APPLE HILL CA

Apple Hill opens for the 2026 season on Friday, September 4. More than fifty family-run orchards, bakeries, cideries and wineries across the Sierra Nevada foothills of El Dorado County, near Placerville and Camino, are open from Labor Day weekend through December. There is no admission fee and no parking fee. Apple Hill is dog friendly, so leashed dogs are welcome at nearly every farm. Most ranches open around 8:30 a.m. and close between 4 and 5:30 p.m. Weekdays are dramatically less crowded than October weekends.

That is the short version. Here is everything else.

I am Mercedeh Sheik, a REALTOR® and Luxury Real Estate Advisor with Nick Sadek Sotheby's International Realty, and I sell homes across the Greater Sacramento region, from Granite Bay and Roseville to Folsom and El Dorado Hills. Every year around this time, clients ask me some version of the same question: what is there to do out here in the fall? Apple Hill is my answer, and it has been for years.

This guide covers what I actually tell people when they ask.

When Does Apple Hill Open in 2026?

Opening weekend is Labor Day weekend, starting Friday, September 4, 2026.

A few of the larger farms opened ahead of the crowd to get their apple stands and bake shops running. High Hill Ranch reopened in mid-August, Apple Ridge Farms opened August 28, and Grandpa's Cellar followed on August 29.

Locals call September through November "Apple Hill time," with October by far the busiest month. Many farms stay open into December, when the Christmas tree farms take over, and a handful operate close to year-round.

Because every farm is independently owned, hours and schedules vary. Before you drive up, check the current guide at applehillca.com, which lists hours, locations and what each ranch offers.

Where Is Apple Hill and Which Highway 50 Exit Do I Take?

Apple Hill is not a single farm or a town. It is a region of orchards spread across the foothills around Placerville and Camino, just off the Highway 50 corridor between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.

Take Highway 50 east to exit 48, 49 or 54. The Carson Road exit is the most popular and therefore the most congested on weekends. Cedar Grove, exit 54, is often the smarter approach if you are heading to the farms on the eastern side. Each farm marks its entrance with a numbered apple-shaped sign, which makes navigation easier than the map suggests.

Approximate drive times, without heavy traffic:

Plan for Highway 50 to slow considerably on October weekends. If I could give you only one piece of advice in this entire guide, it would be to leave early.

Where Can I Get the Apple Hill Grower Map?

Before you go, pull up the 2026 Apple Hill Grower Map published by the Apple Hill Growers Association. It plots every member ranch by its numbered apple sign, which is how the farms are marked at the roadside, and it is far easier to navigate with than a phone map that does not know where the ranch driveways are.

Save it to your phone before you leave home. Cell service in the foothills is inconsistent, and the map is the single most useful thing you can have with you.

What Are Apple Hill's Hours of Operation?

Every ranch sets its own hours, and they are strict about them. When a farm says it closes at 5 p.m., it closes at 5 p.m., including the picnic tables and the orchard. Many of these families live where they work.

As a concrete example, here are the published hours for Abel's Apple Acres at 2345 Carson Road in Placerville, one of the classic stops on the hill:

Abel's is open from Labor Day weekend through Christmas Eve and offers apples, cider, a bake shop, fudge, caramel apples, a café, a gift store, a craft faire, horse and pony rides, a hay maze and a pond area. You can reach them at 530-626-0138.

Most farms follow a broadly similar pattern, opening between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and closing between 4 and 5:30 p.m., but confirm before you go. The grower map lists current hours for every member ranch.

Yes, You Can Bring the Dog

This is one of the questions I get most, and the answer is a clear yes.

Apple Hill is dog friendly. Leashed dogs are welcome at nearly every farm on the hill, and several list it explicitly. Abel's Apple Acres is one of them. High Hill Ranch welcomes leashed dogs in its outdoor areas. So do most of the others.

Three practical rules:

• Keep the leash in your hand. Most farms do not allow you to tie a dog to a picnic table or a tree.
• Expect to stay outside with them. Health code keeps dogs out of buildings, tasting rooms, bakeries and pumpkin patches at most properties.
• Confirm with the specific farm. Every ranch is privately owned and sets its own policy, and a few do not allow pets at all.

Bring water. Early September on the hill is cooler than the valley, but the parking areas still get warm.

Are There Special Events at Apple Hill?

Apple Hill is not the same experience two weekends in a row. Individual ranches and the Carson Road wineries run their own programming throughout the season: live music on the tasting room patios at Starfield Vineyards, winemaker tastings, sip-and-paint afternoons at Fenton Herriott Vineyard, craft faires at the larger ranches, and association-wide events at various points in the calendar.

Check the Apple Hill Growers events calendar the week before you go. It is worth timing your visit around something specific rather than showing up on a random Saturday, particularly if you have made the drive from the Bay Area or down from Tahoe.

