If you host family in Nathrop this Thanksgiving, two dates shape the week more than any forecast. Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort is running 15% off Creekside and cabin stays from Oct. 26 through Dec. 17, 2026, except on Nov. 23–27 and on Fridays and Saturdays. Up the hill, Christmas tree permits for the Salida Ranger District go on sale Nov. 16, according to Recreation.gov. The district has no quota, so permits won't sell out, and cutting is allowed through Dec. 31.
Thanksgiving week is the resort's one stretch of the late fall when it doesn't discount rooms on weeknights, and the national forest has no limit on how many people can go out. A good host can use both facts. Book the resort for the parts of the week that need a reservation, and send everyone uphill for the part that doesn't.
The week at a glance
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, and the resort's holiday schedule covers Friday, Nov. 20, through Sunday, Nov. 29. Here is the Chalk Creek week with the Buena Vista events that fit around it.
| Date | What's on | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16 or 17 | Salida Ranger District tree permits go on sale | $10 per tree, limit two per family |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Infinity Pool holiday hours begin | Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 29 |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Buena Vista Hometown Holiday Market | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free admission |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Full Moon Water Yoga, Infinity Pool | 7 to 9 p.m., $30 per person |
| Nov. 23–27 | Resort lodging discount blacked out | Covers Monday through Friday of the holiday week |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Turkey Trot in Buena Vista, then Thanksgiving at Mount Princeton | Buffet, to-go meals and Mary Murphy Steak House dinner |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | First weekday after Thanksgiving with permits in hand | Cutting allowed through Dec. 31 |
The Infinity Pool hours deserve a closer look. The resort calls daily 10-to-5 access for Nov. 20–29 its "extended holiday" schedule. Its rates page says the Historic Bath House, Creekside Springs, Upper Pools and Infinity Pool are open to the public year-round, that guests can soak from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and that day passes need no reservation. So the pools take walk-ins all week. The meal is the part that needs a reservation.
Thursday is the part you book
Mount Princeton offers three ways to skip cooking on Nov. 26, and each needs a reservation.
The Pavilion buffet runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with seating every 15 minutes. It costs $79.99 for adults and $34.99 for children 10 and under. Reservations are taken at 719-395-2447, ext. 456.
Thanksgiving To-Go is $50 per person, picked up between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Mary Murphy Steak House, 15870 County Road 162. Reserve at 719-395-2448, ext. 237.
Mary Murphy Steak House serves Thanksgiving dinner alongside its regular menu from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., with reservations required. That closes half an hour earlier than the steakhouse's usual 4:30-to-9 dinner service.
The cost math depends on group size. For a table of six adults, the buffet comes to about $480 before tax and tip, and to-go meals come to $300. The to-go option still lets you host at your own table, and the pickup window ends at 3:30, so there's time to eat at home and walk back down for a soak before the Infinity Pool's holiday hours end at 5 p.m.
If your guests want a morning outing first, Buena Vista's Turkey Trot runs on Thanksgiving morning. The family fun run is free at 10 a.m., and the 5K runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon for $38.86 including fees. Runners can still get back down County Road 162 before to-go pickup closes at 3:30, or in time for a buffet seating later in the afternoon.
Friday is the part that can't sell out
After a day of reservations, Friday needs none. A Salida Ranger District permit costs $10 per tree, with a limit of two per family. You can buy it in person or online, with cash, check or credit card. Recreation.gov lists the district as the one closest to Salida and Buena Vista and says most of it is open for cutting. To buy in person, the district office is at 5575 Cleora Road in Salida, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Online sales run through Recreation.gov's Pike and San Isabel tree permit page. A permit is valid only in the district where you bought it, and you'll need to print it and carry it with you.
The two official pages disagree by one day on when sales open. Recreation.gov says Nov. 16 for Salida, and the Forest Service's permit table says starting Nov. 17. Either way, if you buy that week, you'll have the permit printed before guests arrive.
Before you head up, run through this list with whoever is holding the saw:
- Size. The Forest Service permit guidance caps trees at 15 feet tall or 6 inches in diameter at the ground.
- The cut. Don't top a tree. Cut at ground level and don't leave a tall stump.
- Where not to cut. The Forest Service excludes recreation areas, timber-sale areas, campgrounds, ski areas, wilderness and trailhead areas. Recreation.gov adds private land and tree plantations, and keeps cutting at least 200 feet from developed sites.
- Distance from roads, trails and water. The Forest Service page says 50 feet. Recreation.gov's permit page says 100 feet. Follow whatever your printed permit says. If anything is unclear, call the Salida Ranger District before you cut.
- Maps. Recreation.gov has Salida North Side and South Side cutting maps to download. Download them at home, because cell service gets unreliable once you're up the valley.
Where County Road 162 still goes, and where it doesn't
The road gets your guests up the valley in late November, but not everything at the top is open. Mount Princeton says County Road 162 is plowed year-round along the roughly 12 miles from the resort to St. Elmo. County maintenance varies from road to road, so check conditions with Chaffee County Road & Bridge before a snowy drive.
When guests get to St. Elmo, the St. Elmo General Store will be closed. It opens on Mother's Day weekend and closes for the season on the last Sunday of September. Pack hot drinks and lunch in the car. The ghost town is still worth the drive, but there's nothing to buy once you get there.
Overnight guests at the resort get free cross-country ski or snowshoe rentals. If your family is staying in your guest room, budget for gear another way.
The weekend that bookends it
The Saturday before Thanksgiving gives early arrivals somewhere to go. Buena Vista's Hometown Holiday Market runs Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Buena Vista High School PE Complex, 559 S. Railroad St. Admission is free, and there are arts, crafts, music and food. It's a good place to shop for the hosts' gift your guests forgot to pack.
On Monday night, Nov. 23, the Full Moon Water Yoga session runs at the Infinity Pool: an hour of yoga from 7 to 8 p.m., then a soak until 9. It costs $30 per person, is free for overnight guests, and needs no reservation. It's an easy first night for guests who arrive Sunday, and it's the same week the resort stops discounting rooms.
If anyone is coming back for the holidays, the resort's Great Santa Soak is Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon. It costs $30 per person, and the first 100 people get a free Santa hat. Bring the tree home over Thanksgiving weekend, and the Santa Soak is the next date on the resort calendar.
Hosting over the holidays is often when friends start asking what it would take to own a place up Chalk Creek themselves. If those questions come up at your table this year, Mary Kale can answer them with Nathrop specifics, from County Road 162 access to what a rural parcel there actually allows. Contact Mary Kale when you're ready to talk it through.
