CIDER DONUTS!!! A must have every Fall The fresh apple cider is also awesome!!! Very nice drive on…read morea fall day- worth the trip!

4.5 stars. If Apple…read moreHill had a crown jewel, the high octane sugar rush at Rainbow Orchards would be firmly set in that center of it. Famous for setting the gold standard of high-country orchard stops, this farm stand is equal parts cozy rustic nostalgia and absolute culinary magnetism. Hot Cider Donuts: You come here for hot apple cider doughnuts. Fried fresh to order, tossed in cinnamon sugar, and handed to you screaming hot. Pure indulgence. They feature a crisp, delicate outer crust gives way to pillowy, cider-rich interior. Pair one with a cup of their fresh-pressed, unfiltered spiced hot cider (or cold), and you have achieved peak autumn bliss. Fresh-Pressed Hot Cider: The ultimate dynamic duo pairing. This isn't just liquid sugar--it is punchy, pleasantly tart, and packed with warm, aromatic spices to balance out edge sweet treats. The Bakery Stand: Beyond the viral doughnuts, the bakery churns out massive deep-dish apple pies, berry tarts, and cider-insisted baked goods that rival any grandmother's secret recipe. Fresh Fruit and Produce: Crisp-estate grown apples, seasonal stone fruit, and a dedicated tasting tent serving up crisp hard ciders for the grown-ups crafted directly from their mountain orchards. The sweeping grassland backdrop and orchard views make it a prime spot to spread out a blanket and soak in the Sierra Foothill breeze. Lines for the doughnut shack build fast. Arrive and grab a box of a dozen (you will regret buying just six) and secure a spot before crowds swarm. Rainbow Orchards delivers an unbeatable, sweet-toothed sliced of farm country charm.

If you're going to Apple Hill, this is one of the go to places. They are popular for their pies…read more There is also produce and baked goods. If you want more substantial food, there is BBQ. Wine and hard cider is available for the adults, while train rides and face painting is available for children. There's fun to be had for the whole family. We happened to be there for their blackberry days. I tried my friend's blackberry ice cream and enjoyed it. I ordered a blackberry sugar donut and apple sugar donut. Both were good and I liked that they were fluffy. It can get quite busy, but there was plenty of parking.

It's been a while since we've been to Apple Hill. We decided to stop at Boa Vista Orchard and enjoy…read moretheir blueberry-themed event. Since it was a weekend, we expected it to be jam-packed, but it was a decent crowd, not too busy. They had vendors set up with items for sale and delicious fruit on display. The BBQ smelled amazing, and we both decided next time we will plan to eat lunch here as well. After we walked around, we wanted to try some of their desserts. My husband chose the apple fritter, and I chose a blueberry turnover, and we also grabbed some coffee. The employees who helped us were a little off-putting and did not seem to want to be there. That was surprising since everyone else we encountered was nice. Once we settled into a bench, we dug into our desserts. They were both delicious and messy, which I think are the best desserts. Before we left, we decided to grab some donuts to take home for family. We got the Blueberry Sugar Donut, Blueberry Glazed Donut, Sugar Apple Donut, and Glazed Apple Donut. The employees who helped us at this window were very nice and helpful. I would've given a 5-star rating but had to drop one due to the first employees. If they do not want to be working, they shouldn't be there, or at least shouldn't be working the front. We will definitely be back again in a few weeks and take the kids this time!

For the sweetest apples, go for: 1. Golden delicious: more…read morefull body, more like pear. 2. Mutsu: sweet and crispier than Golden Delicious. 3. Pink Lady: medium sweet and a hint of tanginess. They have apples, pear picking, pumpkin patch field and flowers picking. Charges $3.20 per-lbs. Flower is charge per flower type. FREE apples sample! FREE PARKING! 1 (one) toilet on the left side of the store. Less busy than other farms closeby.

A wonderful farm for a family looking for a more relaxed atmosphere. This is a lovely farm offering…read morea back patio to picnic in, a big pumpkin patch, an animal farm, a nature trail, apple picking and a cute little mixed farm by the parking lot. They are not super commercialized with vendors, a bakery, or much. In fact I think the only foods you can buy are apples, chips, water and pumpkins. Anyways, we really enjoyed our time at this farm and thought the ladies working here provided great service. We did not experience any yelling or anger during our visit as stated in a couple comments below.

