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Skyline Chestnuts Orchard

4.6 (44 reviews)
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Updated 3 weeks ago

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Joe Z.

Interesting and fun experience overall. Easy reservation online and easy to find parking spot at the orchard. You get to take a pair of gloves and a bucket to pick the chestnuts. You're not allowed to pick from trees and the ones on the trees are not ripe anyway. We went there when it was peak season so quite a lot of people, but they mainly stay on the main road. If you go off onto the hill there'll be plenty of chestnuts. Also keep stomping the chestnuts as many were ignored by people and we got plenty. You get some big and small ones, but the ones they sell are pretty big. In the front you get to weigh the chestnuts and in 2022 it is $10 per pound. It's the same price no matter whether it's what you picked or what they sell at the front. I'd buy the ones in front because they're uniform in size and larger. The smaller ones are a hassle to eat and the skin are more difficult to peel. Chestnut honey is delicious too. It's a once in your lifetime experience. I'll stick to Trader Joe's chestnut if I want to eat some.

10/23/2019: Not a big farm, but still fun!
Sivilay T.

Review #299 - 2019 You know what's sad? When a grown woman has to Google the easiest way to peel a chestnut after she's done cooking it... I've always enjoyed eating chestnuts, but I've never actually taken the time to cook & peel them myself. I'm too lazy so I just buy those prepackaged cooked & already peeled chestnuts at the Asian markets. I honestly don't know why I wanted to go pick my own chestnuts, but I did! We showed up at around 10:45 AM on Wednesday, October 23rd. It was a nice, warm day & I was a little over dressed, thinking it's going to be a cold day. Apple weather forecast showed it would be in the 60's. It was dead wrong! It was 80° with lots of sunshine so I should've just worn jeans & a t-shirt. I wasn't expecting to see so many people since it's out in the middle of nowhere, but the parking lot was half full. The drive here was pretty rough & we almost missed the exact location because Apple Map showed that we'd already passed it when we were still 100 yards out. Thank goodness, I just kept driving! I enjoy doing outdoorsy things with my 3-year old daughter & she loves the outdoors so I guess that was the main reason why I came here. She had just woken up from her nap, but she was up and ready for an adventure as soon as we arrived. She had so much fun picking the chestnuts from the ground that she refused to leave after spending 45 minutes there. Her hard work & effort paid off! After I sorted through her bucket, we ended up with a little over 2 lbs of chestnuts at $7/lb, if paying with cash. When I got home, I popped a handful into the steamer, but had a hard time peeling them after they were cooked. They are super sweet! I kind of gave up after peeling a few because it wasn't easy. Sadly, my daughter says she doesn't like chestnuts so I guess she worked hard for mommy's consumption. They have a decent size parking lot, but they only have a one lane entry/exit so if you come during the weekend, it could be hard to get in & out. The grounds were pretty steep & uneven so if you have a hard time walking or climbing, this may not be the best place to come to. Although, my daughter was still able to find a good amount from just the walk path. They have a few port-o-potties, but I didn't use them so I'm not sure how clean they are. You can also bring your own food/snacks/drinks, since they have a few picnic tables. I'd definitely come back again, because my daughter had so much fun!

The few large chestnuts we found :)
Janice H.

I love chestnuts! So I was super excited to go picking at an orchard! Unfortunately, this year has been a weird year with all the fires and it seems like the harvest has been affected =/. Be sure to check their facebook or give them a call to see if they're open for the day you're planning to go. My husband and I got there at 10am on Saturday. It opens at 9:30 so we didn't anticipate that it would be super busy BUT WE WERE WRONG. The parking lot was jam packed and there was a line to get into the lot. We thankfully made the right choice to turn around and park before the entrance. As we walked up, we saw cars being turned away because the lot was full. So either plan to get there right at 9:30 or plan to walk a little. We could tell that the day before was a good harvest bc of the wind. The night before we went wasn't as windy unfortunately so it wasn't as great. We found a few good chestnuts but definitely not as much as I was hoping for... Hoping for better luck next year! Praying for no more fires...

Views for days when you hike up the trail.
Christine B.

