As we prepare for the holidays, the autumn months are a time for family get-togethers and customs. Many individuals look forward to participating in a few annual favourites. A few well-known and well-liked activities include apple picking, hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin carving and fall festivals. In the United States, apple picking has been a long-standing tradition, particularly in the northern states that have conditions that are ideal for apple production. Arizona is a state in the Southwest that is well-known for its abundant citrus orchards that yield some of the best grapefruits, oranges, and lemons in the world, but it also has some beautiful apple orchards! Enjoy the opportunity to choose apples in autumn, including golden delicious, gala, honeycrisp, pink lady and many more varieties! Apples may be used for so many different kinds of snacks and desserts; my personal favourite is a warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream on top!
You may choose your bushel of apples in these Arizona apple orchards, though, if you’d rather have YOUR own.
Apple-Picking in Arizona: Best Orchards
1. Apple Annie’s You-Pick Orchards
Go south for about an hour to Wilcox, Arizona, which is located east of Tucson. A large portion of the local product found across the Phoenix Valley is produced in this agricultural hamlet, including apples! as implied by the name. Apple Annie’s offers ten distinct apple kinds that are suitable for baking, cooking, or making cider. They even provide a helpful chart on their website to assist you in selecting the ideal kind! Before you visit, make sure to check their calendar because not all apples will be ripe at the same time.
For instance, Fuji apples ripen later in October, but Golden Delicious apples—one of the greatest all-around varieties—ripen in late August or early September. To select your apples, simply show up during office hours with your bags, or you can rent a waggon from Apple Annie’s Orchard. Reservations are not necessary. Visit the orchard in August and September for the annual Apple Harvest Celebration, which includes homemade pancakes for breakfast, apple picking amid hundreds of trees, and fresh apple cider donuts or pie for dessert! It’s a fantastic way to welcome autumn in true Arizona fashion.
2. Fenway Park Orchards
Morristown, Arizona is a small village located about 60 miles northwest of Phoenix, just outside of Wickenburg. Allen and Carol Way are the owners of Fenway Park Orchards, a family-run farm that has produced over 1,000 fruit trees that are flourishing in the desert over the years! They have two types of apples: the Golden Dorset and the Annie, which grow particularly well in the desert and are both excellent for eating and cooking. Their apple trees ripen in June and July, far earlier than typical. Before the picking season starts, you can check the picking calendar at Fenway Park Orchards to find out the ideal time to go apple picking.
Because their picking season is in the middle of summer, bring warm clothing! The ideal time to visit is early in the morning.
3. Angle Orchard
Since the Angle family leased the land surrounding a lone peach tree from the US Forest Service, the orchard has been owned and operated by the same family for a century. Many years later, the surrounding mountains shield a few hundred apple and peach trees from the chilly night air. These gorgeous and tasty mountain-grown apples come in 11 different varieties, including some lesser-known ones like Arkansas Black! Apple trees in full bloom are the best thing around, well, maybe apple trees loaded with luscious fruit.
Nestled in the Pinaleno Mountains of Eastern Arizona, Angle Orchard has year-round temperate weather. These apples, according to regular patrons of the Angle Orchard, are the greatest they’ve ever eaten. You can occasionally find them at Safford, Thriftee’s neighbourhood grocery shop. You can bring your own boxes or bags and pick as many apples as you’d like if you’d want to choose your own, which is available from August through October.
4. Slide Rock Apple Orchard
Situated in the picturesque Oak Creek Canyon of Sedona, Arizona, Slide Rock is a much visited state park. Long before the region was designated as a state park in 1987, the first apple trees were planted in 1912. The 300 apple trees weren’t primarily tended to by park rangers until 2007, at which point it turned into a communal endeavour. Pick-your-own apples, concerts, vendors, display booths, and more are all part of the annual Slide Rock Apple Festival, which honours the legacy of the apple orchard.
Every autumn, when the apple orchards are tended to year-round, visitors can enjoy the benefits.
5. Date Creek Ranch
Wickenburg’s Date Creek Ranch is mostly a cattle ranch, but it also grows apples and peaches, which are available for harvesting each year when they are ready. Always check ahead of time as there may not be any fruit to pick in certain years due to weather and other factors! It’s feasible to grow apples in the desert, it just takes a lot more labour! As a family-run business, Date Creek Ranch places a high priority on continuing to be carbon neutral while still producing only organic apples and peaches.
You can choose your own apples to take home in September when they ripen on the old trees that have stood for decades. For the best time to experience Date Creek Ranch, give them a call or send them an email in advance!
6. Beatty’s Guest Ranch and Orchard
This is one of the few ranches in Arizona where guests can reserve a cabin for the night, take advantage of world-class birdwatching, and harvest apples and peaches from the orchards spread around the ranch. Right outside your front door, hiking routes meander through the neighbouring mountains, and throughout the day, a variety of hummingbird species stop by. In the Huachuca Mountains, Beatty’s Guest Ranch and Orchard is a tiny piece of paradise.
These are some of the most stunning mountains in the region, and they straddle the border between Mexico and Arizona.Every year, the apple trees flourish in this high desert and yield incredibly sweet and delectable fruit. Beatty’s Ranch offers apple picking right outside your front door, making it a pleasant little getaway from the outside world.
7. Oak Creek Apple Company
Apple picking may not be for everybody – physical limitations or just simply not enjoying it are reasons enough. Love apples, but don’t love apple picking? Oak Creek Apple Company has you covered. This woman-owned business has perfected the art of creating high-end products from their organic apples that are grown in Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona. From organic apple cider vinegar (a popular health food in recent years) to elixirs, body lotions, and much more, Oak Creek Apple Company has a whole host of products to satisfy your love of this superfood.
They even offer classes so you can learn how to make your own tinctures, oils, kinds of vinegar, lotions, and other health products. So while this may not be your typical apple-picking locale, Oak Creek Apple Company is still worth a visit to celebrate the autumn season and work on your own health!
FAQ’S:
Q1: When is the best time to go apple picking in Arizona?
The ideal time for apple picking in Arizona is typically from late August to early October. However, it’s recommended to check with specific orchards for their exact harvest season.
Q2: What apple varieties are grown in Arizona orchards?
Different orchards may have different apple varieties, but some common ones grown in Arizona include Anna, Dorsett Golden, and Fuji apples.
Q1: When is the best time to go apple picking in Arizona?
The ideal time for apple picking in Arizona is typically from late August to early October. However, it’s recommended to check with specific orchards for their exact harvest season.
Q2: What apple varieties are grown in Arizona orchards?
Different orchards may have different apple varieties, but some common ones grown in Arizona include Anna, Dorsett Golden, and Fuji apples.
