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Despite temperatures still screaming “summer,” the school bell is ringing again, and Apple Hill’s largest farm is set to reopen.
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High Hill Ranch, the largest farm in the Apple Hill Growers Association, announced Thursday morning that it is gearing up to launch for the 2026 fall and winter season. The growers association said in a social media post that the ranch, at 2901 High Hill Road in Placerville, will be opening this coming Saturday.
The Northern California fan-favorite destination has activities for all ages, vendors and food products fit for the fall across its 155 acres in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
According to a spokesperson for the farm, this weekend’s launch will be a sort of soft opening, as the weather is still much too hot for guests to enjoy the ranch’s signature fall activities.
From Saturday through early September, High Hill Ranch’s famous apple stand will be open with donuts for sale and its pie house will have a small handful of seasonal fruit pies available.
Trout fishing in the on-site pond, tractor-pulled hay rides, pony rides, the pumpkin patch and a brand-new petting zoo are expected to open once temperatures trend downward. High Hill’s craft show, which spans much of the indoor and outdoor areas of the ranch, will open around Labor Day weekend in early September.
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When does the rest of Apple Hill open for the fall?
Other farms also recently announced their fall reopening plans.
Apple Ridge Farms, 1800 Larsen Drive in Camino, is launching for the fall Aug. 28, and Grandpa’s Cellar, known for its Instagram-ready beverage flights, will open Aug. 29.
The Apple Hill region as a whole officially opens for the fall on Labor Day weekend, starting Sept. 5.
Many of the 50-plus farms, orchards and ranches within the Apple Hill Growers Association are open through autumn up until Christmas, when they go dormant as the apple trees regenerate their fruit.
The association’s website has a full list of affiliated growers and their seasonal dates and hours, which are updated as autumn approaches.
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