Best Apple Picking Near NYC: Hudson Valley, Catskills, New Jersey & More | Fall 2026
When fall hits New York, the urge to escape the city for crisp air, changing leaves, cider donuts, and a bag of freshly picked apples is hard to resist.
Luckily, you don't have to go far. Within a few hours of NYC, you'll find apple orchards scattered across the Hudson Valley, Catskills, New Jersey, Hamptons, Poconos, and farther upstate — whether you're looking for an easy day trip, a family-friendly farm, hard cider and wood-fired pizza, or an orchard stop to build into a fall camping weekend.
And you don't necessarily have to wait until the leaves change. Apple picking near NYC starts as early as mid-to-late August at some farms, with the biggest selection generally arriving in September and continuing through October — and sometimes into November. For 2026, Riamede begins apple picking August 22, Apple Ridge August 29, and Milk Pail September 5, while Fishkill expects apples beginning around mid-August.
TL;DR: Our Favorite Apple Picking Near NYC
Easy day trip: Riamede Farm
Classic Hudson Valley experience: Fishkill Farms
Apple picking + cider + food: DuBois Farms
Quieter, more grown-up orchard vibe: Rose Hill Farm
Best for families and lots of activities: Kelder's Farm
Best Catskills weekend stop: Saunderskill Farm
Apple picking + brewery: Wright's Farm
Best Hamptons pick: Milk Pail
Worth the longer fall drive: Indian Ladder Farms
Planning for a specific apple variety? Always check the orchard's current picking list before leaving NYC. Weather, crowds, and ripening schedules can change what's available from one weekend to the next.
New Jersey + Warwick: Easy Apple-Picking Day Trips
Want the fall experience without committing to a full weekend away? These are among the easiest orchard trips from NYC.
Riamede Farm — Chester, NJ
Best for: A classic, relatively old-school apple orchard experience
Riamede is one of New Jersey's longtime pick-your-own apple orchards and a great choice if the actual apple picking is the main event. The farm's 2026 apple season opens August 22, with different varieties ripening as fall progresses. Riamede also hosts Apple Days with wagon rides, live music, and other seasonal activities.
This is a particularly good option for an early-season apple outing before peak fall foliage arrives.
Apple Ridge Orchards — Warwick, NY
Best for: Families, cider donuts, and classic fall-farm fun
Technically in New York but close to the New Jersey border, Apple Ridge combines pick-your-own apples with the kind of fall activities families tend to love. Apple picking opens August 29 for the 2026 season, with the farm open Thursday through Sunday and holidays during the season.
Hudson Valley: Classic Apple Country
If apple picking is the centerpiece of your fall trip, the Hudson Valley is hard to beat. Orchards range from traditional family farms to destinations where you can linger over hard cider, food, and views long after you've filled your bag.
Fishkill Farms — Hopewell Junction, NY
Best for: Scenic apple picking + hard cider
Fishkill Farms is one of the most polished all-around orchard experiences on this list, with ecologically grown and organic apples, sweeping farm views, cider donuts, seasonal food, and its Treasury Cider program.
Apple varieties begin ripening around mid-August and continue through September and beyond, and the farm's fall weekends include harvest activities. Reservations are required for pick-your-own, and fall reservations begin opening in mid-to-late August.
Lawrence Farms Orchards — Newburgh, NY
Best for: Lots of things to pick in one trip
Lawrence Farms grows far more than apples, making this a fun choice if you're the kind of person who heads out for apples and comes home with half the produce department.
The farm expects its early apples in August and continues operating into October; because availability changes with the weather, Lawrence Farms recommends checking what's ripe before your visit.
DuBois Farms — Highland, NY
Best for: Making a whole afternoon out of it
Apple picking is only part of the attraction at DuBois. After wandering the orchard, you can stick around for cider donuts, brick-oven pizza, homemade ice cream, beer, wine, hard cider, and seasonal live music.
For 2026, the farm is open daily through November 22, apples run roughly August through early November, and no reservation is required for pick-your-own.
Rose Hill Farm — Red Hook, NY
Best for: A more relaxed orchard + cidery afternoon
Rose Hill is one of the more distinctive choices if your perfect fall day involves equal parts apple orchard and really good drinks. The family-owned farm has pick-your-own fruit alongside a winery/cidery taproom, rotating food vendors, live music, and events.
2026 is an unusual season here: a severe spring freeze damaged much of Rose Hill's apple crop. The farm currently plans to begin limited PYO apples in early September, with varieties including Cortland, Royal Court, Empire, Jonamac, Honeycrisp, Ludacrisp, Winesap, and Roxbury Russet expected to fare best. Check the farm's ripening schedule before making a special trip.
Catskills + Shawangunks: Apple Picking for a Fall Weekend
This is where an apple-picking trip starts to feel like a full fall weekend.
The Catskills and Shawangunks are at their best in fall: cool camping weather, changing leaves, mountain hikes, small towns, farm markets, and plenty of reasons to bring a jug of cider back to the campfire. If you're making a weekend of it, start with our guide to camping in the Catskills from NYC.
Saunderskill Farm — Accord, NY
Best for: Classic picking without a giant fall-festival atmosphere
Saunderskill is an especially nice stop if you're already spending the weekend around Accord, Kerhonkson, or the Shawangunks. The farm offers 10 apple varieties, along with its farm market and bakery, and the orchard has mountain views.
