Passes & Permits

The Coconino National Forest offers a variety of special use permits including Firewood Cutting, Annual Christmas Tree Harvest, Wilding Permits, Malapai Rock Permits, collection of plant and insect species for research, commercial use permits, permits or "letters of agreement" for weddings and reunions in addition to the Red Rock Pass Program. Most National Forest Service offices have America the Beautiful Passes (replacing the Golden Passports) available. Some of these are described below.

Each winter, the Kachina Peaks Wilderness of the forest requires a "Backcountry Permit"

Due to the volume of requests for research permits, the Coconino National Forest has an agreement with Northern Arizona University to review research proposals. The process for researchers to obtain permits on the Coconino National Forest is described in this page:

Northern Arizona Environmental Research Database

For permits required for Commercial Filming or Photography, Please visit Filming on Public Lands

Please contact us for information not included here.

Christmas Tree-cutting Tags

There is a major program overhaul this year: There will no longer be a mail application/drawing process. Instead, tags will be sold directly over the counter at eleven Big 5 Sporting Goods locations throughout Arizona, beginning October 10th.

Tags will be available for the following national forests: the Apache-Sitgreaves, the Kaibab, the Prescott, and the Tonto.

The Tonto National Forest website: www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto will provide all media news releases, program directions, maps of cutting areas, etc., as well as notification of when the tags will go on sale and vendor locations.

After several years of program review, the cost of the tag is increased this year: from $10 to $15 to cover increasing administrative costs.

The Christmas tree cutting season lasts from November 15th through Christmas Eve.

Thank you for your interest and support in this Arizona national forests’ program.

For more information about the program, call the Christmas Tree Hotline number: (602) 225-5258.

[New Program Flyer for 2008 ]

The Coconino National Forest will have 500 over-the-counter permits available at the Blue Ridge Office of the Mogollon Rim District (928-477-2255) for $15.00 each, limit one per household. These permits must be purchased IN PERSON from the district office and will be available on a "first-come, first-served" basis beginning on November 24, 2008.

The Red Rock District Office (south of the Village of Oak Creek) (928-203-7500) will have 200 "over-the-counter" permits available for sale from their office on November 17, 2008. These must be obtained IN PERSON from their office.

For more information on either of these locations, call the district directly.

Rock & Cinder Collecting Permit

Malapai rock permits are available for $25.00 for up to five tons and are good for 90 days . Permits can be obtained at the Peaks/Mormon Lake District office. We have several areas that you can get malapai from. The closest area to Flagstaff is A1-Mountain. We have areas off of I-17 and also off of Hwy 180. Malapai rock is really nice for landscaping.

Red cinders (volcanic ash) permits are available for $21.00 for up to 35 yards. After purchasing the permit, the permit is good for 90 days. The cinder loading area is near Sheep Springs on the Mormon Lake Ranger District. Purchase the permits at either Peaks/Mormon Lake Ranger District Office.

For more information on these permits, call the Peaks/Mormon Lake District Office at 928-526-0866.

Available from the Red Rock District: Landscape Red Rock at $5 per ton and Landscape River Rock for $2.00 per ton. Minimum purchases for either permit is $15.00.

For more information on these permits, call the Red Rock District Office at 928-203-7500.

Firewood Cutting Season: Mid-April thru Mid-December

One of the most popular recreation activities on the Coconino National Forest isn't usually thought of as a recreation. Every year people come to the Forest from as far away as the Phoenix metropolitan area to harvest their year's supply of firewood. The Coconino provides fuelwood for personal use both on a free-use permit and a paid permit basis. In either case, a permit must be acquired by anyone harvesting any firewood on the National Forest, except for the rather small amounts used in a campfire and gathered at the campfire site. Permits are available at ANY Forest Service office ON THE COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST. Click the link for a list of offices. Please note: some offices are open weekends.

The cost of a permit varies according to the type of wood to be harvested. Free Use Permits allow the cutting of up to 5 cords of down and dead wood in specified areas for no charge. A cord of wood is defined as a well-stacked pile 8 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet high. Personal use Paid Permits allow the cutting of down and dead wood or standing dead wood that meets certain criteria (see below) in specified areas at a cost of $5.00 per cord. Maximum is ten cords, but at least 4 cords must be bought for a total of $20.00. Green Wood Permits are occasionally offered. Information can be obtained on these occasional sales by calling the individual districts.

