Permits are available by lottery to collect firewood generated from hazard tree removals within Rocky Mountain National Park. Collection dates will begin September 15 through October 31. Firewood collection times will vary based on location of firewood. Most locations will not allow collection on weekends or holidays. A $20 non-refundable administrative fee will be charged for removing up to five cords of firewood on the east side and $10 for up to five cords of firewood on the west side. Up to 17 permits will be issued on the east side of the park and 20 on the west side.
Firewood collection sites vary and will be provided to lottery winners when they pick up their permit. In most areas the firewood has already been cut into lengths that are manageable and can be loaded into pickup trucks. Some areas will allow trailers and chainsaw use and others will not. To sign up for the lottery for a firewood permit please email the following information to e-mail us by Monday, September 13 at 10:00 p.m. mountain time.
1) Name
2) Physical Address
3) Phone Number
4) First and second choice preference as to the east or west side of the park; if you do not have a second choice preference please indicate that. Winners will be given their first choice preference in order selected. However, it is expected that east side permits will go first.
Names selected for the lottery will be posted on the park's website on Wednesday morning, Sept. 15, at https://www.nps.gov/romo/parknews/lottery_results_firewood_permits.htm Lottery winners can obtain permits in person at the Backcountry Office adjacent to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center near Estes Park or at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center north of Grand Lake beginning September 15. Permits will be issued daily from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Payment must be made with cash in the exact amount or a personal check.
Wood is primarily lodgepole pine but may include some Douglas-fir, spruce, ponderosa pine and aspen. Some of the wood was previously inhabited with mountain pine beetles but enough time should have elapsed to allow the beetles to exit the wood. Permit holders will be authorized non-fee entry into the park for purposes of wood collection. To receive more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, please call the park's Information Office at 970-586-1206.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
