Hoover Dam hosts Capitol Christmas Tree

There are a couple of things that unite most Nevadans: how people often mispronounce that state’s name and for those who have been around a while, their dislike of the Duke men’s basketball team.

But last week, added to that list is the pride in having this year’s Capitol Christmas Tree coming from the Silver State.

It’s the first time in the state’s history that the tree has come from here.

The 53-foot-tall red fir out of the U.S. Forest Service’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest outside of Carson City had several stops within the state, including Las Vegas and Thursday morning, it was Hoover Dam’s turn to host the tree.

Duncan Leao, the U.S. Forest Service project lead for the 2025 Capitol Christmas tree, has been on hand each stop along the tree’s journey to Washington, D.C., which is expected to take about three weeks. Stops along the way include Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Tex., St. Louis, and Lexington, Ky.

“The journey has been great,” he said. “We started Nov. 1 and we’ve tried to hit up as many Nevada communities as possible. People have come out with such great pride and spirit. Everyone so far has called this tree their tree. Every stop has been a little different. It’s been great.”

As for making a stop at Hoover Dam, he said, “It was definitely by design. Most Americans recognize Hoover Dam as one of our nation’s wonders. It made sense. People know Nevada as Las Vegas but we like to show there’s much more to the state.”

Some of that pride is evident in that the USFS had hoped for 10,000 ornaments created by Nevadans for the tree. In all they received 23,000 from school children, civic organizers, residents and even Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony.

“I haven’t done this since kindergarten, so it’s a lot of fun,” Anthony said at an ornament-decorating party this summer. “We’re not just desert in Nevada. We have some beautiful places with some beautiful trees and we want to showcase Nevada.”

He added, “The tree is huge, so we need lots of ornaments. Do your part and make sure Nevada is represented very well.”

Leao said in addition to the ornaments, they received more than two dozen tree skirts, including one that has a section provided by each of Nevada’s 17 counties.

“There’s definitely a sense of pride,” Leao said on behalf of himself and his colleagues from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. “This is also a great way to bring awareness to our public lands and natural resources and what our national forests have to offer to Nevadans and the general public. We view this tree as a symbol of everyone’s public lands.”

The tree, named Silver Belle, is roughly 50 years old, which is on the younger side compared to past Capitol trees, he said.

When choosing a Capitol tree, which the USFS has harvested since 1970, Leao said there is a list of criteria that must be met. They include that the tree must be 50- to 80-feet tall, full branches, open ground around it, strongly resemble a Christmas tree, green with a pointed crown and must have vehicular access in order to be harvested.

Silver Belle checked all the boxes.

But before it was chosen, however, the USFS each year provides photographs of potential candidates to the organizers and architects of the tree display in Washington, D.C., who make the final decision. And while the tree is a symbol of the nation during the holidays, the entire process is not paid via tax dollars but rather by donors.

“We knew about this a couple of years ago but it takes about a year to complete,” Leao said of the entire process. “There’s a lot of work that goes into this, especially the journey. You don’t just cut down a tree and put it up in Washington, D.C. You have to make sure you can get it from point A to point Z. It’s a challenge, but worth it.”

Sally Smith, who was visiting family in Boulder City, came down and was one of many at Hoover Dam to sign the trailer carrying the tree.

“I think this is so awesome,” she said. “And what a great backdrop in Hoover Dam. I was told it’s the first time the tree has come from Nevada. That’s definitely a sense of pride.”