Permit Conditions:

1. Free use firewood may not be sold, exchanged or used in business.
2. Permits are not transferable and must be obtained IN PERSON from an office on the Coconino Forest.
3. Wood is only to be cut or gathered in areas specified on the permit.
4. Stump height not to exceed 12 inches.
5. Power saws must have a .023 stainless steel spark arrestor screen.
6. The amount of wood gathered must be recorded on the permit before leaving the cutting area.
7. Cut on National Forest land only.
8. Chain saw restrictions may apply during fire season.

Not all dead wood is fair game.

Trimming dead limbs from live trees is not permitted on the forest, and standing dead trees may only be cut if they meet standards listed below. Before cutting any dead tree check it carefully for signs of wildlife habitation. If it contains woodpecker holes or other large cavities, it most likely is providing a valuable home for birds and other small mammals. These trees are generally rotten and wouldn't make good firewood anyway, so please don't destroy an "Animal Inn".

Rules for cutting standing dead trees:

1. Dead standing pine or fir that is less than 12 inches in diameter or less than 15 feet tall. (Diameter is measured at 4 and one half feet above the ground and 12 inches in diameter is equal to 37 inches in circumference.)
2. Dead standing pinon and juniper is available regardless of size unless obvious wildlife cavities are present or the tree is signed as a wildlife tree.
3. Dead standing aspen that is less than 12 inches in diameter or less than 15 feet tall may be cut from June 1 to September 30.

• NO CUTTING STANDING DEAD OAK

You may take dead & down wood, limbs, old logs, and chunks of wood lying on the ground; however, you may not take any wood that is marked with paint or left in logging decks. You may remove wood from piles left behind as waste by road construction or logging operations, but be sure to stack all that you don't use back on the pile.

Before you head for the forest to cut firewood, check the following list:

1. Do you have your permit?
2. Have you checked road conditions and closures?
3. Have you checked the fire danger level and restrictions?
4. Have you studied your map so you know where you're permitted to cut wood?
5. Did you tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back?

For more information on firewood cutting on the Coconino National Forest and a list of free use areas and sale times and locations contact the Coconino National Forest Supervisor's Office or any Ranger Station.

Wilding Permits

Wildings permits, which authorize digging up plant and trees from National Forest lands for personal use, are available twice a year from the Peaks/Mormon Lake Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. Permits are available for about one month in the fall and again in the spring, while the plants are dormant.

Permits are available for aspen and evergreen trees (Douglas Fir, White Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Pinon Pine, and Juniper.) The cost is $0.50 per foot for aspen and $1.00 per foot for evergreens. Aspen up to 20 feet tall and evergreens up to 12 feet tall can be dug up. However, for the best chance of successful transplanting, foresters recommend that trees selected be much smaller in size, less than 8' for aspen and less than 4' for evergreens. There is a minimum cost of $20.00 per permit and no maximum. Permits for other species are approved on a case-by-case basis.

Permits are available during the collection period only and no plant collection is allowed after this period.

To obtain a permit and for more information, in Flagstaff contact the Peaks/Mormon Lake District Office on north Highway 89, phone 526-0866.

Backcountry Permits Necessary in Winter only

Kachina Peaks Wilderness Access permits, commonly known as backcountry permits, required in winter for access to the Kachina Peaks Wilderness area, are available at the Peaks Ranger District and the Supervisor's Office in winter weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday at Agassiz Lodge at the Arizona Snowbowl (when the Snowbowl is open) from 9 to 11 a.m. This free permit is designed to help inform backcountry snow recreationists about travel hazards, and to assist the Forest Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office with search and rescue should that become necessary. Permits are only required for accessing the backcountry from Arizona Snowbowl and the Snowbowl Road.

Backcountry permits are valid for the entire winter and are designed for snowshoers, cross-country skiers and snowboarders using the Kachina Peaks Wilderness. Permits are required to be displayed in the front windshield of the permit holder’s vehicle if the vehicle is parked at the Lamar Haines trailhead, the entrance of the Freidlein Prairie Road (Forest Road 522) or the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Area.