What Kinds of Apples Grow at Apple Hill?

Apple Hill grows Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Mutsu (Crispin), Arkansas Black, Jonagold and Jonathan, among others. Most visitors buy a bag without knowing what is in it. Knowing the varieties makes the trip better, and it makes the pie better.

A note on timing: varieties ripen on their own schedule across the season. The earlier apples generally come off the trees in September, while the firmer, tarter varieties like Granny Smith and Arkansas Black tend to come later in the fall. If you are after one specific variety, call the ranch first. What is available in mid-September is a different list from what is available in early November.

My own approach is to buy two bags, one sweet and one tart, and blend them. A pie made from a single variety is rarely as good as one made from two.

The Best Apple Hill Farms for Kids

The standouts for young children are El Dorado Orchards for the train, O'Halloran's Apple Trail Ranch for u-pick pumpkins, Apple Ridge Farms for the hay maze and gem panning, and High Hill Ranch for pony rides and the fishing pond. With more than fifty farms in the region, the hardest part is choosing. These are the ones I point families toward.

Train Rides

El Dorado Orchards runs the region's only engine-pulled train, a short loop around the cider ponds that has been a rite of passage for a couple of generations of Sacramento area kids. Bluestone Meadow operates a tractor train worth seeing in its own right, and Hillside Tree Farm adds another option once the holiday season begins.

Pumpkin Patches and U-Pick

O'Halloran's Apple Trail Ranch lets kids pull pumpkins straight off the vine, alongside flowers, ornamental corn and a nature trail. Rainbow Orchards, Boa Vista Orchards, Pine-O-Mine, Delfino Farms and Apple Ridge Farms all run patches. Several offer u-pick apples until the trees are picked clean, so call ahead in late October.

Animals, Mazes and Gem Mining

Fudge Factory Farm keeps alpacas and makes roughly forty flavors of fudge. Delfino Farms has two corn mazes, babydoll sheep and a nature trail. Apple Ridge Farms offers a large hay maze and gem panning. High Hill Ranch, at over 155 acres the largest and most visited farm in the region, has pony rides, a fishing pond and a craft fair that draws its own crowd.

The Food

Rainbow Orchards is my pick for hot apple cider doughnuts, and in my opinion it is not a close contest. High Hill Ranch runs a full pie house and bakery. Larsen Apple Barn is worth the stop for apple turnovers alone. Boa Vista Orchards, open nearly year-round, combines a bakery, farm market, cider and lunch in one place, which makes it the right anchor if you only have time for one or two stops.

Apple Hill Without the Kids

For an adults-only day, head for the Carson Road wine corridor. It is one of the quietly excellent tasting regions in California, and I do not think it gets nearly the attention it deserves. Boeger Winery, Lava Cap, Madroña Vineyards, Edio at Delfino Farms and a dozen others sit within minutes of each other. Add Jack Russell Farm Brewery, the local cider houses and historic Main Street in Placerville, and the day works just as well as an adults-only outing.

One note: most tasting rooms cannot allow dogs inside because of health code restrictions, even where the property itself is dog friendly.

My Advice After Years of Sending People Up the Hill

• Go Tuesday through Thursday if you can. Midweek visits in October are peaceful, and everything is still running. Weekends mean full lots and real lines.
• Pick three farms, not eight. Apple Hill is a road trip within a road trip, and the driving between properties adds up faster than people expect.
• Arrive before 10 a.m. Doughnuts and pies sell out. The good parking goes first.
• Take closing times literally. When a ranch says it closes at 5 p.m., it closes at 5 p.m., including the picnic tables. Many of these families live where they work.
• Dress in layers. Apple Hill sits high enough above the valley floor to run a season ahead of Sacramento. While the valley is still in the nineties, the orchards are cool in the shade and genuinely crisp by evening. That elevation gap is the whole reason the place feels like fall in early September.
• Bring cash. Some of the smaller stands still prefer it.
• Consider December. The Christmas tree farm season is, to my eye, more beautiful than October and draws a fraction of the crowd.

I love Fuji apples from Apple Hill and always look forward to picking my own basket for my family and even clients.

Living Within Reach of Apple Hill

For a lot of the buyers I work with, Apple Hill is the moment the Sierra foothills stop being an abstraction. You make the drive once, and being twenty-five minutes from an orchard and an hour from Lake Tahoe starts to make sense in a way no listing photo conveys.

The communities along the Highway 50 corridor each offer something different:

• Camino and Placerville put you in the middle of Apple Hill itself, with historic housing stock, acreage parcels and genuine small-town character. Over the last three months, the average sale price here has run roughly $564,000, alongside an estate and acreage segment that reaches above $2,500,000 for custom and view properties.
• El Dorado Hills sits closest to Apple Hill among the larger planned communities, with newer construction and a broad range of custom homes. Values run meaningfully above the Placerville area.
• Folsom balances proximity to the foothills with easy access to the Sacramento employment corridor.
• Cameron Park and Shingle Springs offer larger lots and more acreage at a different price point.