A good spot to stop if you're hungry and thirsty during your Apple Hill visit. Larsen has an apple…read morebarn, museum, small picnic area, and bake shop on the property. The friendly demeanor of the apple sampler in the barn cancelled out the bad attitude of the lady who sold us food in the bake shop. Still did not appreciate my friend being talked to like that but I guess that is what happens when the peppy no filter clashes with the grumpy no filter. Anyway, bake shop purchased yummies including veggie dog and pumpkin cookie were both very good, and I appreciated being able to pick up a pint of apple cider to go. They offer many other things at the bake shop such as turnovers, pies, cookies, additional desserts I don't feel like listing, sandwiches, and beverages. The apple barn smelled amazing, and we got to try a bunch of apple slices. I had never tried a mutsu apple or Arkansas black apple before and both were delicious and interesting. Mutsu is a golden delicious bred with a granny smith and the Arkansas black is thicc in texture/skin and sort of has a caramel sweetness to it. We liked sitting outside at the picnic tables and playing PoGo. Thought about heading over to the museum to look around but there was a hat cultist inside so neither of us felt like spoiling our day with that kind of aura iykyk. Maybe next time. You know what they say about one bad apple. Leave it on the ground, the rest will be just fine. Extra parking across the street but be so careful crossing the street. I did not notice any vegan options to confirm either way, but they do have many vegetarian friendly snack and meal options. Prices are reasonable for the area. My veggie dog was $8 and came with chips, and my pint of apple cider was $4.

Larsen Apple Barn is a must visit in Apple Hill! They have an amazing selection of 27 different…read morekinds of apples! The best part is you can do taste testing, which makes it so much fun to try new varieties and find your favorite. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable with great customer service. I bought a bag of small golden delicious apples. Such a charming place with history, great apples, and a welcoming atmosphere. Definitely worth the stop if you're in the area!

The Bolster family hosted the El Dorado County Historical Society's annual membership meeting…read moreyesterday in their picnic area. IT WAS AWESOME. The location is spectacularly beautiful and the family is wonderful. Dave Bolster gave a presentation of the history of Apple Hill. His grandfather was one of the four guys who got it going in the mid-1960s. Now its a major economic driver in the county, generating 1M visitor days per year. They have a cool artifact in the barn... a cable car wheel from the Pino Grande cable car.

Great Stop For Fresh Apple Juice & Cider By The Gallon!…read more SITREP During the Autumn, this is a great stop to enjoy the changing colors of Fall foliage and I really the time I can spend in Camino right in the foothills. THE SETUP Bolster's is best known for their delicious products made from Apples and for the opportunities to engage in some fun seasonal berry-picking. I've seen some other reviews that talk "Turkey", or mention that they sell turkey legs - if that's the case, I need to get my butt back up here again and try visiting when Bolster's is doing some cooking like that cause I've seemed to miss out! OPEN AIR Besides the beauty of this region, it is just nice to get out of the Sacramento Valley and inhale some truly fresh air for a change, and air that smells GOOOOD! THE LOWDOWN Whether during the Fall Holidays, during the summer, or whenever, Bolster's has some great scenery and some great Apple products you can enjoy.

We visited in early October. Last year we visited and they were closed since the apple season was…read moreover so this time I called to ask if they were still open for apple picking. They said yes and there are still apples on the trees. Which was not really true, we left with 10 tiny apples, 3 of which were from another family that had given up. We walked all sections of the orchard, most apples were on the ground and rotting. I am disappointed that they told me apples were available. They should have said they were open for their small store but not apple picking. We were excited to go and after we discovered almost no apples on the tree I realized I didnt see people leaving with bags and bags of apples. Most were leaving empty handed. The owners are nice, I want to give them business, it seems like they are about to go out of business since things are run down and they only accept cash. I also like how they give kids a apple for their thumb. But please dont stay open for apple picking if there are no apples to pick. We walked around for probably an hour or more set on finding a tree that still had apples available.

This place was a lot of fun for the family!!…read more I brought mine to Apple Hill to pick apples but the original spot that we wanted to visit was either very hard to find or didn't exist anymore. This was on our list to visit so we ended up going here instead, and I'm so glad we did! The owners were very friendly and accommodating. They handed us a map of where to pick apples and where the different types are located, then they pretty much told us to go crazy with picking apples. There weren't many ripe apples at the time we visited, but we still had a wonderful time being there to experience apple picking. The place feels rustic and huge with many apple tree variations to choose from, however, most of the trees were still young so there weren't a lot of shade for adults to hide under. So make sure you wear sunscreen and hats for protection during the day.

