Things to Do

10 Great Places to Go Apple Picking Around DC

These orchards offer wagon rides, corn mazes, and many more fall activities.

Photograph via iStock.

Baugher’s Orchards and Farms
1015 Baugher Rd., Westminster
Distance from DC: About 70 miles.
Apples: Choose from three bucket sizes—$10, $15, and $30.
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
What else: Leave all your bulky baggage (backpacks, strollers, coolers, and blankets) in the visitor area, and hitch a $3 wagon ride out to the apple orchard. The weekends are full of seasonal activities, like DIY scarecrows, a petting zoo, food vendors, and live music. Pro tip: Bring cash (or hit the on-site ATM)— some vendors don’t accept credit cards.

Catoctin Mountain Orchard
15036 North Franklinville Rd., Thurmont
Distance from DC: About 66 miles.
Apples: $13 for a half peck bag, $23 for a full peck bag, $32 for a half bushel bag.
Hours: 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
How it works: Stop in the check-in building to purchase a pick-your-own bag (you can’t bring your own). Sales are cash only and there is an ATM on site. The $3-per-person entrance fee includes a wagon ride to and from the field, and there are a ton of apple varieties available for picking. Make sure everything you pick fits inside your bag!

Gaver Farm
5501 Detrick Rd., Mount Airy
Distance from DC: About 47 miles.
Apples: $25 for a full peck bag, $35 per half bushel bag.
Hours: 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
How it works: Grab your PYO bag and head out to the fields. The trees are trellised, so the apples are easily reachable. Keep an eye out for the different varieties, which change with the season: they include Blondee, Buckeye, Empire, Cameo, and Fuji.

Hollin Farms
1524 Snowden Rd., Delaplane
Distance from DC: About 60 miles.
Apples: $2 per pound.
Hours: Hours and days change weekly, check before you go
What else: This Virginia orchard grows several varieties, including Empire, Golden Delicious, Gala, Mutsu Crispin, and Winesap. But why stop there? You can pick arugula, broccoli rabe, mustard greens, radishes, kale, lettuce, and mizuna for $4 per pound, then dig for potatoes at $1 per pound, and unearth peanuts for $3 per pound.

Homestead Farm
15604 Sugarland Rd., Poolesville
Distance from DC: About 27 miles.
Apples: $1.99 per pound.
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday.
What else: BYO bag or use one of the complimentary ones on site at this Maryland farm. Check out the market for cider, pumpkins, a variety of vegetables, and local honey and fruit preserves. There are farm animals and a haystack for climbing, too. Admission is $2.

Larriland Farm
2415 Woodbine Rd., Woodbine
Distance from DC: About 40 miles.
Apples: $14 for a half peck; $25 for a peck; $35 for a half bushel.
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday; 9 AM to 6 PM Tuesday through Friday.
What else: On weekends, take a 20-minute hayride around the farm, including over a stream and through the woods, which are decorated for Halloween. Take a pumpkin hayride on weekdays, which goes through the pumpkin field and straw maze.

Mackintosh Fruit Farm
1608 Russell Rd., Berryville
Distance from DC: About 70 miles.
Apples: $2.99 per pound.
Hours: 8 AM to 6 PM Thursday through Sunday.
How it works: Before scouring for apples, get a $2 wristband for admittance to the fields. Containers and wagons will be available to help you carry your harvest.

Milburn Orchards
1495 Appleton Rd., Elkton
Distance from DC: About 97 miles.
Apples: $5 for a kiddie bucket, $17 for a small bucket, $28 for a medium bucket, and $46 for a large bucket.
Hours: 5 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday.
How it works: Take a wagon ride to the orchard and pick from the “pedestrian orchard” dwarf trees, specially grown so apples are reachable from the ground. Different apple varieties ripen throughout the season, so check the chart to see what you’ll likely be picking.

Rock Hill Orchard
28600 Ridge Rd., Mount Airy
Distance from DC: About 40 miles.
Apples: $7 quarter peck bag, $12 for half peck bag, $21 for peck bag.
Hours: By reservation on Saturday and Sunday.
How it works: There are more than 2,500 apple trees at this Maryland farm (learn more about the apple varieties and when each is ripe). Make a reservation, get a wristband at the check-in station, and grab a collecting bag.

Stribling Orchard
11587 Poverty Hollow Ln., Markham
Distance from DC: About 60 miles.
Apples: Priced by pound or peck/bushel.
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Sunday.
What else: This family-run farm is now in its sixth generation of ownership. The expansive grounds are perfect for picnicking with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Visit the historic buildings, meet and greet the farm animals, and stop by the Harvest House for cider, honey, preserves, and more  local goods.