This place is so much fun and I've been coming for many years. I love chestnuts and not only is it fun to collect your own but these chestnuts are delicious! I never buy the disappointing chestnuts at the grocery store and wait for every October to get my fix. Hans and his staff are super friendly. Stopped by today for the first day of season and the nuts were big but a bit harder to find than later in the season -- to be honest it made it more fun as it was more of a challenge and we spent a little over three hours poking around! Also picked up a chestnut knife for $12. read more

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The best chestnuts in the Bay Area. First day for the season, U-pick, most of the crop is extra large chestnuts read more

Lovely, relatable people who work there. I just went to buy some chestnuts, without picking, and I got 4 pounds of great stuff, and some more great stuff. Very happy with the bags of chestnuts, chestnut knife, olive oil, and honey I purchased. Would recommend to everyone. Lovely place. Oh, the website is a bit old school, which is fine. If I understand it correctly, you basically have to either reserve paid parking before, or arrive between 12:00 and 12:30 for free parking. Hope to be able to reserve in advance, maybe next year, and come back for some picking! read more

Our family absolutely love going here! Nice people and fun experience! We have a tendency to go towards the end of the season so there's less chestnuts on the floor but we like that so it makes foraging more fun. the nice thing is the Facebook account is constantly updated to let people know how the season is going and if they'll extend the season. Make sure to make reservations or you won't be able to forage on your own. If you come without one, you can only buy the bagged ones at the cashier. Pay by Credit or cash but cash you'll save a bit My family and I will make this an annual trip and we recommend going! read more

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I've been wanting to go here for years and had a fun morning gathering chestnuts. We came early and paid $5 online for our morning reservation. They do have guest wifi but I recommend screenshotting your QR code ticket beforehand to check-in faster. Be prepared to hike a bit, the area is hilly and steep. Workers are friendly and straightforward. There are a few benches around the chestnut tree grove to sit on. There are port-a-potties and picnic tables around the parking lot area before you enter the grove. They provide you with leather gloves and buckets for you to gather chestnuts, which is very nice. I'd recommend bringing your own gloves or bringing latex gloves to wear as liners if you're not in to wearing communal gloves. The grove was quite picked through when we came on Saturday (they opened earlier in the week). We were leisurely gathering them with no goal in mind and picked 4 pounds total. It was $10.50 per lb of chestnuts if you paid by card but $10 per lb if you paid cash. They also sell chestnut roasting pans, chestnut knives, bags of chestnuts (great if you didn't harvest much or wanted large chestnuts without picking them yourself), and jars of wonderful honey. Overall, it's a fun seasonal activity and I'd definitely come back again. Chestnut season is short so check their Facebook page for updates before planning a trip. read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - Chestnuts - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

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I was so not prepared for the amount of energy chestnut picking was going to take but I still enjoyed every bit of it! My family visited on opening weekend on Sunday and we were part of the earliest group. Once you park and check in, there's a guy that will tell you all the rules for chestnut picking and if you're actually paying attention to him, the stuff he says is pretty funny. He mentioned that it's like looking for a quail egg and I thought it can't be that hard but as soon as we started- it was so friggen hard finding those dang things. We were here for about 2 hours and between my fiance and I, we gathered about a pound. You have a vast forrest area, the leaves are all brown and everywhere, there are open chestnut burrs that someone already picked through, but you're looking for something the size of a tiny quail egg. You're not allowed to knock off the chestnuts from the trees as it impacts future growth so you need to look at the ones on the ground. Sometimes you can find them just scattered about and sometimes you need to break open the burrs to get it. When you check out, there is honey from their farm that you can buy and we left with a few jars. Definitely try their chestnut honey! The hike is uphill and some parts of it are pretty steep so I recommend wearing hiking shoes and thick pants. Why thick pants? The chestnuts come in a burr and when you lose your step and falling down the hill, you definitely don't want to be pricked by those. I spent part of the afternoon with a tweezer picking out spikes from my leg. They also provide really thick gloves which I recommend using as the prickly burr will go through normal gardening gloves. I would definitely come back again but probably on the first day they open so I get a better chance at getting more! read more

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! read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - 10/23/2019: Not a big farm, but still fun! - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

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. read more

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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... read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

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! read more

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I used to come to this chestnut orchard when I was a kid every season with my mom from 2001. Back then it was free but now they slowly increased their prices per pound. It's now $7 per pound (cash) or $7.50 per pound (credit card) which is pretty steep in my opinion hence the 4 stars. But now they provide gloves, and baskets to put your chestnuts in so it's all part of the experience. It was pretty crowded on a Saturday morning so it was a little tough to find parking. Tip: the smaller chestnuts with the "white beard" at the tip are the sweetest! read more

