A local’s guide to apple picking near NYC, with fifteen orchards sorted by drive time, 2026 opening dates, and the best cider donuts.
Last updated: September, 2026 | Originally published: October 9, 2024
As autumn’s crisp air settles over the Northeast, the shifting color of autumn foliage calls city dwellers out of Manhattan and into the orchards that ring it. Apple picking near NYC delivers a full afternoon of family-friendly activity, seasonal treats, and the simple satisfaction of harvesting your own fruit.
From working farms with two centuries of history to drive-up rows built for an easy afternoon, this list covers fifteen orchards within about two hours of the city, sorted by how far you will actually drive. Whether you are chasing Honeycrisps or Granny Smiths, this list has a farm for your day.
What to Know Before You Go Apple Picking Near NYC
✨ EDITOR’S NOTE
This guide is updated for the 2026 season. Opening dates, admission, and cash-only policies vary by farm and can shift week to week once picking starts—always check each orchard’s website before you drive out.
🍏 AT-A-GLANCE: APPLE PICKING NEAR NYC
Peak season: Labor Day weekend through early November, with the sweetest window in late September and October
Average drive time: One to two hours from Manhattan
What to bring: Cash [several farms are cash-only], reusable bags, hand wipes, sturdy shoes
Admission: Ranges from free entry with pay-by-the-pound picking to about seventeen dollars per person
🚗 CHOOSE YOUR TRIP: PICK YOUR DRIVE TIME
To make apple picking near NYC easier to plan, these fifteen orchards are grouped by approximate drive time from Midtown Manhattan. Pick a tier and go. You do not need to visit all fifteen in one season.
- ▸ Under 1 hour—Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm, Dr. Davies Farm, The Orchards of Concklin
- ▸ 1 to 1.5 hours—Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, Outhouse Orchards, Stuart’s Fruit Farm, Lawrence Farms Orchards, Apple Ridge Orchards
- ▸ 1.5 to 2 hours—Fishkill Farms, Masker Orchards, Stone Ridge Orchard, Milk Pail Farm and Orchard, Minard’s Family Farms, Kelder’s Farm, Greig Farm
📋 WHAT TO BRING
- Cash. Apple Ridge, Stuart’s, and Dr. Davies are cash [or cash and check] only. Bring more than you think you need for cider donuts on the way out.
- Your own bags. Some farms sell picking bags, but a few extra tote bags in the trunk make loading the car easier.
- Hand wipes. Between apples, cider, and donuts, your hands will need them.
- Sturdy shoes. Orchard rows are dirt and grass, and October brings its share of rain.
Table of Contents Show
A Guide to Apple Picking Near NYC
Some visitors want hayrides and corn mazes; others want to park beside the trees and start picking within five minutes. This guide covers both, with orchards organized by distance from the city, closest first.
1. Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm
📍 Location: 1335 White Hill Road — Yorktown Heights [About one hour by car from Midtown Manhattan] | 🌐 Website: Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm | Phone: [914] 245-5111
Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm in Yorktown Heights is marking its 110th year of operation in 2026, one of the longest continuously running orchards on this list. The farm opens for apple picking in August, and while no reservation is required, groups of two adults are asked to purchase at least one one-peck bag to collect their apples.
Check the farm’s ripening schedule by phone or email before you go, since the varieties available shift throughout the season. A wagon ride carries families to and from the orchard rows, and the bakery turns out fresh pies and apple cider donuts that have earned a following of their own. The farm market also stocks homemade goods and local products.
2. Dr. Davies Farm
📍 Location: 306 Route 304 — Congers [About one hour away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Dr. Davies Farm | Phone: [845] 268-7020
Established in 1891 and now run by the fourth and fifth generations of the Davies family, Dr. Davies Farm pairs apple and pumpkin picking across sixty-five acres, with more than five thousand apple trees representing twenty-seven varieties. Apple picking is cash-only: a $20 half-peck bag includes admission for one person, while a $72 half-bushel bag includes admission for up to five people. The farm’s website has a “Meet Our Apples” section with photos, ripening schedules, and tasting notes for each variety, useful if you want a plan before you arrive.
The farm opens for daily picking on August 29. Picking poles are available to rent for the higher branches, an ATM is on-site, parking is free, and leashed dogs are welcome. Call ahead if you need accommodations for a visitor with disabilities.
3. The Orchards of Concklin
📍 Location: 2 South Mountain Road — Pomona [About one hour away from NYC by car; two hours by train] | 🌐 Website: The Orchards of Concklin | Phone: [845] 354-0369
Ten generations deep in Rockland County, The Orchards of Concklin is one of the older working farms on this list, and its bakery is a reason to linger—classic apple pies alongside a peanut butter custard pie that has become something of a signature. The orchard grows Ludacrisp among its varieties, an apple most first-time visitors have not tried before.
Picking normally begins in September, with McIntosh, Honeycrisp, and Autumn Crisp available early in the season. Every guest over three is required to buy a half-peck bag. The farm also sells at local farmers’ markets in Bronxville, Riverdale, and White Plains if you miss the picking window.
4. Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard
📍 Location: 130 Hardscrabble Road — North Salem [About 90 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard | Phone: [914] 485-1210
Harvest Moon pairs its apple rows with weekend live music, tractor-pulled hayrides, a pumpkin patch, pony rides, face painting, bounce houses for younger visitors, and food vendors. The cider doughnuts are a standing favorite, worth building your visit around.
Picking starts on September 12. Beyond the orchard, Harvest Moon runs farm tours, sip-and-paint sessions, and even bonsai grooming classes. Its CSA program is also worth exploring if you live close enough to visit regularly. Stop at the farm store for cider before you head out.
🍁 BKLS NOTE
This is the pick for anyone without a car. Harvest Moon is reachable by Metro-North with a short cab ride from the Croton Falls station, which makes it one of the few orchards on this list you can really do as a train day trip from the city.
5. Outhouse Orchards
📍 Location: 139 Hardscrabble Road — North Salem [About 90 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Outhouse Orchards | Phone: [914] 277-3188
Outhouse Orchards traces back to the late 1800s, and its autumn festival [August 30 through November 1] leans into old-fashioned fun: rubber duck races, bubble stations for kids, hayrides, wood-fired pizza, and house-made hard cider. The orchard grows twelve apple varieties, including McIntosh and Jonamac, along with pears and peaches.
Weekend visits require a reservation; weekdays are walk-in. Like its North Salem neighbor Harvest Moon, Outhouse Orchards is accessible by Metro-North with a short cab ride from Croton Falls station.
6. Stuart’s Fruit Farm
📍 Location: 62 Granite Springs Road — Granite Springs [About 90 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Stuart’s Fruit Farm | Phone: [914] 245-2784
A family-run farm in Westchester County since 1828, Stuart’s grows more than twenty apple varieties, with picking beginning the weekend after Labor Day. There is no entrance or parking fee—you pay only for what you pick and buy—and the on-site bakery’s cider donuts and pies are worth the stop on their own. On weekends, hayrides wind through the orchard and surrounding autumn foliage.
This is a cash- or check-only farm, so plan accordingly.
7. Lawrence Farms Orchards
📍 Location: 39 Colandrea Road — Newburgh [About 90 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Lawrence Farms Orchards | Phone: [845] 562-4268
Lawrence Farms grows more than a dozen apple varieties, including Empire, Cortland, and McIntosh. From late September through October, visitors can also pick sweet corn, cabbage, winter squash, and gourds. Picnic areas offer a place to enjoy your haul before heading home, while the farm’s educational programs highlight sustainable growing practices.
🍁 BKLS NOTE
If your group includes children of different ages, Lawrence Farms is a strong choice. With hayrides, farm tours, and educational programs, it offers more built-in activities than most orchards on this list—so the day does not end once the apples are picked.
8. Apple Ridge Orchards
📍 Location: 101 Jessup Road — Warwick [About 1 hour 30 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Apple Ridge Orchards | Phone: [845] 987-7717
Apple Ridge bakes its cider donuts from its own homegrown fruit, and its Observation Hive lets visitors watch honeybees at work and sample their honey. Dwarf apple trees keep much of the fruit within reach of younger children, while tractor-pulled hayrides, an Amish-built playground, and farm animals round out the visit.
Weekend BBQ runs through September and October, followed by a special Spookley the Square Pumpkin outdoor movie night on October 9.
9. Fishkill Farms
📍 Location: 9 Fishkill Farm Road — Hopewell Junction [About 1 hour 45 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Fishkill Farms | Phone: [845] 897-4377
Spread across more than 270 acres, Fishkill has been growing apples for over a century, with roughly half its trees certified organic. Look for Pixie Crunch, Suncrisp, and Shizuka among the varieties. The Cider Bar overlooks the Catskill Mountains, the outdoor grill serves farm-to-table fare, and live music and seasonal events complement the picking experience.
🍁 BKLS NOTE
Fishkill Farms’ Treasury Cider is a reason cider enthusiasts make the drive. Fermented on-site from heirloom, bittersweet, and dessert apples, it is named in tribute to farm founder Henry Morgenthau Jr., who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
10. Masker Orchards
📍 Location: 45 Ball Road — Warwick [About 1 hour 45 minutes away from NYC by car; three hours by train] | 🌐 Website: Masker Orchards | Phone: [845] 986-1058
Open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, Masker charges no admission and no parking fee. You pay only for the apples you take home, and tasting as you pick is encouraged. Rows are named after desserts like ‘Strudel’ and ‘Pie,’ and the farm’s own radio station, FM 87.9, broadcasts live updates on which rows are ripest. Weekends add pony rides and a haunted house, and pets are welcome.
🍁 BKLS NOTE
Masker’s drive-up rows set it apart: visitors park beside the trees instead of walking across the orchard, making it a convenient option for families with strollers, guests with limited mobility, or groups that prefer not to hike before picking.
