Apple Picking Season is Here – When and Where to Visit Orchards Near El Paso

Apple season is here, and you can be picking your own in less than 2 hours.

The late summer family-friendly activity is not only a fun excuse to get out of the city for the day, but it’s also an excellent way to eat fresh and support local area farms.

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There are three family-run U-Pick orchards a day trip away from El Paso that you can visit for fresh off-the-tree crunch: Nichols Ranch and Orchards in La Luz, U-Pick Mesilla Valley Apples in Las Cruces, and Cadwallader Mountain Farms located between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft.

Nichols Ranch and Orchards

Nichols Ranch and Orchards outside of Alamogordo is one of the U-Pick orchards that offers El Paso families the chance to make some memories while picking delicious apples.

The family-run farm grows some of the more popular apple varieties such as Gala and Honeycrisp that are perfect for eating raw, baking, and applesauce making.

What to Know If You Want to Go
The apple orchard will open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Saturday, August 19, and stay open through mid to late October.

Find the most current information on the Nichols Ranch Facebook.

Nichols Ranch and Orchards is located on Cottonwood Canyon Rd in La Luz, New Mexico, about 20 minutes from Alamogordo. Click HERE for driving directions.

Cadwallader Mountain Farms

Cadwallader Mountain Farms is also kicking off its U-Pick Saturday, August 19. The farm will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays only for the next couple of months.

What to Know If You Want to Go

Apple varieties include Gala, Honey Crisp, and Golden Supreme. Prices start at $1.50 a pound. Cadwallader Mountain Farms Facebook for up to date information.

The farm is located at 13 Mountain Park Road, Mountain Park, New Mexico (near Cloudcroft). Click HERE for driving directions from El Paso.

U-Pick Mesilla Valley Apples, Las Cruces

The Burke Family Orchard is home to four-hundred apple trees ripening as you read this with Red Delicious and Jonathan apples.

Red Delicious are sweet, “the little Johnnies” are not, but are perfect in pies and with caramel -- or raw if you like a tart apple.

What to Know If You Want to Go

Their U-Pick season gets underway Friday, September 1 (Labor Day Weekend) and runs through October.

Find the most current information on the farm's hours, prices, etc on the U-Pick Mesilla Valley Apples Facebook.

The orchard is located at 2330 Shalem Colony Trail, Las Cruces, NM. Click HERE for map and driving directions from El Paso.