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. read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

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

Went here a couple years ago with my kids. My grandparents used to have chestnut trees and it brought back memories from my childhood. Lots of chestnuts everywhere and friendly staff. Can't wait for it to open again this year. Don't forget to wear thick material shoes as you might step on some burrs by mistake. read more

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!) read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

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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 read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - car abandoned after getting stuck in chestnut orchard - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

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. read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

First time to Skyline Chestnut. It's on Skyline Blvd and there is a huge sign for Skyline Chestnut seen from both directions. Parking is in a dirt lot. One pit toilet available. The guy has an RV & another shack. You can pick your own chestnut or there are some already picked. It's the same price for both, $5/lb. If you want to pick your own: Grab a bucket, some gloves. I recommend you bring your own. You can only pick chestnuts on the ground, the ones in the trees aren't ripe. You can see tons of the husks everywhere. If it's empty you have to find another. There are usually about 3-4 chestnuts in each husk. I don't recommend you eat them raw. They don't taste good. Directions on how to roast them at home on the business card. I'll type it for you all: Preheat over to 350. Cut a deep "X" in the flat side of ea. nut. Arrange in a single layer on cooking sheet w/ the "X" facing up & place in preheated oven. Start checking after 8 min, once the "X" starts peeling open, they are Done! (8-12 min total cooking time). Allow to cool. Peel & Enjoy! Guy said the smaller ones are sweeter, the larger ones more meaty. He sells local Los Gatos Creek wild honey, not chestnut honey. read more

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. read more

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We stopped by for the first time about 9 days ago, the staff is super kind and informative. It takes a little bit of searching but we found some nice sized chestnuts that were a decent size under some of the trees and as we were picking more kept falling off the tree--as fresh as you can get! You just need to walk around and go up the hill a little and there are plenty of chestnuts. The chestnut honey and other honey was also delicious and we bought a bunch. First time here but definitely coming back. The drive made me and my daughter carsick so just a heads up to take some Dramamine before your drive if you easily get car sick. Will be back again next year! read more

This is a relaxing family-friendly activity - fun for all ages, especially kids since they're lower to the ground (easier for picking up chestnuts)! I've never had fresh chestnuts (straight from the tree!) and these were the most delicious I've ever tasted! Tips and info: - Check the orchard's website to make sure they're open (chestnuts are in season Oct-Nov). - $6/lb when you pay with cash. - Best to go early in the weekend (by Sunday afternoon, the chestnuts are pretty sparse). - They supply gloves and buckets. - There is no cell reception there so don't get separated from you group! - Steep hills in some parts so wear your sturdiest boots! read more

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This is a fun excursion with the added benefit of fresh chestnuts - what we'll do with those i'm not quite sure but this is the second time the family has taken a drive up the hill and enjoyed chestnut collecting and a picnic. When you get there take a minute to learn about what you should be looking for. There are two types of trees American and European with different flavors. Wear hiking boots because the shell surrounding the chestnuts are full of stickers. read more

Sunday afternoon hike plus chestnut picking- what an awesome way to end the weekend. Beautiful hills with chestnut trees scattering around. Chestnuts were good size with dark shiny brown color. Definitely will wear shoes/boots with good traction soles. Garden gloves are provided but i'd bring mine next time too. read more

Skyline Chestnuts Orchard - Fresh chesnuts - Pick Your Own Farms Near Me - La Honda, California

This place and the people who run it are full of character, good vibes, and natural goodness. What a nice surprise when out biking to discover a chestnut picking farm! We loved chatting with the keepers and wish folks like these would get more support from our local MidPen open space district. It's nice to stumble upon a folksy, kind operation that brings people together whilst out hiking or biking! read more