In addition to having a permit, backcountry campers, skiers and snowboarders who launch their trip from the Ski Area or the Snowbowl Road also need to enter information in one of three trip registers. The Coconino National Forest added a new trip register location at the Lamar Haines trailhead on Snowbowl Road last year. The others are at the ticket window at the Hart Prairie Lodge and near the top of the Agassiz chairlift.

The Forest Service wants people to enjoy backcountry winter activities—but with a high degree of safety. The information we’re asking for is intended to help people avoid dangers associated with avalanches and hypothermia. When someone reads the hazard warnings on the permit, it usually makes them stop and think for a few moments, and this is often exactly what is needed to introduce the element of caution that can save a person’s life.

Backcountry permits, which are free of charge, are available at the Peaks/Mormon Lake Ranger Station and the Supervisor's Offices during the week. Once the Arizona Snowbowl opens, permits may also be obtained at the ticket window at the Agassiz Lodge on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. For more information, call the Peaks/Mormon Lake Ranger Station at (928) 526-0866.

Rules and Regulations of Backcountry Permit (16kb .pdf file)

Interagency Recreation Passes (America the Beautiful)

America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass is available at most National Forest Service and National Park Service offices. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass may also be purchased "on line" at The USGS Store website. [More]

Participating agencies include the National Park Service (NPS), Forest Service (USDA FS), Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation), Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

• America the Beautiful Annual Pass: This pass provides access to, and use of, NPS, USDA FS, FWS, BLM and Reclamation sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees. It will admit the pass holder and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle. In those areas where a per-person fee is charged, the pass admits the pass holder and up to 3 additional persons 16 year of age or older. This pass sells for $80. [More]
• America the Beautiful Senior Pass: A lifetime pass available to citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are 62 years of age or older and must be obtained in person. In addition to the benefits provided by the Annual Pass, the Senior cardholders will continue to receive a 50% fee discount at campgrounds, developed boat launches and swimming sites and for specialized interpretive services (Annual Passes do NOT provide this discount). This pass sells for a one-time $10 fee. The purchaser must show proof of age, which may be a state driver's license showing birth date, a birth certificate, or a similar document. [More]
• America the Beautiful Access Pass : A lifetime pass available to citizens or permanent residents of the United States who have been medically determined to be blind or permanently disabled for purposes of receiving Federal benefits. This pass provides the same benefits as the Senior Pass. This is a free pass but must be obtained in person. Documentation required. (Examples of acceptable documentation include: statement by a licensed physician; document issued by Federal agency such as the Veteran's Administration, Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income; or document issued by a State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency.) [More]

America the Beautiful Annual Pass does NOT include concessionaire service, however, concessionaires will honor the America the Beautiful Senior/Access Passes according to the terms of their current permit.

Any America the Beautiful Pass can be used in lieu of the Annual Red Rock Pass on the Coconino National Forest.

Unexpired Golden Passes will be honored until their expiration date.

Weddings, Family Gatherings, Etc.

A Special Use Permit is required for groups larger than 75 people, or for any size group which charges a fee to attend an event. While a group of less than 75 people may not require a permit, there are some regulations to be aware of.

Since each district is unique, we recommend that you contact the Ranger District where you intend to hold your event or group activity for specific information in applying.

Here are some things to consider. This list is NOT all-inclusive.

• For any group activity, toilet facilities are required for groups greater than 25 people and/or groups staying longer than 24 hours.
• All garbage associated with the event must be picked up AND removed. Incorporate "Leave No Trace" principles during your visit.
• Any and all fire restrictions require full compliance, and the group is required to supply adequate water and tools for properly extinguishing any campfires built.
• Introduction of non-native species is prohibited. This means, use of birdseed, rose petals, rice, etc. are not allowed.
• Some areas of the forest will not accommodate groups due to resource damage. Please contact the district office for information.

Permit Directory

• Backcountry Permits
• Christmas Tree Permits
• Firewood Permits
• Interagency Recreation Pass
• Red Rock Pass
• Research Permits
• Rock & Cinder Permits
• Weddings and Gatherings
• Wilding Permits

Regional and National Links

• Recreation Fees and Passes, Headquarters Web Page
• Special Use Permits, Headquarters Web Page
• Southwestern Region Forest Service Passes and Permits Page