Evergreen Acres Has One Season Left, and Its Clearance Pines Get Cheaper Every Weekend

On December 20, the last day Evergreen Acres in Nokesville will ever sell a Christmas tree, a clearance white pine costs $40. On the day after Thanksgiving the same tree costs $80. The farm posts a price for nearly every date in between, so the trade between selection and savings can be planned ahead of time.

For Haymarket households that make the drive down to Hazelwood Drive every December, that schedule matters more than usual this year. Evergreen Acres calls itself the only Christmas tree farm in Prince William County, and 2026 is its last season.

Thirty-six seasons, and this is the last

"This is our 36th and final year to sell trees. We will not be open next year," the farm's tree page reads. The schedule ends on Monday, December 21, with one line: "The end of an era...closed."

The farm took a long time to build. A 2021 Prince William Times profile reported that Jim Gehlsen planted the first seedlings in 1984 and sold the first trees in 1990. By 2021 the farm had about 20,000 trees across 97 acres. The farm's homepage still says all the field work is done by Jim and invites visitors to ask him growing questions.

Northern Virginia Magazine reported in September that Gehlsen announced the closing on Facebook: "This will be our final and 36th continuous year of selling Christmas trees. We've enjoyed seeing everyone in the past and hope to see you for our final year." The same story says Cedar Run Brewery, which opened on the property in 2019, closed in May.

Gehlsen gave the magazine several reasons. One was the high-voltage power lines being built to serve data centers. "We dodged the bullet last year as our farm was an option to run a high-tension power line right up the middle to power data centers in Loudoun," he told the magazine. "There are still 150 approved data centers that have not begun construction. We don't want to press the luck."

The chart that puts a price on the calendar

Most trees at Evergreen Acres carry one price all season. A white pine is $110 with tax and a Norway spruce is $160 with tax, and each tree costs the same whatever its size, "This includes the short ones," the farm notes. A third tier is new this year: white pines from the third field for $50 with tax. The farm says the details are explained on site.

The clearance pines are the trees with a schedule. The farm says it has hundreds of white pines on clearance this year, and "Some of them are perfect trees, so they will be the first to go." They start at $80 and drop as the season goes on. Here is the posted price for each open date next to that day's hours:

From the first weekend to the last day, the price falls by half. The trees get picked over just as steadily, because the farm itself says the perfect clearance trees go first. It has also done some sorting ahead of time. Last year's discounted section has been cleared out, and this year the discounted trees are marked among the top-grade pines, "so the selection will be much better this year."

Weekdays open at 1 p.m., and the busy stretch runs 10:30 to 2:30

The hours matter as much as the prices. On weekdays the farm opens at 1 p.m., so a Tuesday morning visit isn't possible. Every Saturday and Sunday, plus Thanksgiving Friday, runs 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The farm takes no reservations. It says its busiest time is 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and asks visitors to come outside that window if they can. It also says staff can give more attention to anyone who needs help cutting or tying a tree if they arrive early or in the late afternoon. During the middle of the day, phone calls will likely go unanswered because everyone is busy in the field.

So a weekend clearance-tree hunt works best between 8 and 10:30 a.m. On a weekday, the quieter stretch is roughly the last two hours before the 4:30 p.m. close.

A visit goes like this, according to the farm:

• Check in at the sales shed, get instructions and pick up a saw. Admission and saws are free.
• Walk the field, choose a tree and cut it yourself. There are no precut trees.
• Drag it back to the shed, or to a wagon stop where a shuttle will carry it.
• The farm shakes and nets the tree for free and gives you twine to tie it to your car. It says a tree will fit on any car.
• Hot mulled cider is free. Leashed dogs are welcome, and the farm asks owners to bring a bag.
• Pay before the tree leaves the shed. Cash and credit cards are accepted, and all sales are final.

The farm recommends boots, because the field is wet after rain. It also warns that its own site is "the only location for accurate information" and that Google and other sites are not accurate. A 2025 schedule saved on someone's phone won't match this year's dates.

Three ways to plan the last visit

How much stock is left shapes the choice as much as price. The farm counts about 3,000 white pines between 5 and 15 feet tall, which it calls a very good selection. It has only about 400 Norway spruce, all between 7 and 10 feet, and calls that selection limited.

1. Thanksgiving weekend, November 27–29, for a spruce or a perfect clearance pine. With only about 400 Norway spruce, the $160 spruce is the tree most likely to sell out. The $80 clearance pines also have their best selection on these three days. Gates open at 8 a.m., two and a half hours before the busy stretch begins.
2. A weekday afternoon, December 7–11, for $60. All five days carry the same price, and none of them is a Saturday. Arriving around 2:30 p.m. leaves about two hours of daylight and misses the peak.
3. The final weekend, December 19–20, for the lowest price. Clearance pines are $45 on Saturday and $40 on Sunday. You'll be picking from what remains of hundreds of clearance trees after three weekends of sales. Sunday, December 20, is the last day Evergreen Acres will ever sell a tree.

Two Haymarket dates that pair with the farm

One Haymarket event comes just before the farm opens and another falls in the middle of its season. Both are easy to pair with a trip to the tree field.

The first comes a week before Evergreen Acres opens. The Haymarket Town & Country Garden Club's Holiday Shoppe is now in its fifth year. Admission and parking are free. According to the Cooperative Living events calendar, it runs Friday, November 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Evergreen Fire House, 3510 James Madison Highway in Haymarket. The club advertises a bake shop, Christmas wreaths, take-and-make kids' crafts and vintage items. This year's featured item is the holiday pantry jar, a 32-ounce jar of pre-measured dry ingredients for chili, bread or cookies, with a recipe card included. Three local artisans are joining the Shoppe. Herb Moses Pottery will be there both days, and Thara's Tea and Virginia Sourdough on Saturday. A wreath from the Shoppe and a tree from Nokesville the next weekend would cover the front door and the living room from two local sources.

The second falls on Saturday, December 12. The Haymarket Holiday & Christmas Bazaar is listed for 2 to 6 p.m. at Haymarket Town Hall, 15000 Washington Street, with free admission. The listing describes crafts, Santa, cocoa, carols and a bonfire. That Saturday, Evergreen Acres opens at 8 a.m. and clearance pines cost $55. A morning in the field, before the 10:30 rush, leaves time to get the tree home and in water before the bazaar starts in the afternoon. The farm advises a fresh cut on the trunk before bringing the tree indoors, even if you cut it that same day. It also says a new tree often drinks a gallon of water a day in its first week.

After December 20

Once Evergreen Acres closes, the choose-and-cut farms with posted 2026 dates are all outside Prince William County. Middleburg Christmas Tree Farm says it will open on November 27, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and takes cash only. Snickers Gap Tree Farm, at 34350 Williams Gap Road in Round Hill, starts sales Friday, November 27, at 9 a.m. Milltown Creek Tree Farms, at 38757 Householder Road in Lovettsville, also opens November 27 at 9 a.m. and takes cash or checks. All three open the same day as Evergreen Acres. From 2027, though, Haymarket's tree trip will cross a county line.

Planning a final trip to Evergreen Acres this year? Krissy Cruse knows the Haymarket calendar and is happy to help you map out a December Saturday, or anything else you're wondering about in western Prince William. Call or text anytime, or schedule a free consultation.