We had a fabulous experience apple picking. Booking was easy (but competative). Upon signing up for the email list; do what it says. Set a reminder for when booking opens. At the time it says, take 35 seconds to book it online. They are in demand and reservations book up within 15 minutes. Its not a hard thing to do, just be logistical. Upon arriving. Parking was easy with a volunteer guiding us. We picked almost 10 pounds of apples, bought local beef and honey and enjoyed the gorgeous backdrop of western marin's rolling hills. They have a portapotty and plenty of volunteers to help guide you. If you want a tour, thats great, if not go at your pace. My advice: bring a backpack, bucket, collapsible cooler and water. Its only an hour or so dont pack a lunch. And enjoy your afternoon, we thoroughly did;) read more

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Friendly staff for apple picking. Apples are good. The trees are short so it's easy for littles to pick the apples.

Pulled in here in 2016 to pick some apples with my kids. Before being let onto the orchard we were forced to sit through the owner's self-righteous and depressing lecture about how they saved the ranch. ---- I respect what you do but my 5 y/o and I could care less about your story. It's hot and admittedly, we're just here for your apples. Fast forward a few years, thought I'd try the place again. Maybe their trees have matured a little and they've realized their target audience is families with kids. Now they have an online reservation system. Okay, let's try it. Wait, it's Sept of '22 and you still have a mask mandate in effect?? Outdoors?? Oh well, I guess that's not that pathological. Reservations opened this Monday morning at 9 AM. Monday morning at 9 AM... I get it now. This place is for people who don't have to work an actual job. I logged on at 11 AM, my soonest break. Completely sold out! Sheesh, I better stick to Oliver's. read more

I've came here for apple picking the past two years after discovering they have u-pick season. As far as I know it was the nearest place to do so. Love fun fall activities and have been pleased to add this to the list! The journey out here on the less busy backroads is relaxing and the views at certain points are just stellar looking out over the hills. Their grounds are lovely, especially the garden areas you pass by on the way in which are full & beautiful. During scheduled u-pick days they usually offer farm tours where you can also see more animals & learn about what they do. Also they sometimes press some apple juice & the kids can help - then enjoy a little cup! You can sign up for their mailing list to be notified or just check online for schedules, what will be available & make reservations (which are much recommended, and provide a discount on admission). Onto the apples! They grow many varieties in their orchard, although depending on when you go, with how much are left, ready for picking, etc. you may not get many choices. They're on the smaller side, but full of flavor. I quite enjoyed the varieties I've gotten thus far. Also an issue and something you'll just have to be careful of is the yellow jackets. They try to do what they can, but just be mindful! Aside from the apples (all $2/lb.) they typically sell their grass fed ground beef and a few other local goods from nearby places such as eggs, cheese & olive oil. It can get fairly busy but the owners & volunteers have been nothing but nice both times I've visited. I'll be back next year! read more

This is a perfect farm to spend a day with grandchildren picking apples , enjoying the cows , sheep & surrounding . People who are working there are very nice & helpful . We will go back next year to enjoy again this pl e read more

I can't say enough good things about Chileno Valley Ranch and Sally and Mike. We had our wedding here this past weekend and it was the most beautiful day of our lives. When we stumbled upon the ranch last year we knew it was a special place. Over the course of the year we visited Mike and Sally on numerous occasions and even volunteered at one of their u-pick apple weekends, each time we visited we grew more and more in love with the farm. Mike and Sally have dedicated their whole lives to the preservation and education of their ranch and animals and you can see and feel that love and effort throughout the property. Chileno Valley Ranch is not just any regular wedding venue, it is a place that holds true spirit and warms your heart and soul. We held a wedding of 105 people, our ceremony was on the hill overlooking the fields, with a cocktail reception in the orchard followed by a barn dinner reception. Guests are still raving about the venue and the entire experience - we couldn't be more thrilled and couldn't have picked a better place to start our forever at. read more

The place is pretty ok.. the volunteers who were there are really nice. But the biggest disappointment was the owner. The place doesn't allow dogs and the owner lady yelled at me for having my dog in the PARKING LOT!! Their dogs were roaming free. Some people working there said she doesn't like dogs. I am definitely not going back. read more

Husband picked up our beef Saturday May30,2020. Just cooked a New York bone in,it is Delicious. Thank You Mike & Gale read more

