Camino · California
Indian Rock Tree Farm
The Hyder family’s Apple Hill ranch in Camino, home of Trees for Troops, with choose-and-cut plantations and a fresh-cut section of firs, cedar and spruce, two parking lots, a gift shop and entry tickets for the first Thanksgiving weekend.
At a glance
Your tree visit.
- Tree choices
- Cut your own · Pre-cut trees
- Tree prices
- Not published
Tree prices are not published; confirm at the farm. An online parking ticket ($8 per car, 90 minutes) is required November 27, 28 and 29 only.
Prices & conditions ↓ - Visit times
Opens about Friday, November 27. Thursday–Monday 8am–5pm, last entry 4:30pm; closed Tuesday and Wednesday. No closing date is posted.
Full schedule ↓
Find your tree
Choose your Christmas tree.
Indian Rock grows its trees on a hillside ranch in Apple Hill, where the Hyder family has lived since the early 1960s. About 17 acres of the farm’s 33 acres are in Christmas trees. Visitors choose from Silver Tip fir, white fir, incense cedar, Douglas fir, blue spruce, Nordmann fir and specialty firs, in choose-and-cut plantations and a fresh-cut section. The farm provides the saws and the staff.
Where you park decides how you choose. The Entrance Gate lot, just inside the front gate, is where the fresh-cut trees are, with a small selection of choose-and-cut trees, and the farm recommends it for a pre-cut tree. The Santa Bear lot, across the bridge by the gift shop, is where most of the choose-and-cut trees are.
For trees over 20 feet, the farm asks you to call its tree contact; the number is in the table below.
Published varieties
- Silver Tip fir
- White fir
- Incense cedar
- Douglas fir
- Blue spruce
- Nordmann fir
- Specialty firs
Which variety suits your decorations?
General tree guidance; the farm’s selection, sizes and services are described above.
- Concolor fir
- Longer, silver-blue needles with a citrus scent when crushed.
- Douglas fir
- Soft needles and more flexible branches, suited to lighter ornaments.
- Blue spruce
- Blue to silver-blue foliage with sharp needle tips.
Learn more: University of Wisconsin Extension ↗ · National Christmas Tree Association ↗
Compare the options
Trees & prices.
| Selection & size | Price |
|---|---|
| Choose-and-cut tree | Not published Mostly at the Santa Bear lot, with saws and staff provided. |
| Fresh-cut tree | Not published At the Entrance Gate lot. |
| Online parking ticket, November 27–29 only | $8 per car $16 for a vehicle with a trailer; 90-minute maximum, booked by arrival time. No ticket is needed on other days. |
Two lots: fresh-cut at the gate, choose-and-cut across the bridge
The farm runs two parking areas, each with its own trees. Choose the lot that matches the kind of tree you want before you arrive, since the entry ticket for Thanksgiving weekend is for a parking space.
| Parking lot | What is there | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance Gate lot, just inside the front gate | The fresh-cut trees and a small selection of choose-and-cut trees | A pre-cut tree, which the farm recommends this lot for |
| Santa Bear lot, across the bridge | The gift shop and most of the choose-and-cut trees | Choosing and cutting your own tree |
Thanksgiving weekend parking tickets
Entry is by online ticket on November 27, 28 and 29 only, because the parking spaces are expected to fill quickly. A ticket admits one car to its lot for a maximum of 90 minutes, and you book a date and an arrival time; the ticketing page offers 90-minute arrival times at 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm and 3:30pm. Tickets are $8 per car for either the Entrance Gate lot or the Santa Bear lot, and $16 for a vehicle with a trailer (back lot, 30 feet overall at most). The limit is four tickets per order, unused tickets are not refundable, and cancel or refund requests must reach the farm by email by November 23. The farm asks you to reserve only what you will use.
No ticket is needed on any other day.
Varieties, sizes and tree prices
The Trees page lists seven kinds of tree across the choose-and-cut plantations and the fresh-cut section. The farm posts no tree prices, so confirm what a tree costs at the farm before you cut or choose.
