Fall Day Trips
Apple Picking & Fall Day Trips Near Santa Clarita
You will not find a u-pick apple orchard inside Santa Clarita itself, but you will find some of Southern California's best apple country within an easy drive. Oak Glen's orchards are a classic 70 to 80 minute fall day trip, and closer to home the valley's own harvest circuit of pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and farm festivals fires up from late September. Here is Sam's guide to making the most of fall from SCV.
September - October 2026 Sam Silver 5 min read
Sam Silver
22-year SCV resident · REALTOR(R) · Community advocate
Fall is my favorite season in Southern California. The valley's parks turn golden, the harvest festivals light up, and the mountain orchards start loading up on apples. I have made this drive a dozen times with my own family, and it is the kind of outing that makes people fall in love with living out here. Consider this your cheat sheet for apple season.
The Short Answer
No U-Pick Apples in SCV? Here Is the Plan
Santa Clarita Valley is hills, oak woodland, and chaparral country, so commercial apple orchards never took root here. What the valley lacks in apple trees, it makes up for in proximity: you are closer to real apple country than most of Los Angeles, and the drive is gorgeous in fall.
The play is simple. For a true apple-picking day, point the car toward Oak Glen, about 70 to 80 minutes away in the San Bernardino Mountains. For something closer, run the SCV harvest circuit, where Gilchrist Farm, Underwood Family Farms, and Forneris Farms bring the pumpkin patch and corn maze experience within a short drive. Do both and you get the best of the season.
Apple Country
Oak Glen: The Classic Fall Day Trip
Oak Glen is a small mountain apple-growing community east of Redlands, and it is the closest real orchard country to the Santa Clarita Valley. Apple season here runs through the fall, and two farms stand out for families.
Riley's Farm
U-pick apples & old-world farm events
Riley's Farm is one of Oak Glen's most popular stops, known for u-pick apples in the orchard and a calendar of old-world events that transport you back in time. Expect crisp mountain air, rows of apple trees, fresh-pressed cider, and farmhouse baking. It is the full apple-country experience.
Stone Soup Farm & Heritage Orchard
Fall Apple Fair, typically early to mid October
Stone Soup Farm's heritage orchard hosts a Fall Apple Fair that typically lands in early to mid October, with admission around $22 covering an orchard tour, a cider-pressing workshop, and a tomahawk toss. It is a hands-on, history-flavored apple day that families rave about. Check the farm's site for this year's exact dates.
Driving tip: Oak Glen is about a 70 to 80 minute drive from central SCV, with most of the route on open mountain roads. Leave early, check the farm hours and ripening reports online before you go, and bring cash for farm stands that do not take cards.
Closer to Home
The SCV Harvest Circuit
If you want pumpkins, corn mazes, and harvest festivals without leaving the area, the SCV circuit has you covered from late September. These are covered in depth in Sam's Fall 2026 guide, but here is the short list:
Gilchrist Farm
Bouquet Canyon, SCV
Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch runs September 26 through November 1: hayrides, corn maze, farm animals, and a pumpkin patch right in our own backyard.
Underwood Family Farms
Moorpark, ~30 min
A massive pumpkin patch, pick-your-own fields, and a corn maze about a half-hour drive west. Weekend tickets are sold online in advance.
Forneris Farms
Northeastern SFV
An annual pumpkin patch plus a roughly four-acre corn maze with a train ride, a favorite on Los Angeles fall lists and an easy drive down the 5.
Insider Tips
Plan the Perfect Apple Day
Go Early
Orchards and farm stands are quietest before 10 AM. Mountain mornings are crisp, and you will beat the crowds on the road home.
Check Before You Go
Apple ripening and festival dates shift every year. Confirm hours, admission, and picking status on the farm's own website before you load the car.
Bring Cash
Many farm stands and small orchards are cash-only or have spotty card service. A little cash goes a long way for cider and a bushel.
Make It a Loop
Pair the orchard with a mountain lunch or a stop in the foothill towns along the way. The drive is half the fun in fall.
Live Close to the Good Stuff
One of the things I love about selling real estate in this valley is that SCV families are an hour or less from mountain orchards, the beach, and everything in between. If you are thinking about making Santa Clarita your home base for these kinds of adventures, I would love to help you find the right neighborhood.