A Colorado Christmas tree that will grace the nation’s Capitol this holiday season has been cut and readied to visit several communities before its journey to Washington, D.C.

The 55-foot-tall and 25-foot-wide Engelman Spruce, from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, was cut down on Thursday and loaded onto a semitrailer, according to U.S. Forest Service officials.

The massive tree is being trucked by a semitrailer with a custom paint job illustrating the U.S. Capitol, a lit Christmas tree and snow-covered mountains.

Each year a new tree is selected from among the country’s 155 National Forest to be displayed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building for the holiday season. The 2019 tree was from the Carson National Forest in neighboring northern New Mexico.

“The project is made possible with support from partners including the nonprofit Choose Outdoors and Colorado Tourism along with cash and in-kind contributions from companies of all sizes, as well as volunteers,” according to the forest service.

Cranes were used to ease the tree onto a trailer and it will visit 10 communities, nine in Colorado and one in North Carolina, as it makes the roughly 2,000-mile trip east starting on Nov. 10, according to the forest service.

Stops in Colorado kick off Tuesday in Norwood and Montrose, with a stop in Denver on Saturday, Nov. 14. A stop in Asheville, N.C., is scheduled on Nov. 17. For a complete list see the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree page on Facebook.

At the stops well-wishers and fans will have a chance to take photographs, sign banners on the sides of the truck, and learn more about the 50-year Capitol Christmas tree tradition. Festivities are free and open to the public.