The 5 Best Apple Orchards On The West Coast With Crisp Autumn Air, Fresh Cider, And Sweet Harvests

Autumn may bring cooler weather and shorter days, but it's also one of the most spectacular seasons on the calendar. Especially on the United States' West Coast, where the air is crisp enough to make you feel alive, but not yet too cold that you don't want to go outside. As the valleys and mountains glow in hues of orange and golden yellow, apple orchards and their sweet harvests become the season's star attractions. It's harvesting time, which means fall foliage views, fresh cider, and flaky apple pie are back on the menu.

Apple orchards have been an important feature of rural American landscapes since European settlers planted the first rows of trees as early as 1625. Back then, apples were primarily grown to make cider, a beverage that many foreigners believed was safer to consume than possibly contaminated water. Today, over 27,000 growers operate nationwide, producing everything from vinegars to livestock feed. Many have embraced eco-tourism through "U-pick" experiences, inviting visitors to harvest their own fruit straight from the source.

What was once an activity reserved for farm workers, U-picking has become a fall tradition in its own right. While the East Coast, home to America's oldest and largest apple farms, has long claimed the spotlight for having some of the best places for picking apples, the West Coast is quietly building its own apple empire. Between Washington's famed Wenatchee Valley, all the way south to the Julian area in San Diego, this iconic coastline has fertile valleys that rival anything out east. While opening days and times differ from orchard to orchard, most typically open their farms for apple picking as early as Labor Day, and extend the ritual until Thanksgiving.

Fall in California may not bring the crisp chill of a New England autumn, but California's temperatures drop just enough to create ideal apple-growing conditions, even just a few hours outside of Los Angeles. In fact, that mild, sunny fall climate has helped make the state of California the country's second-largest apple exporter.

Los Rios Rancho is the largest orchard in Southern California, and for more than a century, it's been turning the art of apple growing into a local legacy. Its apple season varies year to year, but the sweet spot usually starts in September and ends in November. It's often the first farm to open each season, and is one of the busiest in the state thanks to its location just 80 miles east of Los Angeles. Open six days a week (Thursday through Tuesday) with free entry and parking, no reservations are needed to visit the farm. You simply arrive, grab a basket and any tools you might need provided by the farm, and head into the trees to claim your harvest. Apples are weighed and priced by the pound, with one pound costing between $3 and $6, depending on the variety. After filling your basket with the crispiest apples you can find, you can press your own cider, let your kids meet the farm animals at the Oak Knoll Park petting zoo, and try your hand at the corn maze. However, keep in mind that certain activities also cost extra. Once you've worked up an appetite, the scent of barbecue and wood-fired pizzas will draw you in for lunch.

While not officially on this list, the surrounding Oak Glen county hides a few more orchards worth the hype. Willowbrook Apple Farm is one of the smaller operations in the region, while Apple Annie's in Oak Glen is a bakery lovingly referred to as the "Best Place In The World To Eat An Apple Pie" by by Lonely Planet's guidebook.

For Sacramento locals, Boa Vista Orchards in Placerville's Apple Hill region is the ultimate U-pick destination for sweet apple harvests. The farm is less than 50 miles from the state capital, making it an easy fall day-trip. The farm's claim to fame is its 20 different apple varieties, each with its own unique texture and taste profile. First opened in 1915, this family-run orchard has been perfecting its craft for over a century.

Beyond the orchards, Boa Vista is best known for its wholesome food scene. The on-site bakery tempts with freshly baked pastries and breads prepared with seasonal fruits and vegetables grown on the farm itself. Come fall, the spotlight is on their apple pies, apple donuts, and glossy caramelized apples.

A stop at the farm store is almost mandatory when visiting Boa Vista Orchards. Stock up on hard apple ciders, apple beers, and locally crafted apple wines, or browse the fresh food and pantry section, which is overflowing with local produce sourced from the Placerville region. The market is open seven days a week, making it easy to keep your pantry fully stocked. The farm welcomes visitors year-round (closed only on Christmas and Thanksgiving), between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Apple season kicks off as early as August, with Gravenstein apples leading the way. But the real excitement begins early September, when a variety of apples hit the shelves. Best of all, admission and parking are always free, no matter the season.