Buyers coming from Granite Bay, Roseville and Rocklin often weigh these against the Placer County side of the region, which trades foothill proximity for a shorter commute west. Both work. In my experience, the right answer comes down to how you actually spend your weekends, not how you spend your weekdays.

Apple Hill FAQ

When does Apple Hill open in 2026?
Apple Hill opening weekend is Labor Day weekend, beginning Friday, September 4, 2026. Several farms opened earlier, in mid to late August. Most remain open through December.

Is there an admission fee or parking fee at Apple Hill?
No. Admission to the region and to individual farms is free, and the farms do not charge for parking. You pay only for food, produce and specific activities such as train rides, pony rides, gem panning or u-pick. Many of the larger ranches have parking attendants on busy weekends.

Is Apple Hill dog friendly? Can I bring my dog?
Yes. Apple Hill is dog friendly and leashed dogs are welcome at nearly every farm, including Abel's Apple Acres and the outdoor areas at High Hill Ranch. Keep the leash in your hand, since most farms do not permit tying a dog to a picnic table or tree. Dogs are generally not allowed inside buildings, tasting rooms, bakeries or pumpkin patches because of health code rules. Every property is privately owned with its own policy, so confirm with the individual farm before you go.

Which Highway 50 exit should I take for Apple Hill?
Exits 48, 49 and 54 all serve the region. Carson Road is the most popular and gets congested on weekends. Cedar Grove, exit 54, is a good alternative. Each ranch is marked with a numbered apple-shaped sign at its entrance.

What is the best day to visit Apple Hill?
Tuesday through Thursday. October is the busiest month by a wide margin. If a weekend is your only option, arrive before 10 a.m. and start with the farm you care about most.

What months is Apple Hill open?
September through November is the core season, often called "Apple Hill time," with October the busiest. Many farms continue into December for the Christmas tree season, and a few, including Boa Vista Orchards, operate close to year-round.

Can you walk between the Apple Hill farms?
No. The farms are spread across winding foothill roads with no pedestrian shoulders, and several explicitly ask visitors not to travel between properties on foot. Drive from one to the next.

What are Apple Hill hours of operation?
Hours are set by each individual ranch. Most open between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and close between 4 and 5:30 p.m. Abel's Apple Acres, for example, runs 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in fall, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in winter, and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Christmas Eve. Closing time is strict and includes the picnic areas, so check current hours at applehillca.com or on the grower map before planning your afternoon.

Is there a map of the Apple Hill farms?
Yes. The Apple Hill Growers Association publishes an annual grower map showing every member ranch by its numbered apple sign. Save it to your phone before you leave, because cell service in the foothills is inconsistent.

Are there special events at Apple Hill on weekends?
Yes. Individual ranches and the Carson Road wineries run their own programming throughout the season, including live music, winemaker tastings, craft faires and seasonal events. Check the Apple Hill Growers events calendar the week before you visit.

What kinds of apples grow at Apple Hill?
Common varieties include Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Mutsu (Crispin), Arkansas Black, Jonagold and Jonathan. Varieties ripen at different points across the season, so what is available in September differs from November. Granny Smith and Arkansas Black are the picks for baking and storing; Honeycrisp and Fuji are the favorites for eating fresh.

Which Apple Hill farm has the train?
El Dorado Orchards operates the only engine-pulled train. Bluestone Meadow runs a tractor train, and Hillside Tree Farm offers rides during the Christmas tree season.

How long does a visit to Apple Hill take?
Most families spend four to six hours, covering two or three farms plus lunch. Trying to see more than four in one day usually means spending most of it in the car.

What do homes cost in the Apple Hill area?
Over the last three months, the average sale price in Camino and Placerville has run roughly $564,000, with an estate and acreage segment reaching above $2,500,000 for custom and view properties. Nearby El Dorado Hills and Folsom sit meaningfully higher.

Where should I stay if I am visiting from out of the area?
Placerville and Camino offer bed and breakfasts, cabins, campgrounds and small hotels. Many Bay Area families turn the trip into an overnight rather than a five hour round trip in a single day. October reservations fill early, so book well ahead.

Thinking About the Foothills?

Traditions like Apple Hill are a real part of why people move to this region and why they stay. If you are considering El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Granite Bay, Roseville or anywhere along the Highway 50 corridor, I would be glad to talk through what the market looks like right now and which communities fit how you actually want to live.

I update this guide each season and verify hours and opening dates against the Apple Hill Growers before republishing. Source for farm details and current hours: Apple Hill Growers, applehillca.com. Market figures reflect recent sales activity and are subject to change.