The Best Fruit and Berry Picking in Portland

We’re lucky here in the Willamette Valley to have access to so many farms, and with those farms comes one of my favorite family-friendly outdoor activities: berry picking in Portland! U-pick season in Oregon offers berries of all kinds, peaches, apples, pears, and more. I love to pack the kids into the car and drive over to our favorite farms in the summer and fall. It means a morning spent outdoors (my favorite!), kids getting their energy out by picking fruit, and when we get home, we have fruit for all kinds of pies, canning, jams, and just eating! Here’s a roundup of my favorite farms for berry picking in Portland, and my favorite orchards for apple picking in Portland:

Berry Picking in Portland

Rowell Brothers

This is an easy one-stop for so many kinds of berries in the small community of Scholls just south of Hillsboro. They offer Marionberries, boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries: just check their website before you come to see what’s ripe and ready to pick! 

Rowell Brothers Farm, 24100 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Hillsboro, Oregon 97123, 503-628-0431

 

Smith Berry Barn

My favorite stop for family-friendly berry picking near Portland, Smith Berry Barn also has a year-round Garden Market shop with the sweetest little locally sourced treasures! In the spring, their shop has a great nursery to help grow your home garden, and in the summer you can pick strawberries (look for Hood Strawberries in early June!), raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, tayberries. In the late summer and early fall, they offer u-pick apples and pears in their orchards. They have farm animals you can see near the orchards. Whatever season you’re there, make sure to hop across the road to the truly delightful South Store Cafe for a quick snack or lunch!

Smith Berry Barn, 24500 SW Scholls Ferry Road Hillsboro, OR 97123, 503-628-2172

 

Hoffman Farms

This is a favorite stop for u-pick strawberries near Portland for our family! Their well-stocked farm store offers pies baked right there on the farm, and after filling up on pie, kids can hop on a ride on their kid-sized train around the fields in the fall. I love the u-pick blueberries personally, but they also have marionberries, blackberries, and tayberries. Don’t forget to hit their pumpkin patch in the fall! Call ahead to see what’s ready to pick, or visit their website here:

Hoffman Farms, 22242 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton, OR 97007, 503-628-5418

Red Berry Barn

A landmark right off Highway 99 in Sherwood, Red Berry Barn is a must-see in the summertime. They offer u-pick strawberries, blueberries, marionberries, and more on their farm. Pre-picked berries are available if you call ahead! Even if you’re not berry picking, the Red Berry Barn is worth a stop for their adorable farm store, where you can pick up some incredible pies and other treats. In the spring, don’t miss their hanging flower baskets: pick one up and let the kids play on the play equipment set up at the farm.

Red Berry Barn, 19200 SW Chapman Rd, Sherwood, OR 97140, 503-925-1700

 

U-Pick Peaches in Portland

Grossen Peaches

Family-owned for three generations, Grossen Peaches offers u-pick peaches in Helvetia, just off Highway 26 west of Portland. You can also snag some of their peach and apple hard ciders from their Helvetia Cider Company if you’re at Grossen Farms during peach season! 

Grossen Peaches, 23678 NW Grossen Dr, Hillsboro OR 97124, 503-647-0005

 

Douglas Farms

This Sauvie Island Farm has a ton of options for u-pick, both fruits and vegetables. In the summer, pick Veteran Peaches, tomatoes, and pears. In the fall, don’t miss their hayrides and no-spray apple picking! If you aren’t up for u-pick, they have a great farm stand where you can shop their market on your trip to Sauvie Island.

Douglas Farms, 15330 NW Sauvie Island Rd. Portland, OR 97231, 503-621-3177

 

Apple Picking in Portland

Jossy Farms

Jossy Farms in North Plains is a local staple for apples, pears, and hazelnuts. Their farm has been family-owned since 1885, and when a hard freeze and disease killed their peach orchards in 2017, they turned their focus to apples. I love visiting them for their friendly help as I steer my kids through the orchards to pick Gravenstein apples, and I respect the grit that they show on their website with farmer Bob Jossy’s quote about the loss of his peach trees: “When life gives you lemons make lemonade. When Mother Nature kills your lemon trees, plant something else.” I’m so glad that this local gem of a u-pick farm is still trucking! Get details on visiting here.