Mt. View Orchards live up to its name, boasting some of the most beautiful views of Mt. Hood. It's set on 50 acres of land in the quiet town of Parkdale, in Oregon's Hood River Valley. The farm sits around 80 miles east of Portland – roughly an hour and a half by car.

Owned and lovingly operated by the same family for three generations, Mt. View Orchards thrives on community inclusion, sustainable farming practices, and authentic relationships with its visitors. Putting the customer first, the farm opens up its gates for U-picking year-round. Seasonally dependent, visitors can wander through the flower fields, picking blooming dahlias and lavender, pluck fruit like blueberries, peaches, and pluots, and of course, harvest their famous Gravenstein apples at $2 per pound. With over 125 different varieties of apples to explore, you'll want to bring your own bags and baskets. 

On top of the specifically designated U-pick orchards lined with pear and apple trees, Mt. View is also known for its fall pumpkin patch, where kids can roam freely and select their own perfect pumpkins. One of the farm's standout attractions is the Grateful Vineyard Tasting Room, a delightful all-in-one winery, cidery, and microbrewery. Though grape cultivation is a relatively new venture for the farm, with the first vines planted in 2016, it now produces exceptional Riesling and Rose varietals. The tasting room is open daily between midday and 6 p.m., with the exception of Labor Day. Reservations are recommended, and are easy to make via the farms online booking system. Mt. View Orchards also hosts seasonal dinners that celebrate the very best of its produce, offering farm-to-table feasts to highlight the flavors of each harvest.

Located just around the corner from Mt. View Orchards, Parkdale is home to another cherished farm known as the Kiyokawa Family Orchards. If the name rings a bell, it's probably because you've spotted their produce gracing the tables at various farmers' markets across the Portland area. Since opening its doors in 1911, Kiyokawa has grown into a veritable apple wonderland, boasting over a hundred unique varieties and the largest U-pick orchard in the valley. With a focus on conservation and sustainability, the farm employs innovative irrigation systems, all while protecting the animals and bugs that call the orchards home, ensuring the property remains a thriving natural wildlife corridor.

Fall is this farm's peak, with U-picking open daily, Monday to Friday, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They also host special seasonal events throughout the year: The Honeycrisp Harvest at the end of September pairs U-picking with hay wagon rides and folk music. Later in the season, in early October, the farm celebrates Fiesta Days with Mexican food, music, and the joyous chaos of traditional piñata-smashing. Mid-October marks the long-awaited Apple Tasting event, where visitors can sample the orchard's hundreds of apple varieties at their peak.

The farm stand keeps the harvest flowing year-round. Their website even keeps patrons up-to-date with what's in season for U-picking or ready for sale. One Tripadvisor reviewer from Watsonville, California captured the quality of the apple harvests perfectly, saying, "The sheer enormity and variety of the apple and pear offerings here blew me away ... Beautiful fruit, fully ripe, picked at peak." They added, "The prices are very reasonable and parking is easy."

Washington is no stranger to apple orchards, with one city even earning itself the nickname of the "Apple Capital of the World." Located just south of the U.S.-Canadian border, Bellewood Acres stands out as one of the Northwest's best apple orchards. While technically closest to Vancouver, Canada, which is just 50 miles, or a little over an hour's drive away, Bellewood Acres is a little less than two hours north of Seattle, in Washington's Lynden County. Another Washington farm worth mentioning is Johnson Orchards in Yakima, roughly 145 miles southeast of Seattle.

Spread over 47 acres, Bellewood is best known for its Honeycrisp apples, which grow alongside more than twenty other varieties in total. Each fall, the working farm harvests more than 1.7 million pounds of apples. U-picking season kicks off on Labor Day Weekend at the end of August, and runs through October. With more than 25,000 fruit trees to be explored, Bellewood Acres U-pick events have become one of the largest of their kind in the state.

Apples aside, the farm is home to some exquisitely prepared forest trails, where you can hike through the landscape while admiring the scenic glaciers of Mt. Baker. To fuel up after a hike, pay a visit to the store, cafe, bakery, or distillery tasting room open Wednesdays through Sunday, starting at 9 a.m. The store, bakery, and distillery all close at 4 p.m., while the cafe shuts its doors earlier at 2 p.m. The farm store is stocked with fall-inspired goodies like homemade apple butter, apple crisps, and cider made using freshly harvested apples.