Apple picking typically begins the last weekend in August and continues into mid-November, making this one of the longer picking windows on the list.
Kelder's Farm — Kerhonkson, NY
Best for: Families and groups that want a lot to do
Kelder's is the opposite of a quiet little orchard — and that's exactly the appeal.
Along with apple picking, the farm has 35+ attractions and a full fall-festival setup, making it a strong choice for families or groups who want to spend several hours at the farm instead of simply filling an apple bag and leaving. Its 2026 Fall Festival runs from early September into early November.
Wright's Farm — Gardiner, NY
Best for: Apples + a post-picking beer
Wright's is a five-generation family farm with pick-your-own apples, a bakery and farm market — plus Gardiner Brewing Company right on the farm.
Apple picking runs September through October, making Wright's an easy addition to a fall weekend around Gardiner, New Paltz, or the Shawangunks.
Bonus Stop: Westwind Orchard — Accord, NY
Westwind is one of our favorite places to spend a fall afternoon — less for filling a bag with apples and more for settling in and enjoying everything an orchard weekend should be.
Grab a glass of their dry, unfiltered cider, order something delicious to eat, and find a spot beneath the apple trees. On weekends, there’s often live music, and the combination of good food, cider, and the laid-back orchard atmosphere makes it an easy place to linger much longer than you planned.
It’s especially worth adding to a weekend around Accord or Kerhonkson: pick your apples nearby, or grab a bag at their farm stand, then eat, drink, and enjoy the orchard.
Albany + Capital Region: Worth the Longer Drive
Heading farther north for a foliage weekend? These orchards give you a good excuse to turn apple picking into a bigger upstate road trip.
Indian Ladder Farms — Altamont, NY
Best for: Apples + big views + cider and beer
Indian Ladder Farms grows more than 40 apple varieties across roughly 60 acres of apple orchards, with apples harvested from August through October. Pick-your-own availability changes throughout the season, so the farm recommends checking its PYO hotline before heading out.
There's also an on-site cidery and brewery, making this one particularly appealing for an adult fall getaway rather than a simple apple-picking run.
Hamptons: Fall by the Sea
Apple picking doesn't have to mean heading north. The East End gets much quieter after summer, which makes orchard season a great excuse for an off-season Hamptons or Montauk beach camping weekend.
Milk Pail — Water Mill, NY
Best for: Apple picking on an East End weekend
Milk Pail's 2026 U-pick season opens September 5, with apples, pumpkins, and sunflowers. Reservations aren't required.
Pair it with a drive farther east, a winery stop, or an off-season day in Montauk for a completely different take on fall in New York.
Poconos: Apple Picking + Pennsylvania Mountains
Heading west instead of north? Apple picking fits just as easily into a Poconos camping or cabin weekend.
Heckman Orchards — Effort, PA
Best for: Adding apple picking to a Poconos trip
Heckman is a family farm with a market full of seasonal produce, apples, cider, and occasional pick-your-own dates. Unlike orchards with a months-long PYO season, Heckman's apple-picking window can be relatively short, so this is one where you should definitely confirm picking dates before making the drive.
If you're already camping in the Poconos, though, it's an easy fall activity to build into the weekend.
Make It an Apple-Picking Camping Weekend
Apple picking is fun as a day trip. But it gets considerably better when you're not racing back to NYC before dinner.
Book a campsite nearby, spend Saturday hiking or exploring a small town, hit an orchard in the afternoon, then bring your apples and cider back to camp for the evening.
A few particularly easy orchard + campground combinations:
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Camp in the Gunks: Stay at Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground in Gardiner, and you'll have several orchard options within easy reach. Pick apples at Wright's Farm or DuBois Farms, head toward Accord and Kerhonkson for Saunderskill or Kelder's, or spend an afternoon eating, drinking cider, and listening to live music beneath the apple trees at Westwind Orchard.
Camp at Taconic State Park: Pair a Copake Falls camping weekend with apple picking and cider at Rose Hill Farm in Red Hook.
Camp in the Poconos: Stay at Tobyhanna State Park and make Heckman Orchards one of the stops on your Pennsylvania mountain weekend.
Don't own camping gear? Rent what you need from Basecamp Brooklyn before you leave NYC and turn your apple-picking day trip into a full fall weekend outside.
Apple-Picking Tips Before You Leave NYC
Check what's actually ripe. Apple varieties ripen at different times, and picking conditions can change quickly after a busy weekend or bad weather.
Don't assume every orchard works the same way. Some require reservations or admission; others let you simply show up and buy a picking bag.
Go earlier for apples, later for foliage. Late August and early September can be excellent for picking without peak October crowds. If your priority is blazing foliage and sweater weather, aim later in the season — but expect more company.
Have a favorite apple? Time your trip around it. Honeycrisp, Cortland, Macoun, Fuji, Empire, and other varieties each have their own ripening windows.
Bring home the cider, too. A jug of fresh cider is basically a souvenir you can drink. Use it for one of our crowd-friendly hot or sparkling apple cider recipes when you get home — or warm it over the fire at camp.
Ready for Fall?
Whether you're planning a quick apple-picking day trip from NYC, a Hudson Valley foliage drive, or a full Catskills camping weekend, orchard season is one of the best excuses to get out of the city.
Pick some apples. Grab the cider donuts. Bring home more cider than you think you need.
And if you're already driving a couple of hours north, you might as well stay outside for the weekend.
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