U-pick farms near Palo Alto

Picking your own fruit is one of the best reasons to leave Palo Alto for a day. Within an hour and a half you can reach three distinct farm regions. Each has its own crop and its own season. Portola Valley has a summer berry patch on Stanford land. The Santa Cruz coast and the Pajaro Valley around Watsonville grow strawberries, cane berries and apples. Brentwood, east of Mount Diablo, is cherry and stone fruit country.

A word on timing. This page was updated on October 31, 2026, when almost every u-pick field near Palo Alto had closed for the year. The listings below explain each farm's normal season and what it posted for 2026, so you can plan for spring and summer 2027. We name only farms whose own sites we checked. Farms set hours by what is ripe, sometimes day by day, so always check before you drive.

U-pick seasons at a glance

These are typical windows drawn from the farms' own pages and Visit Santa Cruz County's farm guide. A wet spring or a heat wave can shift a crop by two or three weeks either way.

Webb Ranch, Portola Valley

Webb Ranch is the only u-pick farm close enough for an after-work visit. The berry field sits off Alpine Road in Portola Valley, about 10 minutes from downtown Palo Alto, on land the Webb family has leased from Stanford since 1922. The same ranch runs the fall pumpkin patch described in our pumpkin patch guide.

The ranch's u-pick page listed its 2026 crop as blackberries (Obsidian, Prime-Ark and Navaho), olallieberries and marionberries, all certified organic by CCOF. The season runs through the summer months and the ranch sets weekly days once picking starts. In 2026 it charged $4 per person to enter, with children 24 months and under free, plus $7 a pound. Visits are walk-in only with no reservations. The page now says the field is closed for the season and will reopen in 2027.

• Baskets are provided. Wagons are limited, so bring your own if you have small children.
• No dogs, no smoking and no picnics on the property.
• Pick only ripe berries. They do not ripen after picking.
• Arrive early. Good rows get picked out by late morning on summer weekends.

Strawberries on the Santa Cruz coast

Swanton Berry Farm near Davenport, about an hour from Palo Alto by Highway 1 or over the hill on Highway 17, is the classic strawberry stop. The farm is certified organic and its farm stand at 25 Swanton Road lists daily hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Inside, the stand sells strawberry shortcake, jams and baked goods made from the farm's own berries. Visit Santa Cruz County's farm guide lists Swanton's strawberry picking on weekends from May to October, organic olallieberries from June to August and organic kiwi from November to January. Swanton's own u-pick page did not load when we checked, so confirm current picking on the farm's website or social media before you go.

Davenport makes an easy pairing with a beach walk or lunch in town. Our Santa Cruz day trip covers the rest of the coast. The Pescadero and San Mateo coast guide covers the drive down Highway 1.

Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley

The flat farmland around Watsonville, about 75 minutes south of Palo Alto, grows a large share of California's strawberries. Most of it is commercial, but two family farms have long welcomed pickers.

Live Earth Farm

Live Earth Farm at 1275 Green Valley Road is an organic farm with u-pick fields next to its farm stand. Its u-pick page lists strawberries, dry-farmed blackberries, dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes at $3 a pound and, in good years, Gala and Fuji apples. U-pick runs on Saturdays and Sundays from late spring to early fall when the fields allow, with no reservation needed. For 2026 the farm reported a poor apple set and no regular apple picking. It has closed for the year and plans to reopen in spring 2027. Dogs are not allowed.

Gizdich Ranch

Gizdich Ranch at 55 Peckham Road is a family ranch known for berries, apples and pies. In a normal year visitors pick strawberries from about May, cane berries in midsummer and apples in the fall. The ranch's website says u-pick is closed for 2026. The pie shop and deli stay open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except a few holidays, so a pie run is still worth the drive.

Cherries and stone fruit in Brentwood

For cherries, the Bay Area goes to Brentwood. The town's orchards sit in the warm flatland east of Mount Diablo, usually 75 to 90 minutes from Palo Alto by car depending on bridge and freeway traffic. Dozens of family farms open for picking in a short spring burst. Harvest Time in Brentwood, the farmers' association, keeps a map of participating farms.

In 2026 the season began in late April. Local news reported The Cherry Pit opening on April 25, with most other orchards opening in the first two weeks of May. The Cherry Pit, run by a seventh-generation farm family, charged $4.50 a pound in 2026 with free buckets. It has closed until 2027. Bacchini's Fruit & Flower Farm at 2010 Walnut Boulevard, a family farm since 1945, lists apricots, apriums, blackberries, several cherry varieties, olallieberries, white peaches, white nectarines and sunflowers. It requires an entry ticket and opens reservations at 8 p.m. the evening before each picking day. Bacchini's 2026 season has also ended.

• Go early. Brentwood can top 90°F by early afternoon in May and June.
• Bring shade and water. Orchards have little of either.
• Check each farm the night before. Rain splits cherries and closures are announced late.
• Pair the trip with a morning hike on Mount Diablo.

Without a car of your own, you can compare rental cars for a farm day. Public transit does not reach the orchards.

Apple picking

Apple u-pick near Palo Alto centers on the Watsonville area, where orchards usually open from late September into November. Visit Santa Cruz County also lists Clearview Orchards near Live Earth Farm, with organic Fuji and Gala apples on fall weekends. The 2026 crop was weak, though. Live Earth skipped apple picking and Gizdich closed its u-pick for the year. If you want apples this fall, Gizdich's farm store still sells fresh-pressed juice and apple dumplings. The Palo Alto farmers markets carry Santa Cruz County apples through the winter.

What you can still do this fall

With the fields closed, a few farm outings still work in November and December:

1. Stop at the Swanton farm stand in Davenport, which is open daily. Ask there about winter kiwi picking.
2. Buy a pie at Gizdich Ranch and walk the orchard picnic area.
3. Pick out a late pumpkin at Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay, open on weekends through November 15, 2026.
4. Visit a farm closer to home. The Stanford Educational Farm and Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills both grow food in view of the public.

Frequently asked questions