Seasonal Apple Hill Guide
Just a quick jaunt from Ranch Cordova up Highway 50, discover abundant orchards, farms, vineyards, and ranches in Apple Hill.
Apple Hill is a beloved Northern California spot for foodies and day-trip adventurers! Colorful orchards and farms span for acres upon acres in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, making it an attractive stop year-round.
Most known for its autumnal season, Apple Hill also offers summer and winter treats and experiences. However, not every farm is open year-round. Before you head up, check their harvest calendar to see what's in season and check their website to see which farms are currently open for business.
Summer at Apple Hill
Summer is prime-time for wine tasting in Apple Hill! Several vineyards and breweries pepper the gorgeous mountains, so stop by a vineyard or two to purchase a few bottles. Historic Boeger Winery offers tasty cheese plates alongside wine tastings of their famous barberas, merlots, and chardonnays. During summer months, they often host outdoor concerts. Jack Russel Brewery offers a blueberry ale and several beer options that are sure to delight your tastebuds. Make a reservation to enjoy delicious charcuterie at Starfield Vineyards or head to Lewis Grace for a spectacular sunset view across sprawling grapevines.
If you love farmer's markets, fresh produce, homemade jams, and tasty baked goods, you might be interested in some of Apple Hill's featured summer fruit festivals. The summer harvest includes peaches, plums, pluots, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, nectarines, lavender, and flowers.
Boa Vista Orchards is open 363 days per year and hosts strawberry, cherry, blueberry, and lavender-themed weekends in the summer that draw quite the crowd. You can sample delicious jams, hard ciders, and pastries there year-round. The beautiful vineyards of Delfino Farms are typically open in the summer, though their pie and pastry bakery usually opens later in the season. For another family-friendly experience, Pine-O-Mine Ranch officially opens for apple picking and perusing at the end of August.
Pro Tip: Only a handful of fruit farms in Apple Hill are open in the summer, and many are weekends-only during this time.
Apple Hill in the Fall
Pumpkin spice season is the perfect time to venture to Apple Hill. Don't forget to wear your favorite knits to enhance the autumn vibes as you enjoy corn mazes, colorful fall leaves, and pumpkin patches.
As its namesake may suggest, Apple Hill is most known for its apple harvest. Among the gorgeous foliage, you'll find Gravenstein, Jonathon, Gala, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Paula Red, Red Delicious, Mutsu, Empire, Red Gold, Honey Crisp, Pippin, Winesap, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, and Arkansas Black apple varieties available for picking or bagged for sale.
Smokey Ridge Ranch is a quaint stop on the hill, offering freshly-picked bouquets, delicious preserves, and prohibition-style unfiltered hard cider. You can also pick your own apples and chestnuts at this ranch.
High Hill Ranch is an autumn fan-favorite if you're looking to bring apples home for baking and are hunting for a specific type. They also host local arts and crafts vendors that you can browse as you make your way to their candy shop, pie bakery, fishing lake, pony rides, and hot apple cider stand. Their farm shop offers homemade jams, syrups, caramels, and so much more! This ranch opens to visitors every August.
Don't miss the famous apple cider sugared donuts from Rainbow Hill Orchards! It's always worth waiting in line to get these piping hot donuts that are made fresh to order. Pair your delectable treats with a jug of ice-cold pressed apple cider and you'll be in heaven. Rainbow Hill has a beautiful picnic area so you can enjoy your treats right away! The Rainbow Bake Shop opens Labor Day Weekend.
Welcome Winter in Apple Hill
Living your own Hallmark movie adventure has never been easier. In the winter, travel to Apple Hill to have a Christmas picnic, purchase winter produce, sample delicious pastries, cut down a Christmas tree, and sip hot chocolate. You just might meet the lumberjack love of your life along the way!
One of the best parts of celebrating Christmas season in Apple Hill is bringing home a fresh-cut Christmas tree. There are several Christmas tree farms in Apple Hill that will cut trees for you or allow you to cut down your own. If you'll be bringing home a tree, bring a quilt and some tie-downs to help strap it to your car on the ride home.
The Boa Vista Orchards market and bakery is still open through the month of December. Rainbow Hill Orchards stays open for a while during the winter, so you can make one last hot donut and cider stop before it closes up for the year. Grandpa's Cellar, open from Labor Day until the 1st of December, offers coffee and hot cocoa flights that will warm you up.
Many farms close around mid-December, so remember to check the Apple Hill website to see what's open. Downtown Placerville is also fun to explore if you're in the area. Stop at The Wine Smith for great wine and craft beer.
How to Get There
To non-locals, this can seem tricky. The Apple Hill Growers Map offers quite a trail! But it's actually very easy to get to the mountain itself, where you can then take your time winding your way around the curving road to stop at various farms.
From your Rancho Cordova hotel, take Highway 50-E and take exit 48, 49, or 54. We typically recommend taking the Carson exit, but it could get congested.
Traffic may be slow and parking may be a bit busy at some of the larger ranches and farms, but stay patient! You'll find a space. Many ranches have parking attendants, and each farm has a numbered apple-shaped entrance sign to help you find your way.
