A self-described 'Blue Ribbon Winner' grower notable for old-fashioned Virginia Red Cedar alongside Fraser fir, with easy interstate access, though 2026 dates are an estimate and no pricing is published.
Rifton Farm Nursery calls itself a “Blue Ribbon Winner” Christmas tree grower, sitting about 25 miles south of Roanoke and 13 miles east of Christiansburg with easy interstate access - a useful, concrete location detail if you’re weighing driving distance from either city. That “Blue Ribbon” language comes from the farm’s own self-description rather than an independently confirmed award noted anywhere in the sources reviewed, so treat it as a marketing claim, not a verified credential.
Most farms in this batch stick to the familiar lineup: Fraser fir, White Pine, various spruces. Rifton is one of the very few offering “Old Fashioned Virginia Red Cedar” alongside its Fraser fir - a tree type genuinely uncommon among the farms researched here. If you grew up with a cedar tree, or you’re simply curious to try something different from the standard fir-and-spruce options, this is one of the few places in the region where that choice exists.
The confirmed hours are Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Limited weekday hours are also available, but only by calling ahead - not a standing weekday schedule you can just show up during. If a weekday visit is your only option, plan to phone the farm in advance rather than assuming you can drop by.
The record mentions a decorated photo tree set up in the field - a small, specific detail suggesting the farm has thought about the visit as more than just a transaction. Beyond that and the wreaths and garland for sale, there isn’t a long activity list here; this reads as a straightforward choose-and-cut farm with one nice extra touch, not a full agritourism destination.
The farm’s own site described a Thanksgiving-weekend opening (November 28-30) for the 2025 season. Applying that same “day after Thanksgiving” pattern to 2026 gives an estimated opening of November 27, but that’s this record’s own resolution of the pattern, not something the farm has posted for 2026 specifically. No closing date was found either.
No pricing for trees, wreaths, or garland turned up anywhere, and no payment method is confirmed. Given the unusual cedar option here, it’s worth asking on the phone whether pricing differs between Fraser fir and Virginia Red Cedar - the record can’t tell you that, but it’s a reasonable question to bring with you.
If Virginia Red Cedar is the reason you’re considering this farm over a more standard Fraser-fir-only option nearby, it’s worth going earlier in the season rather than later. A less common variety, grown alongside a more popular species like Fraser fir, can sell through faster relative to its smaller planted acreage - a general pattern at any farm offering a niche option alongside a mainstream one, not a confirmed fact about Rifton’s inventory specifically, but a reasonable planning assumption in the absence of other information.
Weekends, 10am-5pm, are the confirmed window; the season is estimated to open Nov 27, 2026 (day after Thanksgiving), though that's resolved from a 2025 posting, not a direct 2026 confirmation. Limited weekday hours are available by calling ahead.
30-45 minutes for tree selection, a bit longer if you stop for photos at the decorated tree in the field.
Not documented, but weekend-only default hours with limited weekday access suggest most visitors come on Saturday or Sunday.
Not described in the record; expect an unpaved field lot.
Not addressed in the source.
Skip if you need a confirmed weekday visit without calling ahead first, since weekday hours are limited and appointment-based, or if you need published pricing before committing.
Other Blue Ridge Virginia farms in this directory near Newport, like Joe's Trees or Spruce Ridge Tree Farm, are a short drive further south if you want to compare tree selections.
Alongside Fraser fir, the farm offers 'Old Fashioned Virginia Red Cedar,' a tree type the record notes is rarely seen at other farms in this research.
Limited weekday hours are available by calling ahead, per the record; default hours are weekends, 10am-5pm.
About 25 miles south of Roanoke and 13 miles east of Christiansburg, with easy interstate access, according to the record.
It's the farm's own self-description as a Christmas tree grower, per the record - not an independently verified award noted in the sources reviewed.
Opens November 27, 2026 (closing date not published). Weekends; limited weekday hours by appointment. Hours: Sat-Sun 10am-5pm.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes. It's cut-your-own and choose-and-cut (staff cuts it for you).
240 Rifton Lane, Pilot, VA 24138, in Montgomery County. It is one of 7 farms we track in Blue Ridge VA.
We track 7 farms in Blue Ridge VA, 7 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.
There are 7 other farms we track in Montgomery County. All Blue Ridge VA farms →
riftonfarmnursery.com
Checked September 2026.