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Best Summer Fruit U-Pick Spots

Check out these popular u-pick farms for the sweetest, juiciest fruit in the West.

a person cups freshly-picked cherries in Brentwood, California.
Warm days, cool nights, and a dry climate conspire to make the perfect growing conditions for sweet cherries.
Meyta / Shutterstock

Looking for a u-pick farm? Try one of these destinations across the West, or visit pickyourown.org for more options. Remember to pack sunscreen, a hat, and your own containers. Wear sturdy shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dirty or stained. Weather and other factors can impact harvest times; call ahead before visiting to confirm seasonal hours and availability.

California

Fifty-five miles east of San Francisco, a multitude of farms in Brentwood grows everything including berries, stone fruits, tomatoes, and corn. Visit Smith Family Farm for velvety peaches, tangy plums, and hybrid apriums. After collecting fruit in the orchard, visitors can check out planting demonstrations, hayrides, and beehives. Call ahead to confirm the schedule of events.

El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills may be famous for autumn apples, but it's early summer cherries that shine at the American River Cherry Company. The company once shipped firm, flavorful Utah Giants to U.S. presidents and the emperor of Japan; today you're more likely to encounter Bings. Pick a basketful, then have a picnic and gaze at the resident koi.

A vintage yellow truck with hand-painted signs mark the entrance to Swanton Berry Strawberry Farm outside Santa Cruz, California.
Swanton Berry Strawberry Farm outside Santa Cruz, California.
Shawn Linehan

On the Santa Cruz coast, Swanton Berry Farm near Davenport makes a great stop for organic u-pick strawberries. Its farm stand also sells baked goods and small-batch preserves.

Nevada

Some 60 miles east of Reno, the Lahontan Valley desert area is known for growing ultrasweet Hearts of Gold cantaloupes. Buy them straight from the source at Lattin Farms, which also offers u-pick raspberries.

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Utah

Carefully maintained fruit and nut orchards—living relics from the Fruita pioneer community—still yield their historic harvest at Capitol Reef National Park in south central Utah. In mid-June, u-pickers can fuel up on heirloom cherries and apricots, then explore the park's red rock landscape.

Oregon

Blueberries abound in the valleys outside of Eugene. Upriver Organics lets visitors pick strawberries and give varieties of blueberries, including sweet Jerseys and aromatic Bluerays.

U-pick farms dot Sauvie Island, a rural paradise on the Columbia River just 15 minutes north of Portland. Try Columbia Farms or Douglas Farm for fields of summer berries. Late in July, Douglas has u-pick peaches, too.

Brown bags full of fruit from Kelley's Canyon Orchard in Idaho.
Fruits from Kelley's Canyon Orchard.
Courtesy Kelley's Canyon Orchard

Idaho

Fruit growers in the bucolic communities of Buhl and Filer have farmed the Snake River Canyon west of Twin Falls for more than a century. Visit Kelley's Canyon Orchard, which got its start in 1908, for u-pick cherries, peaches, pears and more. Kelley’s also offers already picked options for purchase, including watermelon, cantaloupe, and tomatoes.

This article was originally published in May 2015 and last updated in July 2022.