The 10 Best Apple Orchards in the Hudson Valley for Real Fruit Picking

Rows of apple trees filled with ripe fruit during the fall harvest season. Photo: Stock Holm / Shutterstock.com

September in New York triggers an unmistakable annual instinct. The humidity begins to break, cool mornings return, and people from New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and the surrounding suburbs start looking north toward the orchards of the Hudson Valley.

But apple picking has changed. Some farms have grown into full-scale fall destinations with live music, taprooms, playgrounds, and festivals, while others remain much closer to the old-fashioned experience of walking into an orchard with a bag and picking fruit directly from the tree. This list prioritizes farms where real pick-your-own apples remain an active and important part of the visit. Some offer plenty of extras; others keep the experience deliberately simple.

2026 season note: An April freeze reduced fruit yields at several Hudson Valley farms this year, and availability can change from week to week. Before making a long drive, check the orchard’s current picking update or call ahead, especially if you are hoping for a particular apple variety.

1. Masker Orchards (Warwick, Orange County)

Masker Orchards offers one of the most unusual apple-picking experiences in the Hudson Valley: visitors can drive their cars directly into the orchard and park near the trees they want to pick. The Warwick orchard covers more than 200 acres and has welcomed apple pickers for more than a century. For families carrying picnic food, chairs, jackets, and young children, being able to keep the car nearby changes the entire day.

Masker’s 2026 season opened September 5 and runs seven days a week through early November. Visitors receive a picking bag with an orchard map showing where different varieties are located, and the lanes themselves are marked. Apples are paid for when leaving the orchard, and fresh-squeezed cider can be added at the exit. On weekends and holidays, Masker also offers extras such as horse-drawn wagon rides, pony rides, an apple maze, food, donuts, and pie, but the enormous orchard remains the center of the experience.

2. Barton Orchards (Poughquag, Dutchess County)

Barton Orchards is the most entertainment-heavy destination on this list, but it belongs here because pick-your-own apples are still a major part of the operation. Bruce and Rose Barton started the farm in the late 1970s as a wholesale apple orchard. By the early 1990s, the family had opened the property to pick-your-own customers, and the farm has since grown into a roughly 175-acre destination.

Apple season generally runs from late August into late October or early November, with varieties that include McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Ginger Gold, Paula Red, Zestar, and others as the season progresses. Visitors purchase picking bags at the Apple Shack. Barton also has a Tap Room, playgrounds, farm animals, dog park, live music, and large festival weekends, so this is the choice for people who want apple picking to be part of a full-day fall outing rather than the only activity.

3. Fishkill Farms (Hopewell Junction, Dutchess County)

Fishkill Farms combines serious fruit growing with one of the Hudson Valley’s best-known sustainable agriculture programs. Henry Morgenthau Jr. founded the farm in 1913, and generations of the Morgenthau family continued its agricultural tradition. The historic operation eventually centered on roughly 270 acres of orchard and diversified farmland.

Fishkill grows a wide range of organic and Eco-Certified apples, with numerous varieties available for pick-your-own at different points in the season. Unlike several farms on this list, pick-your-own at Fishkill Farms requires a reservation. The farm’s 2026 season was affected by the April freeze, particularly its peach and pear crops, so checking current availability is especially important. After picking, visitors can stop at the farm store or Treasury Cider Bar for cider made from apples grown on the property.

4. Jenkins-Lueken Orchards (New Paltz, Ulster County)

Jenkins-Lueken Orchards is a strong choice for people who primarily want fruit rather than a carnival atmosphere. The family-owned operation has been in the fruit-growing business for more than fifty years, and the farm encompasses about 200 acres, with most of the land devoted to apple and pear trees. Its first apple trees were planted in the early 1900s.

The farm grows more than twenty apple varieties, including McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Gala, Empire, Cortland, Macoun, Northern Spy, Mutsu, Winesap, Braeburn, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady. Its 2026 U-pick apple season opened September 5. The farm stand presses cider on the premises with no added sugar or preservatives, while its bakery makes cider donuts fresh every day. The Shawangunk Ridge rising beyond New Paltz gives the orchard one of the most recognizable settings on this list.

5. Lawrence Farms Orchards (Newburgh, Orange County)

Lawrence Farms Orchards stands out for the sheer variety of produce that visitors can pick. Apples are only part of the fall harvest. Depending on the week, the fields may also offer grapes, pears, peppers, tomatoes, vegetables, and other crops. That makes Lawrence especially appealing for families who want to come home with more than a bag of apples.

