Absolute favorite farm at Apple Hill! This place is calm, it's got good seating, shade and some of…read morethe best baked goods and apple cider around. They don't pretend to be an amusement park and don't offer a bunch of random attractions. Instead you come here to relax, to sit with family and friends and to enjoy some delightful goodies. For our 3rd visit, we got 6 apple cider donuts ( amazing and not greasy), apple cider ( a crowd favorite), alcoholic apple cider ( pretty strong) and a apple pie ala mode ( amazing). The folks working here were nice and served us quickly. We will absolutely return next year!

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.

It was my first time here because I was invited by friends/coworkers and for context I am in my 30s…read moreand born & raised in Sacramento but I rarely ventured outside of it ever so of course I was blown away by how different & peaceful it was out here! No homeless encampments, chaos, just lots of people taking photos and buying stuff. I really enjoyed people-watching and I love to shop so I'm sort of beating myself up for not visiting Apple Hill sooner! I will definitely be back on my own because we were on a time crunch and only visited 2 places but I'm glad this was the first stop! I just wanted BBQ so I skipped the long line I saw in the front and ordered it from the bar, the young woman working was very pleasant & kind! Everyone was actually!

On labor day weekend, I was so excited to view all the apple orchards in the area. But mostly…read moreexcited to see Boa Vista. Sadly, I was disappointed from my expectations. Beautiful views that trail wrap around vineyards- the entrance is breathtaking! Small pop up booths of local vendors surround the orchard with cute gifts and souvenirs for the harvest season. They also have a fruit stand- & i love fresh fruit but the majority of the fruit here was split open and looking dull or brown in appearance like it was close to expiring. The lines were long for the cider donuts & sadly it didn't move fast. So I never got to try to cider donuts bc when I went it was almost one hr from closing. A lot of the pies were sorted through and the ones left were scattered in type and limited so decided not to take one home. And it was overall a smaller, more crowded stand then I expected with limited variety. Im sure they have great cider donuts- but I would recommend getting here first thing in the morning. This seems to be one of the more popular stands and parking can become complicated. I will have to give it another try to see a true experience because I feel like I didn't get to gather the true festive experience here.

End of September Perfect *Sweet-Spot*-Time To Visit!…read more SITREP This time of year - last week of September - ended up being the BEST TIME to go up and visit the O'Halloran's Apple Trail Ranch's Pumpkin Patch! THE SETUP In years past, my friends and I usually ended up waiting too long to trek up the hill (HWY 50) to Apple Hill to go pumpkin-patching: searching for the perfect pumpkin and *snippin* it ourselves right off the vine. It's good to note that there is also a vibrant pick-your-own apples and pears aspect to this ranch going on through the late summer, as well as a nice cut-your-own Christmas tree season that kicks in right before Thanksgiving. PUMPKINING-PRO-TIP For this review, we're focusing on the apple-picking and the pumpkin patch. On that note, if you want to catch good pumpkins, the next two (2) are the best time to go. Whereas, the one (1) or two (2) weekends in October before Halloween ended up being too late for a number of reasons: 1. The good pumpkins had already been picked; and, 2. The weekend traffic in late October is HELL: the handful of exits in that region are heavily regulated by law enforcement and traffic cones/restrictions making for headache of a drive to get INTO the many markets, wineries and pumpkin patches in that region. THE GOODS * I always get great apples when I come here: Fuji, Grannies, Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, etc. etc. and several other varieties (on a related note, I didn't see any pears out, so I may have been a bit too ealy); * Got a variety of medium-sized pumpkins, including 2 White Ones, a Green One, and 2 perfect Orange pumpkins! * Snipped a couple of sunflowers! THE ANIMULES! Something new that I haven't seen before (it has been 2-3 years since my last visit) they had a wonderful 4-H section set up with some animals: a bunch of chickens, a bunch of turkeys (big dudes! take a look at my pics!) and a bunch of kids (both the goat kind and the human kind, all having fun mixing up with each other. RETAILING - DOWN TO BRASS TAX (NOT TACKS) Cost me about $20 for a very mixed bag of 38-40 apples (5-6 different varietals) - an excellent deal and better than my Safeway or Amazon-Whole Foods delivery options (plus I selected the apples myself!) Cost me about $50 for five (5) largish pumpkin varieties. Again, less the options I saw at Safeway or Trader Joes in my hood. Obviously, it's not cheap these days to do a half-day trip up the hill (and it's far less expensive to go to your local grocer to grab a pumkin. But it's for the outdoor experience and to clear some headspace AWAY from Sacramento. Also couple this with treks to 2 different local wineries, and a stop at the Taphouse Bar & Grill in Placerville before hitting the road back to SacTown, all the costs aggregate together in a fun overall trip! THE LOWDOWN O'Halloran's is still a great place to all sorts of fun, seasonal produce, smell some fresh air, and have a lot of fun while doing all that.

Big fan of this spot, it feels like a real working farm not like some of the others in Apple Hill…read morethat have become so commercialized. We had a great time walking around, we did the little nature trail, which was really just a ramble through the Apple Orchard. Back at the farmhouse, they had a lot of produce available or you could do the you pick yourself Apple experience. I already had so many apples from another farmers market we went to, but I bought several pears and a giant green Mutsu apple, both were divine. There was a lady letting you taste the apples and pears, and she was a little salty, but I thought in a quirky and fun way. The guy that helped us at the cash register was super friendly and helpful. I had a blast being a big kid and feeding the goats and sheep. They provide bags of lettuce for one dollar, totally worth the money. The pumpkin patch isn't open yet but when it does open, you actually go out and cut your own pumpkin off the vine. Too cool. I would absolutely return to this business.

Love this stop. Great family business to stop in the Apple Hill area. To grab a bag of apples,…read morehoney, nuts, etc. They also have a bake shop. I had the pot pie. I enjoyed it and it was more of an old fashioned - homemade taste and a pumpkin cookie! The pumpkin cookie was delicious. The whole place has a cute rustic in the countryside feel. They have a small museum you can check out for free. The staff was friendly and helpful with food options. I saw a lot of children having a good time as well in the museum area.

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.

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.

First time here. Really cute spot! Dog friendly. There was corn hole. Food trucks (pizza). It was…read moregood! There was also a bbq spot near the barn doing burgers, hotdogs and pulled pork. Inside they had cider, beer and wine. There was a live band tonight too. Outside had lots of tables and vendors selling different things. Lots of parking. Great spot to hang out with friends or family and just enjoy the day. Only downside to me is that there's only porto potties. No real bathrooms.