U-Pick Apples at Chileno Valley Ranch
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Located in West Marin's Chileno Valley, this ranch offers u-pick apples every Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm from August 14 through October (or whenever the apples run out). Owners Sally and Mike Gale also raise grass-fed beef, sheep, and chickens on the ranch, and there's a lot to see and do there for apple-picking families.
All apples here are organically grown and are blind taste-test winners. They sometimes sell them at local outlets like Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station and the Organic Farmstead at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross, too.
When you've picked as much fruit as you want, head back to the barn for weigh-in and payment. Apples and pears cost $2 per pound. You can also buy other products produced at the ranch including grass-fed beef, and free-range eggs.
After paying for your apples, families are welcome to take a tour of the farm, where you can get up-close-and-personal with the animals who live there, and pet and feed them. It's a fun bonus to your apple-picking excursion.
If You Go
Chileno Valley Ranch is located at 5105 Chileno Valley Road in Petaluma. (Technically, it's in Marin County, but its very close to Petaluma.) To get there, take Highway 101 to Petaluma, where you'll exit at Petaluma Boulevard South. Head north on Petaluma Boulevard South and turn left on Western Avenue in downtown Petaluma.Follow Western Avenue west, and turn left onto Chileno Valley Road (look for the signs directing you to Helen Putnam Regional Park and Walker Creek Ranch). Follow Chileno Valley Road until you reach the intersection with Wilson Hill Road; turn right here to stay on Chileno Valley Road. Follow Chileno Valley Road west and look for the ranch on your left shortly after you pass Laguna Lake—watch for the farmhouse and the row of cypress trees. The entrance to the parking area is just beyond the row of trees.
The ranch charges a $10 per car parking fee ($6 if you RSVP in advance online) on u-pick days, which is refundable with a purchase of $50 or more. Please park in the designated parking area and not on Chileno Valley Road.