As promised, here is the final word: we are open Saturday, October 17, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and it is our last U-Pick day of the 2026 season. We are closed Sunday, October 18.
What the storm did
When the remnants of Hurricane Rachel came through, they put 7.5 inches of rain in our gauges and brought down most of the apples still on the trees, here and at most of the u-pick orchards around Julian. So we'll be straight with you: this is not a day for a big haul. If you need a lot of picture-perfect apples, the grocery store will serve you better this year, and we would rather tell you now than at the gate.
What's still on the trees
There are still wonderful apples out there. They're just hiding. The ones that held on are tucked up inside the boughs and branches, so Saturday is closer to an Easter egg hunt than a normal picking day. Look up and into the canopy, not just along the outside of the row, and come early: the first pickers get first look.
Rachel brought so much rain so fast that a lot of the apples swelled quicker than their skins could stretch, and you'll find splits and cracks. Don't let that put you off. These are late-season apples that have had the whole season on the tree to build their natural sugars and a deeper flavor. Not pretty, but some of the best eating of the year. Split skins do mean they won't keep for weeks, so eat them this week or turn them into pie, sauce, crisp or apple butter. There are recipes for every variety on our apples pages.
Prices for the day
Picking bags are $10 (normally $20) and hold about 6–7 pounds. Only one bag needs to be bought per group. Admission stays $5 per person, ages 6 and up. Children 5 and under are free with a paying adult.
Two free bags for every group that picks
When everyone in your group has paid admission and you buy at least one picking bag, two extras come free, one of each per group, in reusable grocery bags you bring from home:
- For Dad's smoker: fill a bag with as much apple wood as it'll hold. Please take only wood that's already down, never branches off the trees. It has all been drying for at least a few months; the newest pieces will smoke sweetest with a little more time.
- For Mom's vinegar crock: fill a bag with grounders, the apples already on the ground, to make your own apple cider vinegar. Our trees are grown without chemicals, which is just what you want going into a crock. Grounders only, please: anything still on the tree goes in your picking bag. And they're for the crock or the stockpot, not the fruit bowl.
Grandpa, the family pitmaster, the aunt with the sourdough starter: whoever runs the smoker or the vinegar in your house, it counts. We're not checking.
Bring reusable grocery bags for these. Let's not get carried away with contractor bags and Santa sacks.
Why it's worth the drive
This is the orchard at its quietest. Fewer people means more room for photos of the family among the trellised rows, more time to wander, and nobody hurrying you along. The trellised trees keep the fruit at arm's height, so the littlest pickers can join the hunt. Leashed dogs are welcome, strollers and wagons fit the rows, and there are shaded picnic tables if you want to bring lunch. Make a day of it: Julian is 2.4 miles down the road, and our Plan Your Trip page has our favorite stops in town.
Nothing goes to waste this year. The trees give you apples for eating, the ground gives you apples for vinegar, and the wood goes home for your smoker.
Thank you
Thank you for sticking with us through a season of surprises: for your patience on the Saturdays we had to close, and for every drive up the mountain when we were open. Come walk the rows with us one last time.
Saturday, October 17 · 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM · last bags at 4:30, gates close at 5:00
1284 Julian Orchards Drive, Julian
— Volcan Valley Apple Farm