A friend recommended this experience and we were not disappointed. We arrived a little before noon and were quickly greeted by staff who told us what to look for, where best to scavenge, and what to do when you've collected your haul. You grab a basket and gloves, and head up the trail. The website says to wear sturdy shoes, and I even passed this info onto my friends, but I thought the sturdy shoes were more for mud and dirt. It's like a short hike, but mostly up hill. I would dress as though you were going on a hike. I didn't and was fine, but I would've been more comfortable in hiking shoes and some stretchy pants. You get better nuts the higher you go and more remote you go. The nuts blend into the dirt and leaves, so the best way to search is slow and low. When you're done with your picking, I'd say an hour to 90 minutes later, you take your basket down to tables where you sort what you want and the staff guides you on best picks. They have a scale if you want an idea of how much you've collected. When you're done sifting through your chestnuts, enter the small covered area where you can sample and purchase local honey and get a cold soda. The honey is delicious and the person giving samples was very nice and patient, telling us all about the honey varietals. They also have pans to roast your chestnuts on an open fire and chestnut knives. They give a 50 cent per pound discount if you pay by cash. This is a quintessential fall activity that is fun for all ages. Apparently the season is late October to mid-November so I would call if you plan to go after the first week of November. I can imagine there won't be much left after this weekend. No bathrooms, so use before you arrive or be prepared for a port-o-pot.

Step 4: immediately remove from oven and place inside bowl and COVER with kitchen towel to retain moisture. Makes for easier unshelling.
Ron M.

Picking chestnuts on this outdoor woodsy farm has been one of our annual fall family traditions. Really nice local, Matt and his family from Menlo Park/Saratoga, run this chestnut farm, which is actually on a preserve land. This is such a great way to spend time with your family in the outdoors, doing some adventurous fun thing that everyone has got to enjoy. We always challenge each other to find the biggest chestnut. I grew up eating chestnuts because they are fall favorite staple delicacies for Japanese/Hawaiian folks. But had never picked them until we moved to the bay area. This place is located right off the 35 highway in La Honda, which is a fairly tight turning and windy road to get here. Just be wary of car sickness getting here...it is a solid 20-30 mins from the 280 exit to get here, but it is well worth it! The farm is not super big, but is fairly hilly. I have a few STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS when you visit: --Chestnut prickly outer shells are very very sharp. I would recommend to buy some thick leather work gloves especially for kids. Even though they have gloves to use, they don't have small hand/kid size gloves available. --Wear thick boots and thick pants. The sharp outer shells are scattered all on the ground and easily pierce running shoes. --Scavenging for chestnuts is best done looking at the ground because when they ripen, they fall there. --Look for the prickly outer shells about the size of a small plum/apricot. Ones that are too small don't carry large chestnuts inside. --Use a stick to sort through the leaves and fallen prickly shells. When they ripen, the chestnuts tend to fall out and lay on the ground. --Don't collect chestnuts that have small holes in them as that implies a worm has infected that chestnut. The best recipe that I've found to cook these are in the attached pics, but are as follows: 1. Boil the brown chestnuts in water until it simmers (about 5 mins). (You would have already removed the prickly shells at the farm before you paid for the chestnuts). 2. Drain the water. Put on a podcast or music because this is the most tedious part. Also preheat your oven to 425F. Using a serrated knife, cut large "X" cross markings on each one and place on an oven rack. You need to cut through the brown hard shell and just cut into the chestnut meat below. 3. With the X cut mark facing up, place the tray into an oven and bake at 425F for about 10-15 mins, or until you can see the X markings peel back and slightly open. 4. Quickly remove tray out of oven and place all chestnuts into a heat proof bowl (like ceramic or pyrex) and place a kitchen towel over the bowl to keep the moisture in the chestnut. 5. Now you can eat them--just peel the hard outer shells back with your fingers. Enjoy!

Christine K.

My son and I have gone to you-pick farms throughout the state. We've picked cherries, apples, and all sorts of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.). It's sort of our thing. Well, maybe it's my thing and he has no choice in the matter. But, I digress. I've wanted to visit Skyline Chestnuts for several seasons, but have never made it out there until today. It's a beautiful drive to the orchard. Although, stay aware of cyclists and morons on motorcycles. We spent about an hour and a half at the orchard. It was slimmer pickings by the time we arrived around noon on Sunday, but we still managed to gather about 2.5 pounds. Next time, I'll make sure to get there a little earlier. Regardless, there were still big, beautiful chestnuts to be found. We also bought a jar of honey because, it was so delicious my kid begged to lick the jar. Great way to spend a crisp, fall afternoon.

Amy N.

My sister wanted to come here so we went over the weekend. Really cool and fun experience, but definitely regret not looking over on Yelp first. Definitely wear comfortable clothing and shoes because it's a slight hike (don't wear shorts though...unless you're ok with being poked and getting splinter). Saw a few people there using tongs which is SUPER SMART, we are definitely bringing tongs next time. The gloves helped a lot, but you'll still get poked occasionally. A fun family activity overall.

