I finally got around to editing some photos that have been sitting on my list for a while.  Despite no longer being apple picking season, I had to share for 2017 planning purposes.

One thing I miss about Chicago is the Fall.  Maybe not the cold fall weather, but the colors, the noticeable change in seasons, and all the foods that come with it, like apples!  I somehow convinced Jesse to make the trek out east from Los Angeles to apple picking country.

In the Oak Glen & Yucaipa area, there are 20+ farms and ranches, many of which offer “u-pick” apple picking during apple season.  It’s about a 2.5 hour drive with moderate Los Angeles traffic from downtown LA.  After reading many reviews and also figuring out what would work best with our schedules, we decided to check out Riley’s Farm.  Most of the farms there have limited hours open (Riley’s is only open to the public on the weekends), meaning you’ll have to plan to head out early to have a few hours to spend there, and you’ll want to!

We started off our trip to Riley’s by grabbing bags to stuff with apples.  The crops were pretty picked over by the time we got there (which was later in the season and the day), but we still had no problem finding more than we would ever finish to bring home.  They had a few different varieties including some classics like granny smith.

Most of the farms feature more than just self-serve apple picking like hay rides, dining, etc.  When we were at Riley’s, it was later in the day, but we did get to check out some of the other fields there.  On top of apples, you could self pick other goods like strawberries and pumpkins.  Right next to the pumpkins was a beautiful field of sunflowers.  There were activities scattered throughout the large property including what seemed to be juice pressing.  We didn’t get a chance to try the food in the restaurant, but we were told the food was excellent!

With only an hour and a half there, it wasn’t nearly enough time.  The whole farm was gorgeous and extremely family friendly.  Some of the fields, rightfully so, lacked shade and got pretty toasty, so make sure you wear your sunscreen if you go!

For more information about Riley’s Apple Farm, visit their website here.

Their Address is:
12201 S. Oak Glen Road
Oak Glen / Yucaipa, CA 92399
909-797-4061
Toll-Free: 866-585-6407

For more photos check out our Facebook page.

Images shot with a Nikon D7000 16.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera with a Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens with Auto Focus.

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