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ... Jack Frost nipping on your nose." It's just a cheesy holiday song, right? Nobody actually roasts chestnuts on open fires, come on! And the Jack Frost nipping thing? Freaky! Never gonna happen. Right? Wrong. It happens. And it's awesome.* Skyline Chestnut Orchard, perched 2000 feet above the Pacific Ocean on the knife's edge of Skyline Boulevard, is like some sort of Bay area Brigadoon, appearing for a few magical weeks each autumn out of the fog and mist of the redwood-covered mountains, opening its tree-lined treasures to the adventurous and the young at heart who still believe in Santa Claus and Christmas miracles and all the rest. If you can find this place (and I will not help you), you will drive up a dirt and gravel rutted road to a simple parking and picnic area. There, you will meet a tall man who will exit an RV and hand you gloves and buckets and point you in the direction of the chestnut trees. Then, you are on your own. The chestnuts burst from their spiny, sea urchin like shells when ripe and fall softly to the ground. You can collect them in great handfuls. We left with 8.5 lbs. And we could have collected more. You can also hike to the top of the orchard and exit the preserve to a lonely dirt path, named Castaña Road (what else?), where you will be treated to one of the best and most hidden vista points in all the Santa Cruz Mountains. Black Mountain and the East Bay Hills to the east, Butano Ridge, Portola Redwoods SP, and the Pacific Ocean to your West. On a gray, windswept mid-October afternoon, with thick cloud banks rolling in from the water, it is sublime beyond description. Ethereal comes to mind. Then, you can leave the orchard with the chestnuts, with chestnut honey (worth the $15 cost), a chestnut knife ($10, for making an "X" before roasting or baking or boiling them), and a heavy metal chestnut roasting pan with long handle (made in Italy, $26 for the big one). This you can use to roast your chestnuts over an open fire - literally! That's exactly what we did: the rain was falling outside, the open fire was crackling and red aglow, we placed the scored chestnuts in the pan and the pan on the burning embers, and - magic! - they roasted and popped and taste mighty fine. We'll be using them in all sorts of ways over the coming days and weeks, from desserts to breads to spreads to filling for stuffed sourdough pancakes. And we'll keep the memories of our afternoon spent chestnut picking for a lifetime. This Brigadoon won't last much longer - come soon, or lose your chance to experience the reality of Nat King Cole's famous song. Forever. (*) To MacRae O., who likes her nuts. And lots of other cool stuff, too! read more

As Autumn rushes in, so do my favorite seasonal items: Honeycrisp Apples and roasted Chestnuts. I toss the chestnuts in my toaster oven for a perfect snack. If you have tried neither, you are sorely missing out. You must make it your mission to try both, you will thank me later. I was lucky enough to go to Skyline Chestnut Orchard on the last hot weekend in November. Yes, November. 2008 has had some freaky weather. Anyway, the drive from SF to Woodside is gorgeous. I swear, for this reason alone you should head to the orchard. It can be a bit confusing and cell phone reception is iffy out there, so make sure you print out a map. As others have stated, you show up and they give you a bucket and gloves and you set off into the grove of trees to sift through the leaf litter to find your little nuggets of gold. Some of us are better at it than others. Although this excursion was my idea, I was the very worst chestnut picker ever. I stood around and watched my friends pick dozens of fat chestnuts and plonk them into their buckets while I stood standing from above, observing how our primitive hunter/gatherer instincts have suddenly come to surface. I also noticed that most of the people hunting for chestnuts were either European tourists or Asian. Azns love their chestnuts, for sure. Well, while they were hunting and gathering, I was observing and pontificating. I decided that I was glad my friends were in my cave clan because they were clearly superior food gatherers than me and without them, I'd surely starve. Bending over and sifting through leaves for hours every day would suck. I choose to declare myself the official cave painter and philosopher. If you're like me and you gave up hunting after about 3 dozen chestnuts, don't despair. The guy at the trailer has an entire cooler full of chestnuts you can supplement your bag with. Then, you get to take them home and amaze your friends at how industrious (or not) you were at the farm. Tip 1: You are given gloves to pick up the burrs and pry them apart, but be careful. The burrs have splinters that will go RIGHT THROUGH those gloves and end up sticking you in all kinds of uncomfortable places. Don't sit on the ground. And don't take off the gloves and tuck them under your armpit. These splinters know how to get around. Don't make me tell you I told you so. Tip 2: Don't forget to stop by Thomas Fogarty winery on your way home! We ended our afternoon by tasting wine, buying a bottle, and relaxing in their outdoor courtyard area. It capped a perfect day in the sun (and their bathrooms are super clean!) http://www.yelp.com/biz/thomas-fogarty-winery-woodside read more

PEOPLE Very nice people running this place. It's got a good feel. PICK'N The obvious spots are usually picked clean already. Head in to the sloped mountain side where folks wouldn't want to go. This is still picked fairly clean, BUTT, if you look for the deer poop, yee shall find glory. Dig around the poop (like 10 yard radius, primarily downhill) under the dirt and leaves. There be gold there. :) NUTS Deeees Nuts! Tasty and plump. The "soak and peel" style seems to yield the maximum yummyness IMO, but is a HUGE PINTA! (Pain in the a$$!). DRIVEWAY If you are on a motorcycle (right, why would you be?... it happens!), be aware that the driveway is steep and gravel laden. Also, best to come from the North since you might have to wait in the road to turn up the driveway... this is near a corner so you might get plowed. read more