My husband and I just returned from a day trip to Chileno Valley Ranch for apple picking. We went later in the day (around 2:45pm so it wasn't crowded. It seems like they charge $6 for parking in their lot, but we just parked on the street. The apple varieties were all very yummy and organic so not bad for $2 per pound. You can also taste the apples as you pick to make sure you like the taste and make sure they are ripe enough. They also grow tomatoes so we also picked a ton of those, so delicious picked right from the plant. We also got a chance to say hello to the animals, Sally let us in the pen with the pigs and ram and told us all about their ranch history and the animals they have there. we also bought some of their grass fed beef (ground), we figured we HAD to try it. Review to follow after we make our burgers for dinner! Overall, we had a wonderful day at the ranch and will be visiting again next fall! read more

THIS IS THE BEST BEEF YOU WILL EVER PUT IN YOUR MOUTH!! Mike (owner) was great throughout the process and delivered a HIGH quality product as promised. When I picked up the beef from the butcher, he comment that he sees alot of beef come through and this was the BEST he's seen in a long time! If you've never had fresh, local, grass-fed beef....oh my.... and for $4/lb ARE YOU KIDDING ME! *Warning* You will be ruined for life, and not able to eat lesser meats the same way.... read more

We brought our two kiddos to the ranch for their U-Pick. It was our first time apple picking and it was just lovely. Mike greeted us at the parking lot with a warm welcome, then directed us down the hill to the farmhouse area. There we were able to sample several varieties of the apples in the orchard. Before we got started, we were treated to a tour of the farm - we walked through the beautiful garden Sally has lovingly nurtured filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables. Then we visited the chickens and the kids even got to go into the coop and meet the cute little junior chicks and see where the eggs are laid. We ended the tour with a chance for the kids to feed the sheep - they all had a blast. And this was before we even started picking apples. They have so many interesting apple varieties that you won't find in the supermarket. They point you in the right direction so you know which ones are ripe and ready to pick. Just be sure not to take a bit in the orchard because that may attract wasps and yellow jackets. Afterwards you can try your hand at the apple press and maybe even taste some fresh cider. They also had local friends offering olive oil, farm fresh eggs, and cheese for sale. So fun! We will definitely be back. Thank you Sally, Mike and your family and friends for your hospitality! read more

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We came out in the early fall for some apple picking, and called ahead to see if we needed any kind of reservation. The lady on the phone was nice and said we could just show up, so we did. The grounds At Chileno Valley Ranch are beautiful! What a lovely place. Unfortunately, the apple orchard was overrun with yellow jackets. I'm not talking a few, I'm talking swarms. Part of the orchard was completely cordoned off, and the other part was still a little dicey. We grabbed some apples and ran. It wasn't exactly the leisurely, fun-filled apple picking experience I had imagined. Upside: the apples were delicious. I made a very nice pie from them. My young son really wanted to see the cows, goats and chickens, so we wandered around doing that for a while. There was some sort of tour in progress, and I wish we'd been told about the possibility of a tour on the phone because my kiddo would have loved actually going in the animal enclosures, as the people on the tour were getting to do. I asked someone if we might be able to join the tour, and was told maybe, not sure, perhaps later, but then there didn't seem to be another tour later. We finally just left, because my son was getting upset that other kids were getting to collect chicken eggs and pet goats right in front of him, but he couldn't join in. I don't think there was any malice here, just disorganization. It was disappointing, and I wish we'd been given even the slightest bit of information about what was going on at the ranch when I called them on the phone. They could have mentioned the yellow jackets and the timing of tours. I would give this place another shot, because it's so pretty, and clearly family-owned and operated, but I would want to be very sure that the yellow jacket problem had been resolved before visiting again. read more

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Awesome, so cool for apple picking. Kid loved it here, also was cool that we were able to feed the sheep, chickens and make apple juice. Go early so that they animals are hungry. Awesome, place awesome scenery. Good for kids. read more

really really good beef, I regret I didn't get more. U-pick fruits, watch out for their yellow jacket gangs, they rob your fruit. read more

The farmhouse is beautiful, the fruits were delicious and the meat was so good. The farm has been owned by the same family since 1862 and the current generation are a really sweet couple. Our 5 year old daughter had a blast playing with the animals and my wife was in awe of all the plants and flowers. Can't wait to make it back again, a definite stop on our next trip to the west coast. read more

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I would love to give this place 5 stars but 2 of our party of 7 were stung by yellowjackets that are swarming all over the place. If you go, bring bug spray and tea tree oil because these suckers were *EVERYWHERE*!!! The apples are delicious. The beef is an amazing price. Sadly we couldn't get eggs because our kids (afraid of getting bitten) had run to the car to avoid any more tears, and they were only allowing for kids to pick the eggs today. I generally by my eggs at the Farmers Market so I was anxious to try these. Maybe next time... If I can ever get my kids to step foot on the property again. read more