Today (11/24/2019 Sunday) is the last day of the season for chestnut picking at Skyline Chestnut Orchards. I was only able to gather a little less than a pound of chestnuts. But I'm still glad that I went. This is my third trip to the orchard this year. The drive to the orchard is kind of rough but I have gotten used to it. Tip: the small American variety is super sweet and delicious. Best chestnut I have ever had.

Amy C.

At the end of Momma C's whirlwind tour of the Bay Area, I asked her what had been the highlight of the trip. The Symphony? Chez Panisse? Golden Gate Park? "Chestnuts," came the unequivocal and immediate reply. Shoulda known. Koreans love them some chestnuts. Personally, I don't get it but my mom is no exception. So we made a field trip to the Peninsula and drove up the windiest road I've ever driven on and after several wrong turns finally reached the Skyline Chestnut Orchard. We knew we were in the right place when we saw the Korean word for chestnut written on a sign. The proprietor Hans and his two boys gave us a bucket and pointed us in the direction of the orchard. Now it's time for a chestnut picking lesson y'all: Wear long pants, long sleeves, closed toed shoes, and bring gloves because those chestnut hulls be prickly. Also, it is actually better to pick the ones off the ground than the ones on the tree because the ones on the tree aren't ripe. The chestnuts were $5 a pound. The price is the same regardless of if you pick them yourself or if they pick them which we thought was odd. Also, they only take cash. (Which actually turned out to be a good thing for me otherwise we probably would have been there all day!)

car abandoned after getting stuck in chestnut orchard
Holly L.

Attention all foodies! This is where to come to get fresh chestnuts. On the side of the shed, it says chestnut in about 10 different languages (maybe more) which is cool. As stated, they charge the same for picking your own or buying what they picked. Of course though, being the hardcore foodie that you are, you want to pick your own because they vary alot in size and quality. And definitely wear close toed shoes, long pants, long sleeve shirts and then Hans will lend you some gloves. Once you get your chestnuts, you can roast them and peel them, or you can use them in cooking: cornbread stuffing with fresh chesnuts, chestnut velouté, chestnut sauce, chestnut coffee cake,.....mmmmmm

Beautiful time to come and pick chestnuts if you want a romantic experience. Taken on 11/25/12
Jessica S.

We stumbled upon this place because we accidentally forgot to pack waters for our hike...I thought my boyfriend packed them, and he thought the same. We were far from civilization and didn't want to turn back...and then after searching nearby for some sort of gas station or fruit stand we needed to use the restroom...(sigh) We saw a standalone portapotty so we were saved. We then noticed a small stand and I saw they had chestnuts for sale, at first I was skeptical because it looked like someones camping ground but as we got closer we saw that they were selling chestnuts, water and honey. We were saved, yet again and purchased a few bottles of water. For the sake of it I asked to purchase some chestnuts, but the lady there told me that we could have a fun experience and pick them ourselves....we planned to go to monte bello open space preserve for a hike so we were also skeptical about this but for some reason we agreed. We were given a bucket each, and some hefty gloves...the lady told us what exactly we were looking for and to be careful of the mountain lions and then we were off on our own. It was almost as if we were pushed into some sort of fantasy land because once we went further down the trails we were surrounded by golden yellow, orange, brown leaves and the sun was filtering through them making a very peaceful, serene and romantic environment my boyfriend and I. We weren't just there to pick chestnuts anymore, we were there to create a memory. We spent the time finding chestnuts and trying to shoot them into our buckets, climbing the trees and making funny faces (though we probably weren't allowed to) just being romantic and getting lost in conversation and taking a few pictures. We had been there maybe around 45 minutes to an hour before we decided to take our chestnuts to the front to pay for them, we bought a few honey sticks to snack on and my boyfriend even purchased a jar of their honey. The total of it all only came around to $10 which was amazing. We had our priceless experience, which to me would be worth a lot, a jar of honey, a sweet snack and a pound of chestnuts all for that price. I was the happiest person that day. I had only been with my boyfriend a month that day we went, which was November 25th 2012. I am now writing this review on November 4th 2013, because I plan to revisit this same place with my boyfriend this year as well. It will always be a great memory now.

Chestnuts in a bucket!

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7 months ago

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3 years ago

Great people. Great fun. Beautiful location. I got 4 pounds in an hour and I was very slow as a newbie. Highly recommend.

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Ask the Community - Skyline Chestnuts Orchard

Review Highlights - Skyline Chestnuts Orchard

Today (11/24/2019 Sunday) is the last day of the season for chestnut picking at Skyline Chestnut Orchards.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - pickyourown - Updated May 2026

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