Jossy Farms, 31965 NW Beach Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97124, 503-647-5234

 

Sherwood Orchards

Sherwood Orchards is my favorite hidden gem for apple picking! Set on the hillside just west of Sherwood, you’ll find stunning views of the Chehalem Mountains (stop by a few hours before sunset to see the light glow over the mountain ridge). The 26 acre farm is home to a great variety of apple orchards (over 70 kinds of apples!), so check their website or call ahead to see if your favorite apples are ripe and ready to pick. They also offer cherries, plums, prunes, pears, quince, and persimmons at their farm.

Sherwood Orchards, 23995 SW Pacific Hwy, Sherwood, OR 97140, 503-625-7705

Douglas Farms

If you’re visiting Sauvie Island, don’t miss Douglas Farm’s apple picking! They offer no-spray apples for u-pick as well as pre-picked flats of apples at their farm stand. 

Douglas Farms, 15330 NW Sauvie Island Rd. Portland, OR 97231, 503-621-3177

 

Smith Berry Barn

Although they’re known for their fantastic strawberry picking in Portland, Smith Berry Barn also has apple orchards where you can do some apple picking in the fall! 

Smith Berry Barn, 24500 SW Scholls Ferry Road Hillsboro, OR 97123 503-628-2172

Day Trip Farm Stands and Berry Picking outside of Portland

Hood River Fruit Loop

Hood River Fruit Loop is a 35-mile loop through the farmlands in Hood River Valley, about an hour away from Portland. Wind through the rolling hills and stop along the way at any of the 27 fruit stands, flower fields, and wineries to experience all that the local farms have to offer! See all the details and snag a map here.

 

When can you pick apples?

…and strawberries, and blueberries. If you’re new to u-pick farms, you might not be sure of when to plan your visit. The easy answer is to check their website in advance of when you’d like to go to see how their crop is doing. Weather and different varieties of each fruit can drastically change when each crop is ready to pick, and even if it’s officially strawberry season, your favorite farm might close for a day or two to allow fruit to ripen before reopening to u-pick. So your best bet is to check the farm’s website or social media, or give them a quick call to make sure you’re headed out at the right time. In general, though, here’s an overview of my favorite u-pick crops and their seasons, courtesy of the Hood River Fruit Loop’s website:

• Strawberries: June
• Lavender: June-July
• Cherries: Mid-June through August
• Blueberries: July-Oct
• Peaches: July-September
• Pears: August-October
• Apples: August-October

 

How to bring your kids berry picking:

Berry and fruit picking is one of my favorite activities with my kids! We get to be outdoors, in a beautiful spot, and we get the BEST tasting food from our work. With a little planning ahead, you can be sure to have a good shot at a great berry picking trip with kids.

Call ahead

When you’ve decided on a farm, check their website or call ahead to verify that they’re open and the fruit you want to pick is available for u-pick. Farms will often close their fields for ripening for a day or two in the middle of picking season if they’ve had a lot of traffic. Make sure you won’t be in for a surprise closing when you show up. 

Leave pets at home

Farms are under USDA guidelines that restrict animals in the fields, so dogs and other animals are not allowed in the u-pick fields. Cars in parking lots can quickly get dangerously hot for animals, so keep them safe by leaving them at home.

Wear appropriate clothing and footwear

Farm fields can be dusty, muddy, and uneven. Dress in layers for the weather in clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and choose closed-toe sneakers to avoid trips and falls. 

Pack sunscreen, a hat, and water

U-pick fields don’t have any shade, so prepare with sunscreen and hats!

Go in the morning on hot days

If you’re headed out in the heat of summer, try to schedule your u-pick farm visit in the early morning if you can to avoid overheating. On the hottest days, many farms may close early anyway—so get out bright and early for a crisp summer morning of berry picking.

 

I hope this roundup of my favorite berry picking in Portland helps you! Let me know in the comment if there’s a farm I should check out!

In search of more family adventures in Portland? Check out my post on the 7 best toy stores in Portland, Oregon, or see my other Wanderlust Wednesday posts here.

 

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