In my search for a ranch with grass-fed beef, I stumbled upon Chileno Valley Ranch off of the localharvest.com website (mind you, this was all before reading this article in SF Gate...http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/20/FDG7LL5N221.DTL) At first I was a little skeptical, $250 for a split-quarter, when everyone else seems to be charging $400-550. Well, there was a slight discrepancy...the website hadn't been updated since 2002. I decided to call them up, basically to see if they were still in business. At those prices, how could they? Mike Gale, the owner, answered the phone, and confirmed that their ranch was still in business...the bed and breakfast, not so. I asked about the website, and he confirmed that it hadn't been updated in a long while. The prices had increased, but I was not expecting what he told me. Grass-fed beef for $350 a split-quarter, plus about $90 for 14-day aging and butchering. I was shocked. it's true, you can have great tasting, vitamin rich Angus beef, raised humanely and the natural way without any hormones, and all without the added mark-ups at local markets. It's not CSA style, but at this price, you could form your own. Mike said he'd get me out some info to me by snail mail, which I received a couple of days later. In it, was a brochure on the ranch and their goals in maintaining a sustainable ranch, as well as articles and recipes on grass-fed beef. While I haven't tried their beef yet, I'm looking forward to visiting the ranch up close to get a better feel. For now, I've just been impressed with the info and Mike's candor. UPDATE 4/20/08 Despite the initial weather forecast warnings earlier in the week, Sunday turned out to be the perfect day to head up to Petaluma with my GF, to view the ranch. I'd made plans to meet Mike and take a tour of the farm. The weather was clear and sunny, with not so much of a breeze, the perfect day for a Sunday drive. After disagreeing with my technologically advanced GPS system on the exact location, I relied on the Google printout to get us to the ranch. Unless you're looking for it, you might pass the ranch, as it doesn't have the look of a modern farm with windmills, storage tanks, giant barns, or giant feed lots. Off the road, once past the steel gate, it looks like a simple 2-story country farm house, with a blossoming apple orchard in the front, and some old barn-like structures. Mike, along with his entourage of cocker spaniels, greeted us and proceeded to show us around. The ranch pretty much provides all the necessities one could need for sustainable living. Water is piped from the natural springs in the surrounding hills to supply the house and 600+ acres of grasslands. The vegetable garden provides what they need for themselves or for bartering. Thanks to their free-range way of life, several chicken varieties provide enough farm fresh eggs daily to feed several families. The apple orchard is usually ripe for the picking in the summertime, when they open up the ranch to visitors who want to spend a day picking apples. Their one Jersey cow, Lucy, provides all the milk they need for drinking or making fine cheese. As for the Angus cows, they seem to have the cush life, as they're basically allowed to roam just about anywhere between the valley ridges within the ranch property. No cowboys are required to lead them back in the evening; a simple truck honking tells them where to go. Without the stress associated with overcrowded grain feedlots, these cows are able to graze freely on grass and alfalfa, which leads to excellent tasting Select (Prime or Choice is not possible due to the leanness of grass-fed) beef. From our tour, we could see that Mike and his wife take pride in what they're doing. Hard to imagine that a guy who spent 21 years of his life in Hawaii, could convert to being a rancher and do it so well. I'm looking forward to my 1st order, if the samples I've had are a good indicator. Can't wait for the lambs to grow either... On to the freezer. read more

My wife and I have been buying a quarter of grass-fed beef from Mike and Sally Gale for a few years now. Every year we drive up north, pick apples in their orchard in the fall, and give our deposit in person. The quality of meat is amazing and the price is incredibly fair. I'm so spoiled by the quality that I can't stand to eat meat from the grocery store or most restaurants anymore (certain high quality steakhouses and high-end establishments excluded but then you are definitely paying big money). Thank you, Mike and Sally! We appreciate you very much. read more

So disappointed. You are required to make a reservation to pick apples which is already odd. Upon arriving there were slim pickings. They only open a section of the orchard at a time, (if you can call it an orchard because there are few trees) then they cone certain rows for picking within that section. They also encourage you to pick up apples to purchase from the ground. I have visited many apple farms, and all said to avoid fallen apples for fear of bugs living in them. The last straw was when we tasted the apples at home. They were unripe, with tough skin. Now were stuck with unripe apples. They ask you not to eat apples while you're picking for fear of yellow jackets, but now we know the real reason. read more

My husband made hamburgers from the ground beef we purchased here. I swear to God there really is a difference. YUMMY. Happy cows make for good eats. read more