In September, the farm’s apple selection can include Gala, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Jonamac, Cortland, Macoun, Empire, Fuji, and other varieties as they ripen. Admission is separate from the produce visitors pick, and tractor-pulled wagon rides operate on weekends and holidays when weather permits. Younger visitors can explore the farm’s old-fashioned Little Village, while adults can stop at the Farm Bar for homemade wine after leaving the picking fields.

6. DuBois Farms (Highland, Ulster County)

DuBois Farms operates about 70 acres in Highland and offers one of the broadest pick-your-own calendars in the region. Apples are available from roughly August into early November, joined at different points by peaches, nectarines, plums, raspberries, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and pumpkins. No reservation is required for the regular pick-your-own operation.

The farm has grown into a comfortable place to spend several hours without pushing the orchard itself into the background. Visitors can pick fruit, stop at the farm market and cafe, visit the animals, let younger children explore Tiny Town, or take a seasonal tractor-pulled wagon ride. The Tavern at DuBois Farms serves local wine, hard cider, and craft beer, while the farm’s bakery and market give visitors an easy place to finish the day after filling their picking bags.

7. Stuart’s Fruit Farm (Granite Springs, Westchester County)

Stuart’s Fruit Farm is the most convenient choice on this list for many visitors coming from New York City and lower Westchester. The farm has been operated by the Stuart family since 1828 and sits in Granite Springs, giving visitors a genuine country orchard experience without requiring a trip deep into Dutchess or Ulster County.

For the 2026 season, apple picking began Labor Day weekend. The farm charges no orchard admission fee and offers free parking, although visitors must use Stuart’s picking bags. The farm remains deliberately traditional in another way: it accepts cash or check rather than credit cards. Weekend hayrides, a farm stand, hot cider donuts, and homemade pies round out the experience, but the quiet orchard roads and apple trees remain the main reason to visit.

8. Prospect Hill Orchards (Milton, Ulster County)

Few Hudson Valley orchards can match Prospect Hill’s family history. The Clarke family has farmed the land since 1817, when Nathaniel Clarke and his wife settled on a 55-acre homestead in Milton. More than two centuries later, the sixth and seventh generations of the family are still farming, with apples, pears, cherries, peaches, and other fruit forming the core of the operation.

The April 2026 freeze reduced the year’s crop, but Prospect Hill remains open for pick-your-own apples through October, using designated rows rather than opening the entire orchard. The farm currently operates on weekends for apple picking and charges a modest per-person entry fee. Prospect Hill is also home to the 1817 Taproom, Cider House and Distillery. For visitors who want a quieter orchard rather than rides and carnival attractions, the hilltop setting and deep farming history are a major part of the appeal.

9. Wright’s Farm (Gardiner, Ulster County)

Wright’s Farm replaces Apple Dave’s on this 2026 list for one simple reason: it is offering full pick-your-own apple picking this season. The Wright family has farmed in Gardiner since 1904. What began as a 108-acre dairy farm eventually shifted toward commercial apple production, and the family now farms 453 acres across six generations.

Pick-your-own apples run from September through the end of October, with no reservation required. The orchard grows a broad selection that can include McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Gala, Empire, Cameo, Macoun, Fuji, Jonagold, Northern Spy, Mutsu, Winesap, Arkansas Black, and Granny Smith. Wright’s also has a year-round farm market and bakery, where cider donuts are made throughout the day using the farm’s own cold-pressed apple cider. Gardiner Brewing Company operates on the property on weekends, with the Shawangunk Ridge providing the backdrop.

10. Ochs Orchard (Warwick, Orange County)

Ochs Orchard is a four-generation, 150-plus-acre family farm overlooking the Warwick Valley. The property began as a commercial apple orchard in the 1920s and came under the Ochs family’s ownership during the twentieth century. Pick-your-own apples were introduced in the early 1970s and helped transform the farm into the public orchard visitors know today.

The April 2026 freeze reduced the number of apple varieties available this season, but Ochs still has apples open for pick-your-own. Because specific varieties can sell out or ripen at different times, the farm asks visitors to check current availability before coming. The farm market remains open year-round, while fall visitors can also find cider donuts and pies on weekends. Ochs is especially well known for homemade ice cream, with seasonal fruit flavors made from fruit grown on the farm.

Hudson Valley Apple Picking Quick Guide

For more Hudson Valley and Upstate New York destinations, see 10 Historic Small Towns in Upstate New York Worth Visiting. Readers interested in New York’s regional food history can also explore 20 Foods That Were Invented in Upstate New York.