Where to Pick Apples Near NYC
These orchards around New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania are an easy trip from the biggest apple of them all.
It’s fall. You have an Instagram account. This is the plan, and there’s no avoiding it: You’re going apple picking.
Whether you’re looking to pick in peace or you’re ready to embrace the crowds, there’s an orchard for you. Here’s a bushel of picks within a one- to three-hour drive of New York City. Dates, times, method of payment, and admission policies vary widely between farms, so be sure to check their websites before heading over!
The Hamptons & North Fork
Milk Pail
You can pick Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Milk Pail once the apple season starts, with more than twenty varieties available on dwarf trees, so even the highest apples are easy to reach. They also have pumpkins on the vine to pick.
1346 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY
Harbes Orchard
This is a full-on fall festival-type of orchard, with a corn maze, hayrides, concessions, and music. With 27 varieties of apples ripening throughout the season on dwarf trees, this is a popular pick for families.
5698 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY
Woodside Orchards
Woodside is known for their hard apple cider, with four core flavors, as well as seasonal flavors, so you can enjoy a flight of cider pre- or post-picking. This is a smaller orchard that offers two apple varieties each weekend for picking as they ripen, so it’s manageable day out, with enough time left over for drinking.
116 Manor Lane, Jamesport, NY
Westchester County and Rockland County, New York
Harvest Moon Orchards
This is the probably the most popular “u-pick” apple orchard near New York City, and even with the new reservation system, chances are high you’ll run into someone you know. It’s a favorite for a reason — live music, barbecue, a hard cider garden, and hay rides are all part of the weekend party atmosphere.
130 Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, NY
Outhouse Orchards
The other staple of North Salem’s Apple Alley, directly across the street from Harvest Moon. This picturesque hilltop farm, run by generations of the Outhouse family since the 1880s, has gotten quite the glow-up in recent seasons, adding grownup-geared amenities like wood fired pizza, a well-curated country store, and a beer-dispensing pickup truck with local ales and ciders. Pick from a dozen apple varietals, plus flowers and peaches.
139 Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, NY
Stuart’s Fruit Farm
In continuous operation since 1828, Stuart’s is the oldest farm in Westchester. Many varieties of apples are available for the picking, and the bake shack is legendary for its homemade pies and cider doughnuts. Bring cash: They only take bills and checks.
62 Granite Springs Road, Granite Springs, NY
The Orchards of Concklin
Eleven generations of the Concklin family have tended the orchards here in Rockland County since 1711, and today, it is one of the few farms left in suburbia. In addition to their presence at many local farmers markets, they also have a large farm stand at the orchard.
2 S. Mountain Road, Pomona, NY
Mid-Hudson Valley, New York
Greig Farm
In addition to 70 acres of farmland for picking, Greig Farm also has an art gallery, a full café, and the Jordan Homestead Farm Brewery. Despite all that, this isn’t a farm with gimmicks — it’s an under-the-radar spot for apple picking that also offers substantial meals for re-fueling. Come for the Empires and Jonagolds, stay to make friends with a goat.
227 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook, NY
Clarke’s Family Farm
This is one of the few apple orchards in the area that grow organic apples, with the farmers using integrated pest management control instead of pesticides. Clarke’s is a bit of a hidden gem, without the pony rides and the crowds, just offering a straightforward and welcoming u-pick experience. (And yes, they have doughnuts.)
2086 US-44, Modena, NY
Ochs Orchard
Started in the 1920s as a commercial apple orchard, Ochs Orchard is spread over 100 acres. Ochs is less crowded than nearby farms and sells homemade, seasonal ice cream made from their own fruits.
4 Ochs Lane, Warwick, NY
Masker Orchards
You can drive right up to the apple trees at Masker Orchards, unlike most farms that require a trek from the parking lot. This is popular choice in Orange County, with many families making a day of it, with picnics, tailgating, and dogs allowed.
45 Ball Road, Warwick, NY
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Beardsley Cider Mill
The Beardsley family has been farming on this plot of land since 1849, and in recent years, the orchard was rejuvenated with 14,000 dwarf apple trees that grow no higher than 10 or 12 feet, making apple picking a snap, without a need for ladders or picking poles. The farm also sells a special blend of cider for home brewers making hard cider, with DIY advice thrown in for free.
278 Leavenworth Road, Shelton, CT
Silverman’s Farm
With 22 varieties of apples available for picking, Silverman’s is a popular choice. Plus, animal lovers of all ages can visit with the furry friends on the farm, with buffalo, llamas, alpacas, fallow deer, emus, and goats among the many animals available for petting and feeding.
451 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT
Blue Jay Orchards
Open for nearly a century, this weekend-only operation features a handful of favorite apple varietals, along with a farm market and bakery cooking up perfectly-latticed homemade pies. And though apple-picking hours are reserved for Saturdays and Sundays, the pumpkin patch is open seven days a week.
125 Plumtrees Road, Bethel, CT
Northern New Jersey
Terhune Orchards
2025 marks Terhune’s 50th year anniversary, and in addition to 35 varieties of apples to choose from, Terhune also offers pick-your-own flowers (varieties offered? gazillions) and a pumpkin patch. Weekend fall festivals include the requisite cider donuts, as well as an unusual apple cider slush, as well as a corn mazes, pony rides, and even wine flights at the winery.
330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton, NJ
Demarest Farms
This is a spacious orchard, with reserved time slots to prevent overcrowding. There’s also a small petting zoo and playground, as well as a well-stocked farm stand to visit.
244 Werimus Road, Hillsdale, NJ
Battleview Orchards
Orchards is the oldest pick-your-own orchard in New Jersey, starting in 1972, though the farm itself dates to 1908, and is currently run by the fourth generation of the original Applegate family. The Applegates know how to run a day of apple picking, with plenty of room for everyone to spread out. Reminder: The orchard is cash-only.
91 Wemrock Road, Freehold, NJ
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Solebury Orchards
This rolling 80-acre farm between New Hope and Lahaska has a mix of apple types that ripen throughout the season, with some unusual new varieties each year, including Pinnacle, Sweet Surprise, Pixie Crunch, Crunch-a-Bunch, Cuttalossa, and Firecracker — some of which were developed right at Solebury.
3325 Creamery Road, New Hope, PA
Shady Brook Farm
Besides its orchards of apples, Shady Brook is particularly popular for its photogenic flower fields of sunflowers and zinnias every autumn, where the colorful backdrops are perfect for family photos. For those who would like to do more than pose, there’s also go-karts and even FallFest Fun After Dark (a PG-rated event with moonlit mazes and an eerie light show).
