Get Started Overlanding

January 9, 2023

Our Favorite New Maps and Features

December 23, 2022

2022 Mapped: Gaia GPS Year in Review

December 22, 2022

Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle...

December 14, 2022

How to Use Maps to Help Avoid Avalanches

December 14, 2022

Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

December 1, 2022

It’s Giving Season—Support What You Love

November 30, 2022

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Popular Posts

  • 1

    How to Read Topographic Maps

    July 1, 2021
  • 2

    How to Download an Entire State Map with Gaia Topo

    August 19, 2021
  • 3

    How to Save Phone Battery Life in the Backcountry

    March 25, 2021
  • 4

    Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in National Forests

    March 9, 2022
  • 5

    Unlock Adventure with Gaia GPS on Outside+

    September 30, 2021

Categories

  • Adventures
  • Android
  • App Comparisons
  • App Updates
  • Backcountry Skiing
  • Boating
  • Company News
  • Emergency Response
  • Featured
  • Fishing
  • Gaia GPS
  • Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast
  • GaiaCloud
  • Hikes
  • How-To
  • Hunting
  • iOS
  • New Features
  • New Maps
  • Newsletter
  • Offroading
  • Out and Back Podcast
  • User Profiles
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • RSS

@2022 - All Right Reserved. Gaia GPS


Back To Top