We had our June 4th wedding here (they host 4 a year). Exceptional in every way. We knew as soon as we stepped on the site that this was it. The grounds are breathtaking, there are a number of different places to hold various parts of the ceremony, a few lovely rooms in the farmhouse which my parents and I used, lots of well cared for animals around including two adorable spaniels, and Mike and Sally are absolute gems. In Sally I felt like I had a local Mom helping me in the planning and keeping me grounded. It ended up raining the morning of the wedding, Mike and Sally again stepped up in the last minute scramble to try and control the mud and rework the wedding plan. Though the sun ended up coming out an hour or so before the ceremony, and it could not have been more beautiful! During the wedding itself Mike and Sally hung out to help things run smoothly, and were a huge hit with the guests. They are both really interesting people, I wish I had had more time to get to know them better during the craziness of that weekend. On top of all that, they were flexible about our caterers, band, alcohol, all the sorts of things that can really bust a wedding budget if a site uses these as a mechanism for making more money. Our wedding day was exactly as we wanted it. The cost of the site rental itself is also an exceptional value for the Bay Area. I can not recommend more highly!! Sally has lots of pictures of weddings at the site that you can see when visiting. I am also happy to share some of ours, I cannot post publicly right now as our photographer is trying to get them published, he was so happy with how they turned out. =) read more

We went last Fall 2013 and had a great time picking apples and meeting the animals on the farm. They offer a variety of organic apples and asian pears, as well as a few vegetables, eggs and grass-fed beef. We had so much fun that we decided to return this year. We checked their website for announcements and trekked all way there, only to find the door closed with a sign that read: "No apple picking today"! We were so frustrated and the kids so disappointed after a 2h drive. Please update your website!! read more

Well..it was quite a journey to get here today with the traffic, and the 37 being closed. Found the ranch looking on the internet for a place to come pick apples. Instead of the usual Apple Hill, we decided to venture here. If your primary reason to come here is to get a couple months worth of farm fresh apples...don't. We got crab apples and the very last bit of what was left on these small trees. It was hardly the supply we like to get on our fall trips for apples. Perhaps the rest of what was left should have been given to the deer? It seemed a lot of folks wanted some apples only to arrive to nothing. We did not get any ground beef at $8.00 a pound. I would not have minded getting a bit to try, but hubby was against the price. Oh well...we need apples...this ranch could not fulfill our need. We did head off to Tomales Bay and Dillons Beach down the road a bit which was a nice way to finish off our day. read more

I love what the owners are doing out there -- beautiful gardens and organic farm-- but the U-pick was terrible this weekend! After a long drive, we were disappointed to find a crowded parking lot, tons of people but extremely small, unripe, sour apples -- seems strange to invite the crowds for unripe, tiny apples. Maybe they should start the season later and restrict picking to the amount of fully ripened apples available. read more

We've worked with Sally and Mike many times (we own a catering company) and have done a lot of weddings out there. It's beautiful spot and they're so easy to work with. Highly recommend. read more

I drove nearly two hours with my daughter, who is two years old, to get to the ranch only to find the gate locked and a sign that said "U-Pick Closed Today". I had checked the website early that morning, but there was nothing obvious saying that it was closed. A woman was outside, so I asked her if I could let my daughter stretch her legs for a few minutes before we found something else to do (the ranch is on a street where there is only street parking and fast cars going by--not a place to let a toddler run around). She said no, that they were just headed out, with an indifferent attitude toward the situation. Unapologetically, she said that they had put a notice on the website and that I didn't see it because I didn't refresh my browser. (When we got home, I checked again and still couldn't find the notice. I guess I must be totally inept!) We headed on to Tomales Bay for a nice afternoon by the water, so the day wasn't a total loss, but my daughter was quite disappointed not to have picked apples! Needless to say, you should call the morning that you go instead of just visiting the website. read more

I have been going to the apple Upicks for 3 years now and LOVE the atmosphere. I volunteered one year and have been coming back ever since. Sally and Mike really do a great job of running everything smoothly and helping the farm to keep up with the changing times. Those one star reviewers CLEARLY don't know just how lucky they are to have an opportunity like this in their backyard, but all the more room for others to come and appreciate the farm. Everyone on the ranch has a good time and the children's (and parents) faces light up when they pet the animals, and the fresh apples and pears are amazing! read more

What a great place to stop or go for a day trip. The apples are delicious. We bought some of their beef and wow, it is some of the best we've ever had (and we butcher our own cow each year). Really good. The animal tours are cute and they let the kids feed the animals apples. They had baby chicks which my kids loved. Go early in the morning to get some farm fresh eggs. It can get crowded later in the day. read more