11. Stone Ridge Orchard
📍 Location: 3012 State Route 213 — Stone Ridge [About 1 hour 55 minutes away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Stone Ridge Orchard | Phone: [845] 687-2587
The orchard grows more than a dozen varieties, from classics like McIntosh, Cortland, and Stayman to newer dwarf-tree varieties cultivated for larger, sweeter fruit. U-pick apples and Asian pears are available from Labor Day through October. The farmstand sells local produce, baked goods, traditional cider, and hard cider. On weekends in September and October, the farm bar also pours cider flights, New York wines, beer, and cocktails.
🍁 BKLS NOTE
Stone Ridge Orchard has been growing fruit in the Rondout Valley for two hundred years, making it one of the oldest working orchards on this list—the kind of place where the history is part of the appeal, not just the apples.
12. Milk Pail Farm and Orchard
📍 Location: 50 Horsemill Lane — Water Mill [About 2 hours away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Milk Pail Farm and Orchard | Phone: [631] 537-2565
Milk Pail grows more than twenty apple varieties, including Honeycrisp and Fuji, from September through October, with wagon rides through the orchard and surrounding farmland. The country store sells fresh-pressed cider and local goods, and the pumpkin patch stocks more than sixty gourd varieties, including some that top 150 pounds.
What started as a dairy farm has become one of the East End’s more established fall traditions.
🍁 BKLS NOTE
Milk Pail is the Hamptons pick, and its dwarf apple trees make it especially convenient for families with young children—the fruit grows at a height small hands can reach.
13. Minard’s Family Farms
📍 Location: 250 Hurds Road — Clintondale [About 2 hours away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Minard’s Family Farms | Phone: [845] 282-3088
Minard’s is designed with young families in mind, with a bee train, a Chalk Bus for artwork, a tire-climbing wall, a giant bounce pillow, and a petting zoo, along with a 2.5-acre corn maze. October is peak season, with more than one hundred acres of apple trees and pumpkins ready for picking. The farm stand sells baked goods, jams, and snacks including hot dogs and fries.
14. Kelder’s Farm
📍 Location: 5755 US Route 209 — Kerhonkson [About 2 hours away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Kelder’s Farm | Phone: [845] 626-7137
Kelder’s combines apple, pumpkin, and flower picking with a petting zoo, a corn maze, a giant jumping pillow, and a mini-golf course to close out the day. The farm’s world’s-largest garden gnome has become an unofficial photo stop for visitors. Kelder’s is open Thursday through Monday during the fall season. Weekend visits add tractor-drawn hayrides and apple cannons, while the Donut Wagon serves fresh donuts, hot cider, and hot chocolate.
15. Greig Farm
📍 Location: 227 Pitcher Lane — Red Hook [About 2 hours away from NYC by car] | 🌐 Website: Greig Farm | Phone: [845] 758-8007
Set against views of the Catskill Mountains, Greig Farm spans three hundred acres and grows more than eleven apple varieties, including Ginger Gold, Jonagold, Stayman-Winesap, and Blondee.
Beyond picking, there is an indoor market of Hudson Valley products, fresh cider donuts, a craft market, and a koi pond. Visitors can also walk four miles of farm trails, feed the pygmy goats, take a weekend hayride, or stop for lunch and locally brewed beer.
🍩 BEST CIDER DONUTS
For many New Yorkers, apple picking near NYC is as much about warm cider donuts as the fruit itself. These are the ones worth planning a visit around:
- Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm—the bakery’s donuts have their own following separate from the apples
- Stuart’s Fruit Farm—fresh from the on-site bakery, alongside the pies
- Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard—a standing favorite among regulars
- Greig Farm—made fresh on-site and sold in the indoor market
- Apple Ridge Orchards—baked from the orchard’s own fruit
READ MORE FROM BKLS
- 21 Stunning Places in Central Park to See Autumn Foliage
- Autumn in NYC 2026: Foliage, Festivals, and the City at Its Best
Plan Your Apple-Picking Day Trip from NYC
Fifteen orchards, three drive-time tiers, and a season stretching from Labor Day weekend into November. The only real decision is how far you want to travel and what kind of experience you want when you arrive. Choose an orchard less than an hour away for an easy half-day outing, or make the longer Hudson Valley or Hamptons drive for a full day of apple picking, cider donuts, and a trunk full of fruit.
Check each farm’s website before leaving, bring cash where required, and allow more time than you think you will need. The best rows are often a little farther from the parking lot than expected.
THE DETAILS
This guide to apple picking near NYC features fifteen curated orchards grouped by approximate drive time. Peak season runs from Labor Day weekend through early November, with the best selection typically available in late September and October. Admission varies by farm, with some offering free entry and others charging up to $20 per person, often with a picking bag included. Several farms are cash-only, while others accept cash or checks. Harvest Moon and Outhouse Orchards, both in North Salem, are reachable by Metro-North followed by a short cab ride from Croton Falls station.
THE BKLS NOTE
Do not try to visit all fifteen orchards in one season. Choose a drive-time tier, settle on one farm, and give the day room to unfold slowly—the cider donuts taste better when you are not rushing back to the car.