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Choose-and-cut tree | Not published; confirm at the farm | Mostly at the Santa Bear lot; saws and staff provided |
| Fresh-cut tree | Not published; confirm at the farm | At the Entrance Gate lot |
| Trees over 20 feet | Ask when you call | Call Sam at 916-205-1794 |
| Entry ticket, November 27–29 | $8 per car; $16 vehicle with trailer | 90-minute maximum, booked by arrival time; up to four per order; no ticket needed on other days |
| Packaging and twine | No price posted | Full-service help tying the tree onto your car |
Saws, wrapping and payment
The farm provides the saws and the staff. Packaging and twine are available, and staff offer full-service help to tie the tree onto your car. The farm accepts cash and credit cards, and also accepts EBT for purchases.
Gift shop, wreaths and warm drinks
A gift shop sits beside the Santa Bear lot and sells wreaths and gifts. The El Dorado County growers’ listing also names hot cider, coffee, hot cocoa and snacks; no location or prices are posted, so ask when you arrive.
Grinding rocks, the hut and the grounds
The El Dorado County growers’ listing names a mine, Indian grinding rocks and a hut, and the Apple Hill growers’ page lists a picnic area, a rainbow trout stream and park-like forests around the ranch. No admission or hours are posted for these. The Apple Hill page also lists the farm as handicapped accessible but does not say which areas.
Trees for Troops
Indian Rock calls itself the Home of Trees for Troops. The farm provides trees for El Dorado County service members serving overseas and invites visitors to be part of the giving. No donation amount or method is posted.
Photography sessions
Professional photographers pay an access fee of $100 for the first two hours and $25 for each additional 30 minutes, with a two-hour minimum reservation made online. They must carry event insurance of at least $1,000,000 naming Indian Rock Tree Farm LLC as beneficiary, with proof sent three days ahead. The farm also takes photography reservations year-round.
Weddings and events are a separate booking
The ranch is also a wedding and events venue for up to 150 guests, with lighting, a stone bar, restrooms and staff. Events carry three-day event insurance of $1,000,000, with proof three weeks ahead, and are inquired about through an online form; no prices are posted. This is separate from a tree visit.
Finding the farm and visiting off-season
From Camino, go north on Larsen Drive for one mile, then turn left on North Canyon Road and continue 1.6 miles to the farm. Off-season visits are by appointment; write to info@indianrocktreefarm.com.
Pick your day
Dates & hours.
Tree season: Opens about Friday, November 27; Thursday through Monday while weather and trees allow
The farm lists opening day as about Friday, November 27, and says days and hours may change with weather and plantation conditions, so check its website before you drive up. The choose-and-cut plantations stay open as long as weather and tree conditions allow, and no closing date is posted. Parking is by online entry ticket on November 27, 28 and 29 only; other days need no ticket.
| Christmas tree season | Hours |
|---|---|
| Opening day, about Friday, November 27 | 8am–5pm; last entry 4:30pm; online entry ticket required |
| Saturday and Sunday, November 28 and 29 | 8am–5pm; last entry 4:30pm; online entry ticket required |
| Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving weekend | 8am–5pm; last entry 4:30pm; no ticket needed |
| Tuesday and Wednesday | Closed |
| Off-season visits | By appointment; email the farm |
Days and hours may change with weather and plantation conditions. The farm posts no closing date; the plantations stay open as long as weather and tree conditions allow.
Before you go.
- Tree prices are not published; confirm at the farm.
- Entry tickets are required November 27, 28 and 29 only: $8 per car for up to 90 minutes, booked by arrival time.
- Open Thursday through Monday, 8am–5pm; closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Cash, credit cards and EBT are accepted.
- Pets, restrooms for tree visitors and group tours are not posted.
- The farm’s email is info@indianrocktreefarm.com.
3800 North Canyon Rd, Camino, CA 95709
Keep exploring
Other farms to compare.
Grass Valley, California
McBurney Tree FarmIndividually tagged choose-and-cut trees near Grass Valley, cut it yourself or let staff cut it, open daily November 20 to December 24, with campfire weekends and a Winter Solstice Walk.
Placerville, California
McGee Christmas Tree FarmAn Apple Hill choose-and-cut farm with one price for any tree: $145 cash or $150 by card, packaging and tax included. Open Thanksgiving weekend, 8am to dusk.
Foresthill, California
Snowy Peaks Tree FarmChoose-and-cut white fir, silver-tip and Douglas fir at $13.00 per foot plus tax, with field pick-up, netting and tie-down, pre-cut Oregon firs, wreaths and a bonfire. Opens November 27.