My husband and I got married here last year. It was perfect, absolutely beautiful, and we loved getting to know Sally, Mike, and their family (both two- and four-legged). They only do a few weddings per year, and their primary business is cattle farming, so they really made us feel special and went out of their way to help. We visited a few times before the event, and went a day or two early to set up and the day after to clean up, so we spent a lot of time there, and loved every minute of it. The place changes so much throughout the day and throughout the year, it just feels magical! One thing we really appreciated was that there were no hidden fees, no upselling. This is almost unheard of for wedding venues in this area: usually they quote you a fee and then almost immediately insist that you rent their chairs and decorations and book their accommodation and buy their food....and it ends up adding up REALLY fast; you feel like you're getting suckered, because you are. With the Chileno Valley Ranch, it's a flat fee to have access to the full property; no more, no less. That does not mean that it is cheap. Our wedding went over budget, in part because of the indulgence of having it here. Could we have found someplace less striking for a lot cheaper? Definitely. But if you want a place that is stunning, with a lot of heart and soul to lend to your special day, this is definitely, without competition, the best value you can get in this region. It may be possible to save a LOT money if you can convince Sally & Mike to let you do something less formal for food--they have "almost required" caterers that are people they really trust and who do a great job, but they are EXPENSIVE. We are from out of town so couldn't really shop around, anyway, but you can probably find a cheaper option if you have a favorite taco truck or just don't particularly care about food (honestly, your guests don't--they just care about booze! order pizza!). The catering was far and away our biggest wedding expense, and it really doesn't have to be that way. We did save a lot by bringing our own bottles, though, which both Sally and the caterer allowed at no fee. One other thing to keep in mind: that gorgeous barn where everyone wants to have the reception? You can't heat it. And that's OK. If you dance and drink, you heat up pretty fast. (I am always cold, so really, if I'm OK, it's fine.) But, with that in mind, you may want to schedule the eating portion before sundown and/or tell your guests to bring layers. (This is NorCal! When in Rome...) I'm just putting that out there for full disclosure. If I could go back and do it all again, I would do it at the Chileno Valley Ranch, without hesitation. I can't really describe it, the combination of physical beauty of the place, the wonderful time we had with Sally and Mike, the great energy of the space, it just felt like home; now, we feel tied to it, too. read more

My wife and I got married at Chileno Valley Ranch last fall. It is tucked away in a spectacular valley, and we immediately fell in love with the place -- the rolling hills, the orchard, the beautiful garden -- as we approached. But what really sets in apart is Mike and Sally. They welcomed us into their home, got to know us as people, and went above and beyond to help make our wedding special. The were flexible, accommodating, and their whole family helped out on the day of the wedding (from renting us furniture, to help moving cars, and even driving one of our guests to the hospital after a fall). Mike and Sally made us feel like part of the family, and we are already planning on making it a tradition to visit every fall for apple picking. read more

We enjoyed the backroads drive to the charming ranch, picked several varieties of apples that were great out of hand, for pies and applesauce, and I especially loved exploring the old original barn. Kids enjoyed picking from the fruit-full trees, turning the apple press for fresh juice on the spot, petting the noses of the calm steers and seeing the sheep gambol in the paddock and clamor for the offering of fresh hay on the farm tour. A good day in the country, and enjoyed getting really off the beaten path in our lovely local rural open space. read more

It's so beautiful at Chileno Valley Ranch, surrounded by the rolling hills of West Marin. The apples are extraordinary, unlike the common varieties found in supermarkets. It's so nice to watch joyful children taking a bite from their very own handpicked apple or standing face to face and feeding an apple to a big-eyed cow. I've been a U-pick volunteer at the ranch for the last few years, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the fall. Families, whether there for the first time, or in returning year after year, have been so appreciative of their experience of visiting the farm. read more

Amazing people, views and apples and beef! I highly recommend a visit or volunteering!

Took my wife and 3-year old daughter here today. We made a reservation online for 1pm, though no one asked about that when we showed up. There was a fair sized crown but nothing too crazy. We parked and walked through a sheep zone with several sheep behind a gate. Then made our way to a tasting booth where they highlighted 4 apples that were ripe and ready for the picking. After that we had the option of going to the orchard or lining up for a kids tour of the farm, as that seemed to be catching momentum we headed that way where my daughter petted and fed various goats, chickens, sheeps, and cows. Afterwards we went through the orchard and picked about 7 lbs of apples (some which we tasted at the stand and others which were picked over from the previous weekends. My daughter had a blast picking them off the trees. We then headed towards the juice area where the kids threw apples into the juicer while another kid grinded the apples up, eventually pressing them down to extract the juice, which we bought and drank. All in all a great afternoon spent with the kiddos learing about farm life and apples. Can't recommend enough, read more