Okay this place looks AMAZING, but... sad to report it seems to be closed…read more Here's what we found when we went there: The gardens were so full of blooms, just amazing. There were clearly some people there looking to use it as a venue, and honestly I can see why, the whole place was just screaming "YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED HERE" Unfortunately, the Doll and Apple portions were cleared out, and looked to be mid-remodel. We did speak to someone who showing a couple around the venue and were told that the lockdown had hit them hard, and they were basically closed. I was very sad to hear this as this was recommended to me as the BEST apple tasting and souvenir shop on the hill. I hope they get going again, so we can visit them next time.

We loved the scenery here. There's a Giant Apple at the entrance, which was an excellent photo opp…read more My mom absolutely loved the huge flower bed. Our stop was totally unplanned, but we had to stop by here! The view was gorgeous. There was a gentleman peeling apples and gave us a complimentary apple! We got a lb of mixed apples and Apple Fritter, which is one of my fave pastries from Apple Hill. We walked the area and just enjoyed the scenery. There's a lot of other pastries, apple jams/sauces, and delicious goodies.

We stopped at several places during a day trip up to Apple Hill, and this was by far our favorite!…read more It's a large property, starting with a you-pick pumpkin patch (in the fall) and a shop that sells apples, juice, and some random souvenirs. Behind the shop is a large open area that has goats, pigs, ducks and chickens (all fenced in separately - see pictures). You can buy food to feed the goats, who are really friendly. There is also an old tractor and tire swing, great for the kids to play on. Past the open area are the bakeshop and lunch area, where we found the best selection of lunch food in Apple Hill (every other place just had BBQ burgers and hot dogs). We had a (huge) turkey leg and BBQ chicken breast sandwich, plus homemade apple coleslaw (delish!). After lunch we indulged in apple cake and apple-blackberry-sour cream pie, which were both delicious. They have tons of picnic benches and tables, so even though it was a busy Sunday in the fall, we easily found seating for both lunch and dessert. This is a great place to take kids; there are animals, swings, space to run around, and even a clown!

I love this orchard. The people here have always been so nice to us over the years. It's an…read moreabsolute must stop every time we come up to Apple Hill.

First time visit this week for peach season. Gold Bud has gorgeous enormous peaches for sale,…read moreright now. Some nectarines, too. The prime condition peaches are $4 per pound. These are perfect , blemish free fruits that are photo session-ready . Peaches from the seconds bin are $2 per lb. No less beautiful and delicious.

We absolutely love the fresh fruit here. We bought Plums & Nectarines. Noticed the freshness of the…read morefruit. We will come back for sure! Price reasonable $3-4 per pound. Also the beautiful view

Pine-O-Mine Ranch is in Apple Hill is a super cool place to hang and chill with the kiddos or make…read moreit an outing just with the adults. Family friendly vibes. They even allow dogs, so bring along the fur babies as well. The ranch is open every Saturday and Sunday from May to December. Parking and admission is free. They serve local beers, wine, hard cider, nonalcoholic flavored lemonades, and their famous apple cider milkshake. There is a food grill selling hot dogs and burgers. There's even a petting zoo. $8 to pet baby calves, small ponies, and the such. $4 additional for a feed cup. There is a large grassy lawn to throw down a towel or bring your own chairs, relax. Plus I gotta mention that they have no plumbed restrooms, they have porta toilets and portable handwashing stations. Not a deal breaker for me. Just letting y'all know. Every weekend, they have live music. We went on a night that Nikki Perez was singing. Happy happenstance. Man, she's a talent!! Look her up on IG. Around the stage there are Adirondack chairs and picnic tables. Saturday 10am-7pm Sunday 10am-5pm Later in the year, they'll open the u pick apple orchard in late August; then the pumpkin patch in late September; and then the tree farm in late November. Those seasonal events have additional children's activities. So much fun!Check out their IG and social media for the current happenings.

September 20, 2025 - Placerville, CA…read more We came for the handblown glass pumpkin patch and the day's festivities, which were advertised to include free popcorn and live glassblowing demonstrations. Wanting to beat the crowds, we arrived a little before 10 a.m. and found parking quickly after discovering an additional parking lot. I've started a tradition of picking up one glass pumpkin each year, but this time I left with two--thanks to my husband's suggestion. The selection of pumpkins was beautiful, as always. We didn't see the popcorn or the glassblowing demos, though in fairness we may have been too early. Instead, we tried the Pineapple Ginger Hard Cider, which was delicious. Since we didn't want a full pour, we asked about a smaller size. The server showed us a half-glass, which was perfect, but we later realized we'd been charged for a full drink anyway. By the time we left around 10:30, cars were lined up down the road waiting to get into the lot. Parking definitely seemed limited for such a popular event. Judging from the lines outside other Apple Hill venues as well, my advice is to avoid weekends if you can--or at least plan to arrive early.