Elk River Evergreens

Our take

Elk River Evergreens operates two separate farm parcels, Ellis Family Farm and Orchard Farm, both in Avery County near Beech Mountain’s ski-resort area. Both are described as “you choose, we cut” operations, meaning staff handle the actual cutting once you’ve picked a Fraser fir in the field. The mountain setting is part of the farm’s own pitch, with an emphasis on views and photo opportunities, which is a reasonable draw if you’re planning a scenic outing rather than a strictly utilitarian tree run.

The farm’s website confirms a 2026 opening date of Saturday, Nov. 14, which is more concrete than many farms in this batch have published this early. What it doesn’t confirm is a closing date, hours, or price. That’s an uneven set of facts: you know exactly when the season starts, but not when it ends or what a visit will cost.

A notable early-bird option

Before the main season even opens, the farm offers a “Choose Now, Cut Later” weekend on Oct. 17-18, 2026, letting visitors pick and reserve a tree in advance for later cutting. That’s a genuinely useful option if you’re anxious about a specific tree being available once the main season’s crowds show up, or if your schedule doesn’t leave room for a mid-to-late-November visit. It’s a real, farm-stated program, not a common feature across this batch of farms.

Why the missing closing date matters

Without a published end date, the safest planning assumption is not to wait. A farm that opens Nov. 14 but doesn’t confirm how long it stays open could close well before Christmas, especially if inventory runs thin at a popular choose-and-cut operation. The standard pattern across the industry, that the best trees in desirable sizes can be gone by mid-December even at farms that nominally stay open later, applies here with extra weight given the unknown end date.

Dogs and details

Dogs are welcome on-site, a small but real convenience for visitors who’d otherwise need to plan around leaving a pet at home. Pricing remains the biggest open question: with no price_from or price_note in the record, there’s no honest way to estimate cost here, so a phone call to 828-387-7695 before visiting is the practical next step, particularly if budget is a factor in choosing between this farm and others in the area.

Two parcels, one operation

Because the farm spans two separate properties, Ellis Family Farm and Orchard Farm, it’s worth asking when you call which parcel you’d actually be visiting, and whether both offer the same amenities and tree availability. A farm operating across two locations may have different terrain, views, or even different remaining stock as the season progresses, especially if one parcel proves more popular with early-season visitors than the other.