New York
Hudson Valley Orchard Run
About this farm route
The Hudson Valley has grown apples commercially since the 1700s, and the stretch of Ulster and Orange counties this route crosses is about as dense as pick-your-own farming gets in the Northeast. Every stop is a working farm rather than an attraction built to look like one, and all five sit within about ninety minutes of New York City, which is why the fall weekends here are as busy as they are. The drive itself is the other half of it. You climb gradually out of the Wallkill Valley with the Shawangunk Ridge on your left the whole way, on two-lane roads through farmland that has not changed shape in a century. Run it south to north as listed and the ridge stays in view.
Five working orchards and farms across the Shawangunk foothills, from Middletown up to Stone Ridge.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- Five working farms in about forty miles, so a full day never feels rushed
- Pick-your-own apples at several stops through September and October
- The Shawangunk Ridge is in view for most of the drive
- Close enough to New York City to run as a day trip
Stops
- 1
ALL Family Farm
Middletown. The southern end of the run and the easiest start from the Thruway.
- 2
Taffera Family Farms
Pine Bush. Small family operation in the Shawangunk Valley farmland.
- 3
Wright's Farm
Gardiner. Long-running pick-your-own orchard under the ridge.
- 4
Jenkins-Lueken Orchards
New Paltz. Orchard and farm market on Route 299 west of town.
- 5
Stone Ridge Orchard
Stone Ridge. The northern end, in the older Rondout Valley farm country.
When to go
Best time to go
September and October for apples. Late spring and summer bring berries and stone fruit, and several stops stay open with farm markets year round.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 3h 26m
Before you go
Know before you go
- Fall weekends are genuinely crowded. Arriving early is the difference between parking at the barn and parking in a field.
- Pick-your-own availability changes week to week with the harvest. Call ahead rather than driving on last weekend's report.
- Several farms are cash-friendly but not cash-only. Cell service is patchy west of Gardiner.
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