Apple Hill Blog

Hidden Gems, Power Outages and October Travel Tips

the bake shop

October is here and it is a favorite time to come up to Apple Hill! Weekends are the most popular, but remember lots of the Apple Hill Grower farms are open Monday- Friday so weekdays are an ideal time to experience the fun. We are expecting power outages as part of power safety shut-off BUT most of our farms that open during the week will stay open! For up to date information visit the Apple Hill Grower Facebook Page. During October weekends, several changes will be in effect to keep vehicles moving:

– Plan on using Hwy 50 exits 48, 49A, 54 and 57 to get to our farms. *Insider tip* Exits 48, 49A can become congested. A suggested route is to use exits 54 or 57 and work your way down the hill. This provides an opportunity to explore the farms on Cable, Larsen, Mace and North Canyon roads that may be overlooked. Our map is a great way to plan your route.

– There will NOT be a shuttle this year or lane closures on Carson Road.
– California Highway Patrol officers will also be on site to help keep vehicles moving.

Don’t miss these hidden gems or off the beaten path farms:

Upper Loop and Harris Tree Farm

Our ranches farthest east offer an authentic farm experience and are often times less crowded. Take Hwy 50 to Harris Tree Farm (our highest elevation ranch at nearly 4000ft) where you can pick apples and sample jam. With a rustic picnic area and bake shop, it’s a great place to start the day.  Work your way down Pony Express Trail and enjoy the farms along Cable and Mace roads including one of our oldest farms O’halloran’s Apple Trail Ranch for fresh picked apples and a scenic trail in the orchards.

baking hot blueberry pies
apple trail ranch

Larsen Drive and North Canyon Road

Apple Hill Grower farms like Larsen Apple Barn offers a beautiful park-like setting along with a bake shop (Note- Larsen is closed Saturdays) Visit Apple Pantry Farm on scenic North Canyon Rd. for specialty handcrafted pies and turnovers in the cutest little bakeshop (this stop didn’t make it on our Apple Hill Grower map this year but it’s located right next door to North Canyon Cider Co. #31 It’s open Thursday-Sunday)

picnic table under fall foliage
the bake shop

Don’t Miss the Barns

Don’t miss a trio of wooden barn farm stands on lower Carson and Jacquier Roads. Smokey Ridge Farmstand and Winery dates back to the 1920s. They grows 17 varieties of apples and barn includes wine and hard cider tasting as well as olive oil and condiments made on the farm. 24 Carrot Farm is a treat with you-pick organic pumpkins and flowers that typically last into October. Our newest Apple Hill Grower, Flying V Farm has lots of fresh picked goodies from the farm as well as dried flowers and pumpkins. You can even sign up for their dried flower weather making classes in October.

smokey ridge wines
pumpkins apple hill
Flying V farm

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