Northern New Hampshire hosts a collection of native apple orchards nestled in the foothills of towering mountain ranges, alongside sparkling lakes and rushing rivers, and tucked away in the state’s pristine wilderness. And with autumn’s crisp weather, colorful foliage, and the natural hankering for apples this time of year—visiting a local orchard to pick-your-own is simply a must! Besides, warm apple pies, buttery apple crisps, hot apple cider, and fresh cider donuts taste best when made with NH-grown apples. So check out these 5 apple orchards in northern New Hampshire and plan out your next fruitful autumn harvest!
Cardigan Mountain Orchard
1540 Mt Cardigan Road, Alexandria
At Cardigan Mountain Orchard, an impressive stand of over 1,000 apple trees grows along gently rolling hills with humbling mountain views in the distance. Many of the orchard’s trees have been around since the 1930’s and today the farm grows upwards of 15 distinctive apple varieties. Locals love the farm’s freshly made cider in the fall, combining a variety of apple types to create a deliciously unique blend. Here, you can pluck apples to your heart’s content, pose for photos with the orchard’s scenic vistas in the background, or check out the on-site BBQ restaurant to order irresistible food to-go!
McKenzie’s Farm
71 Northeast Pond Road, Milton
Located in our beautiful Lakes Region, McKenzie’s Farm is the perfect family-friendly spot to visit for juicy apples, fresh cider, and the distinctive charm of exploring a small New Hampshire farm. Here, you’ll find over 10 varieties of apples to suit all your needs, including favorites like Cortland, Honey Crisp, and Golden Delicious. You can even pluck orange pumpkins straight from the patch to bring home with you, in addition to the other amazing goodies that the farm bakes fresh everyday. And we would be remiss not to mention their irresistibly delicious apple cider donuts made fresh daily and warm apple cider. Visit this fall to experience the magic yourself!
Riverview Farm
141 River Road, Plainfield
This family-friendly farm has over 15 different apple varieties to pick and choose from! In addition to a wistful stand of gorgeous apple trees, the farm hosts a wide array of fun fall activities. After you’ve gathered your fill of apples from the orchard, you can get lost in a whimsically-themed corn maze with the family! And don’t forget to march through the pumpkin, gourd, and squash patches to scope out even more fall harvests to take home. Plus, their fresh cider is a can’t-miss blend of seasonal apples grown on-site, and Riverview even sells make-your-own hard cider kits to take home as well. Cheers to that!
Windy Ridge Orchard
1775 Benton Road, North Haverhill
Windy Ridge is an utterly charming family destination farm. With stunning orchards boasting gentle mountain views, a cider house café serving homemade breakfast and lunch, a wine shop stocked with NH’s finest wines and their own signature ferments—Windy Ridge is an autumn paradise. And that’s all in addition to the hundreds of apple trees with some of the sweetest apples around! Stop in to pick your share of Gala, MacIntosh, Cortland, and many other favorite varieties this season!