Washington Apple Picking: Where to Find the Best
There's nothing better than biting into a crisp, juicy, sweet apple unless it's one you've picked yourself. Below are the best apple-picking locations in Washington State where you can have great family fun and come home with fresh fruit to can, make into your favorite recipe, or enjoy. Many locations have markets, festivals, tours, or other events during picking season. If you're not into picking your own, they offer already-picked produce, so you can still have that freshly-picked flavor.
Swan’s Trail Farms, Snohomish, WA
Looking for a kid-friendly place to take the young ones where you can pick your apples? Swan's Trail Farms in Snohomish is the place to go. Hop on the farm wagon for the short ride to the land of sweet Honeycrisp and juicy Jonagold apples anytime beginning in September. There's a petting zoo where the little ones can see pigs, ducks, and other farm animals up close, a playground, a mini-train, and a Washington State-shaped corn maze in the fall. The farm is fun for all!
Jones Creek Farms, Sedro Woolley, WA
Local, organic, and farm-fresh—that's what you'll get when you pick apples at Jones Creek Farms in Sedro Woolley. Open for apple and pear picking between August and October, you’ll find a significant assortment of apples, including the popular Jonamac, a sweet, juicy cross between Jonathan and McIntosh, Asian and European pears, a good selection of garlic, pumpkins, and squash. They have already picked fruit for those who don't want to pick their own.
BelleWood Farms & Distillery, Lynden, WA
When it's apple picking time, head for 25,000-tree BelleWood Farms & Distillery in Lynden, one of the largest orchards in the state. Here, you'll find over 20 different apple varieties, from the crisp, juicy, tart-sweet Gravenstein to Sansa, a newer cross between Akane and Gala and everywhere in between. Hop aboard the Apple Bin Express for a ride through the orchard to your destination for a great picking time. They have a bakery and market on-site, picking apples, pies, ciders, and other specialty items for sale. With beautiful Mount Baker in the background, this is a great place for family photos, too, and apple picking at BelleWood is sure to become a family tradition.
Wilson Banner Ranch, Clarkston, WA
Wilson Banner Ranch in Clarkston is a farm-to-fork heritage farm that has been in operation for over 100 years. It uses proven farming methods and environmentally friendly techniques for growing its produce and rotates crops to make the best use of the land without overusing it. Special events include live music, farm tours, dinners, and wine and brewery presentations.
Stutzman Ranch Orchard, Wenatchee, WA
Apples, peaches, pumpkins, pears…with a few nectarines added. You'll find that at Stutzman Ranch Orchard in Wenatchee. This pick-your-own orchard offers great family fun when you bring the kiddos and spend the day there. This family-owned, family-friendly farm has been around since 1907. Bring your water, but leave backpacks, strollers, blankets, tents, dogs, food, and other drinks behind.
Johnson Orchards, Yakima, WA
Whether you come to pick your own or make your purchases at the fruit market on-premise, Johnson Orchards in Yakima offers top-quality, reasonably priced fruits and vegetables. Family-owned since 1904, the family-run business makes you feel like you're stepping back when you visit the packing warehouse and taste the latest in-season fruit. The bakery is open three days a week and offers delicious pies and other sweet treats.
Skipley Farm, Snohomish, WA
With a passion for fruit, the owners of Skipley Farm located in Snohomish, take great pride in creating happiness, lasting friendships, and delicious, healthy produce for the public. With 280 varieties of apples, seedless grapes, blueberries, cherries, pears, plums, kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, and jostaberries, that's just the beginning of what's available at this non-certified organic farm. This is an exciting place to visit if you've been looking for more information on edible landscaping, beekeeping, food preservation, and grafting trees. Farm tours are available, too, and inspiration from Robert Rodale of Organic Gardening magazine motivates owner Gil Schieber to share his wealth of knowledge.
West Valley U-Pick, Yakima, WA
Besides gigantic blueberries the size of a child's palm and delicious raspberries, plumcots, pluots, and grapes, West Valley U-Pick in Yakima has apples, pears, pumpkins, and other vegetables between July and the end of October. Naturally grown and organic, the farm is well-maintained and very kid-friendly. They supply buckets and wagons and have better prices than local grocery stores. When you're done picking your apples, you can relax under one of the tall shade trees and enjoy a picnic lunch, then head to the market to purchase local honey and eggs.
Ray French Orchard, Richland, WA
Ray French Orchard in Richland is a great place to visit if you want to pick your fruits. What started as 160 acres of sagebrush developed into a commercial endeavor that included cherries, peaches, and apples. Later, with so many people wanting the experience of picking their own fruit, the orchard was opened to that, and now the farm has grown to 61 acres and includes nectarines.