This place is nice to upick for chestnuts, it is little bit hard driving with winding road from Los Gatos, around 30-45 minute taken. I and my wife went there at first Sat-day in Nov. and spend 3 hours there for uPick ... it was great experience for us to recall JAPANESE chestnuts. At this place, you can pick American Chestnuts and great taste ! more sweeter than Japanese one ... In this year, we went to there yesterday however everything were still on the tree and green ! We were suggested by Hans, who owned this place to come back to 2-3 weeks time... he also suggested to check Face book for skyine chestnut to see the latest news ... See you folks soon and have a nice u-pick for sweet chestnuts !! read more

Such a fun thing to do with the family. This is our second year and the nuts are getting bigger with the more rain we get. Get there early (it's about 40 minutes from South San Jose) and enjoy the cool, crisp air. Wear good shoes for the hills, some of them are really steep and the pods from the chestnuts are prickly and can hurt. Bring layers as it can be chilly on the parking lot but warm by the trees. There are picnic tables if you want to bring lunch and enjoy the amazing views. Or even warm cider or chocolate, it's a great place to enjoy the beauty of the valley. We had our share within 30 minutes of picking (off the ground) - we could have easily stayed and filled a 5 gallon bucket, there were so many HUGE nuts all over the ground and the wind was causing more to fall. read more

It's only open a month every year (about mid-October to mid-November) and it is a fantastic way to spend the day. Just be sure to dress like you're going on a hike so you can have fun scrambling for chestnuts under the trees in the orchard. They provide everything you need to pick the chestnuts. Pair it up with a meal at Alice's down the street, enjoy the amazing views on your way there and on your way back home. Stop off for a hike at Castle Rock State park if you've got the time... A great way to enjoy one of the most beautiful environments in the Bay Area. read more

https://youtu.be/usDzUdlaKo4 Our family love this chestnut orchard. Staff are very friendly and informative. We went there twice this month even though we don't live close by. Today, we gathered almost 20 lbs of sweet and flavorful chestnuts to share with friends and family. read more

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I called mid week to make sure they were open on Sunday. I drove an hour on Sunday only to have them tell me they were closed and no chestnuts left. I won't try again. read more

This place was really fun. The picking experience was really fun, but the chestnuts were super tasty too. Be sure to go early (in the season and in the day). By mid November there were not too many left, and the place is facing east so it gets dark pretty fast. Also be prepared to do a lot of hiking. The hills are pretty steep. read more

Went here today. Very nice drive on Moody Road/Page Mill Road/Hwy. 35 from Los Altos. Once we were there, we just picked up a pair of gloves and a bucket at the entrance and off we went picking all the chestnuts we wanted! Steep hill requires a bit of attention not to fall. There were so many chestnuts to pick. $5.25/lb is I think a very good price! There were also several picnic tables by the parking area with one stall of portable toilet which was a peace of mind for me ;-) The driveway into the farm off of Hwy 35 is unpaved and uphill. I had to use the first gear to go up which made me a bit nervous, but other than that, it was a wonderful day out and I know I'll be there next autumn again!! read more

As somebody who grew up where chestnut trees are abundant, I am glad that this place exists. At least we get a chance to show the next generation how beautiful those trees and nuts are. There aren't that many trees but there sure are a lot of people picking, so expect slim pickings. Go early if you can. The grounds are partly very steep, that makes picking the nuts a bit challenging. While picking chestnuts is fun, the less funny part comes at the end. That's because the price is an exorbitant $6.50/lb. That's more than store price and I will take away two stars for this. read more

Updating my last review. I had complained about the delay in getting my honey but Suzanne actually drove to my house and dropped off my honey and provided a free jar as well of another honey that's tastes of cinnamon. I got my honey!!! My faith is restored and I look forward to trying more of their products. What I have tasted so far is very, very good. read more

Who knew you could gather chestnuts anywhere in the US any more? These are much more delicious than the ones you get in the supermarket. The orchard is an idyllic retreat as well as a piece of Bay Area history. Every year I head up there to gather chestnuts and buy honey (Hans also keeps bees). Kids enjoy it too. read more

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My boyfriend and I came here on a Saturday morning to pick some chestnuts - we had been looking forward to this for a few months now. We had a blast picking chestnuts even though it was super rainy that day. After we came home, we immediately roasted a third of the chestnuts - so delicious! read more