A nearly 120-year-old family farm best known regionally for fruits and vegetables, with Christmas trees and wreaths as a seasonal sideline across two locations -- but no hours, dates, or pricing are published for either one, so this is a call-first visit.
Calvin Lutz Farms has operated for close to 120 years, according to its own site – one of the longest histories among the farms in this batch – though its primary regional reputation is built on fruits and vegetables rather than Christmas trees specifically. The tree and wreath business reads as a seasonal addition to a much older, broader farming operation rather than the main event.
This is the detail most worth getting straight before you head out: the farm operates from two locations, and they’re not interchangeable. The main Kaleva address offers both U-cut and pre-cut trees. A separate location in Bear Lake (11353 13 Mile Rd) sells pre-cut trees only – no cutting your own there. If the point of your trip is specifically to cut your own tree, make sure you’re heading to Kaleva, not Bear Lake.
Four types are listed: Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Blue spruce, and Scotch pine. That’s a solid, if not unusually wide, selection covering the most commonly requested types – Fraser fir if needle retention is your priority, or one of the others if you have a different shape or color preference in mind.
Here’s where we need to be direct: no hours, no season dates, and no pricing were published on the farm’s site when we checked. For a farm with this much history, that’s a notable gap, and it’s one we’re not going to fill in with assumptions. If you’re used to checking a farm’s hours online before heading out, that option isn’t available here – a phone call is the only reliable way to confirm the farm is open on the day you plan to visit, let alone what a tree costs once you’re there.
Because the farm doesn’t publish which of its four species are available for U-cut versus reserved for pre-cut only, it’s worth asking that question specifically on your call, rather than assuming every listed variety is available to cut yourself. Farms that offer both models sometimes hold their most established or slower-growing trees – often certain firs – for pre-cut sale and reserve younger, faster-replaceable stock for U-cut. That’s a general pattern at mixed-model farms, not a confirmed fact about Calvin Lutz specifically, but it’s a reasonable question to bring into the phone call given the farm hasn’t spelled that out itself.
Beyond trees, the farm sells wreaths, which fits with its broader identity as a working farm selling seasonal products rather than a single-purpose Christmas-tree operation.
If you’re drawn to the idea of a nearly-120-year-old working farm and don’t mind calling ahead for basic logistics, Calvin Lutz is worth considering – just confirm which location has what you’re looking for, and don’t assume either one keeps hours similar to the more web-forward farms elsewhere in this list.
Unknown. No season dates or hours were published on the farm's own site at the time of research -- call ahead before planning a trip.
Likely 1-1.5 hours for a U-cut or pre-cut visit at the Kaleva location, though this is an estimate rather than a confirmed figure.
Unknown. No hours or season-length information were found to characterize typical crowd patterns.
Not specified in available sources.
Not specified in available sources.
you need confirmed hours or pricing before deciding whether to visit -- neither is published for this farm.
Yes, at the main Kaleva location, both U-cut and pre-cut options are available. The separate Bear Lake location sells pre-cut trees only.
Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Blue spruce, and Scotch pine.
Nearly 120 years, per the farm's own site -- it's primarily known regionally for fruits and vegetables, with Christmas trees and wreaths as a seasonal addition.
Neither was published on the farm's site at the time we checked. Call ahead to confirm before visiting.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. Check with the farm before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes. It's cut-your-own and choose-and-cut (staff cuts it for you).
8576 Chief Rd, Kaleva, MI 49645, in Manistee County. It is one of 11 farms we track in Northern Michigan.
We track 11 farms in Northern Michigan, 8 of which let you cut your own tree. The farm has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
What sets it apart locally: it has wreaths and garland for sale, which most Northern Michigan farms on our list do not.
One caveat worth repeating: this farm had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 1 of the 11 farms we track in Northern Michigan had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the farm confirms it.
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
calvinlutzfarms.com
Checked August 2026.