McBurney Tree Farm

Choose-and-cut, step by step

Take a white measuring pole at the main entrance, walk the fields, and lean the pole on the tree you want to mark it. Staff bring a saw and a cart. You may cut the tree yourself or have staff do it, then pay at the sales shack and take the tree home. Long-handled hand saws, the cart and netting come at no extra cost. If you would rather use your own saw or your own tie-downs, tell the staff when you arrive.

The farm is open in rain, shine or snow, except that extreme snow may delay opening until the paths are cleared. At about 3,000 feet the weather is often different from the Sacramento Valley, so dress for the hills. Closing is 5pm and the fields depend on daylight, so plan your walk around sunset.

Choose-and-cut prices by height

The latest price chart the farm has posted is last season’s, dated August 7, and no chart for this season has been published. Treat these ranges as a guide. The farm says its minimum is $45, that everything over 4 feet is individually priced on the tag, and that sales tax and netting are included.

The chart lists Silver Tip, Nordmann fir, white fir and Douglas fir. Trees taller than 10 feet are sold pre-cut rather than choose-and-cut.

Reserve a tree for later

On reserve-a-tree days you can pick a tree now and cut it later. The farm lists these days as Friday through Monday, 9am to 5pm, from late September through November 16; the remaining November dates are 6 to 9 and 13 to 16. A red tag marks a reserved tree.

The farm’s visit page describes reservation days as the weekends before Thanksgiving, so confirm the day you plan to come. The farm’s online Tree Reservation booking page is marked unavailable and asks you to contact the farm instead, and no reservation fee is posted.

Campfire weekends and the Winter Solstice Walk

On ten days in the weeks before Christmas the farm sets out a campfire with complimentary coffee and traditional grape juice, weather permitting. On Monday, December 21, an open-house style Winter Solstice Walk, a nature walk through the farm, runs from 10am to 3pm; no admission price is posted. The Thanksgiving Day (November 26) and Black Friday (November 27) pages describe the same campfire and complimentary coffee and grape juice, 9am to 5pm, weather permitting.

Photos, groups and pets

You may take your own photos free, and staff can often take your picture. Professional and commercial photographers need a photography pass at $20 per hour, with a limited number of passes each hour, outdoor fields only (no access to the buildings), a certificate of insurance, and a pass booked online or at the sales shack. Santa or similar characters need the farm’s prior approval, and the farm lists no Santa portrait event this season. If you would like a portrait taken, contact the farm to be connected with its in-house photographer; the farm may arrange access on days it is closed to the public with prior coordination.

School and day-care field-trip tours are offered; contact the farm, as no price or schedule is posted. Pets are not allowed during regular hours; for special circumstances or photography, contact the farm. The farm announces dog-walking days through its newsletter, and none is dated yet.

Parking, paths, payment and finding the farm

Entrance and parking are free, in a lot at the rear; follow the signs to the driveway entrance. Paths are mostly flat and wide enough for strollers and wheelchairs, with gopher holes and stumps to watch for, and the farm suggests closed-toe shoes or boots. Restrooms are available. The farm lists cash and local checks as payment and does not mention cards.

The farm is about three miles outside Grass Valley, reached from Highway 174 on a street that looks residential, with the fields behind the homes.