Summer in Colorado is prime for backyard barbecues, hiking fourteeners, and feasting on fresh fruits and veggies. And while the many Denver-area farmers’ markets are a great place to stock up on locally grown goodies, nothing beats gathering produce straight from the vine (or tree, or bush). Slather on your sunscreen, wear your sturdiest shoes, and enjoy the fruits of your labor at these Colorado U-pick farms.

Mother Nature can be fickle, so the picking dates below are estimates. Before heading to a farm, always check its website or social media for its exact pick-your-own seasons.

Related Articles

Adam’s Apple Orchard & Country Store

  • Address: 42135 Weld County Road 43, Ault
  • Picking season: Mid-August–October
  • Pricing: No admission fee, pay per pound for produce
  • Reservations: Not required

For a fun day trip, follow I-76 up to Ault, Colorado, home of Adam’s Apple Orchard. Owners Mike Biwer and Will Perez opened the orchard in Ault (which stands for “A Unique Little Town”) to provide locals with fresh, locally grown fruits. While the apples aren’t ripe for picking until later in the summer, the country store sells goodies such as cherries, peaches, and apple cider from both its own farm and others around the state. This is also one of the few apple orchards relatively close to Denver that doesn’t require u-pick reservations. Heirloom and antique varieties are standouts here, with 149 kinds of apples, 15 types of plums, six kinds of pears, and more across some 2,000 trees.

Berry Patch Farms

  • Address: 13785 Potomac St., Brighton
  • Picking season: June–October
  • Pricing: No admission fee; pay per pound for produce
  • Reservations: Required for berry and cherry picking

Front Rangers have been plucking produce from the vines of this 40-acre, certified organic farm since 1994. Slip on your sneakers and fill a provided container with gold, black, and red raspberries; basil; tart pie cherries; strawberries; or pickling cucumbers. 

If you miss the first round of strawberries, which should ripen in mid-June this year, check back in August for the second crop. Flowers, including bachelor buttons, zinnias, and dozens of other varieties, will be available starting in mid-June and continuing all summer. Check the website for the latest updates and to book your spot, or visit on June 27 for the Strawberry Moon Festival, where you can see the farm from the skies during a hot air balloon ride.

Garden Sweet

You-Pick entrance trailer at Garden Sweet
Photo courtesy of Garden Sweet
  • Address: 719 W Willox Lane, Fort Collins
  • Picking season: May—October
  • Pricing: $5 admission per person online, $10 for walk-ins; $20 for a cup of flowers, $60 for a bucket of flowers; apple and berry pricing is TBD
  • Reservations: Recommended

This Fort Collins farm is best known for its flower picking and build-your-own-bouquet opportunities, but it’s also a great spot to gather juicy apples, raspberries, and strawberries (VIP members get first dibs, though there are usually enough berries for everyone to enjoy). Weekends can get busy, so reserving ahead online is a good call. In the fall you can pick pumpkins and squash, and there’s no telling what other seasonal produce you might find at the farm stand—asparagus, beets, turnips, melons, and peppers, just to name a few, plus starters for growing your own garden at home. Follow along on Instagram or Facebook for updates.

Worrell Family Farms and Orchard

  • Address: 36459 County Road 43, Eaton
  • Picking season: Mid-July–Late October
  • Pricing: $10 entrance fee per car, pay per pound for produce
  • Reservations: Not required

Tucked away in Eaton, Colorado, Worrell Family Farms is a Weld County fixture that lets you pick 30 different apple varieties off of its 1,000-plus orchard trees. The Huang family, who run the farm, use organic-friendly pesticide practices and no herbicides, making this a good U-pick for those concerned about chemicals on their fruit. In addition to apples, you can pick mulberries, elderberries, pears, and peaches.

Bring your own containers to carry your bounty or borrow some from the farm. Once you’ve loaded up your bag with fresh fruit, swing by the new petting zoo to meet the farm’s shaggy Highland cow, goats, rabbit, chickens, ponies, and mules. Check Facebook for updates on what’s ripe and ready; reservations aren’t required, and the farm is only open on Saturdays.

Ya Ya Farm and Orchard

Peaches, cider, and jams on a table.
Assorted goods from Ya Ya Farm and Orchard. Photo courtesy of Ya Ya Farm and Orchard
  • Address: 6914 Ute Highway, Longmont
  • Picking season: July–October
  • Pricing: No admission fee, TBD cost for this year’s produce
  • Reservations: Required for apple and pear picking

Ya Ya Farm and Orchard has been a top spot near Denver for picking heirloom apples, pears, and cherries since 2003. Though dates can vary, picking typically begins in late June or early July, when the tart pie cherries ripen. Those are a hot ticket, with the majority going to CSA members. Follow the farm’s Facebook page for a chance to snag leftover cherries. Apples and pears will follow, with dates stretching into October. You can even adopt your own apple tree ($100 for a year), paying for its upkeep and enjoying a half-peck (about five pounds) of the fruit it grows.

While you’re on the property, be sure to say hello to the resident Percheron draft horses, mini donkeys, chickens, and peacocks. You need to make a reservation online before picking pears and apples, but you can show up unannounced if you just want flowers or cherries (the latter will go fast—as always, check social media before you head out). Leave your bags at home, as you must purchase a bag on-site.