Grab a bag and get picking with these orchards and farms that are home to the best apple picking in and around Montreal.
Apple picking season in Quebec is short and sweet, with peak freshness starting in mid-August and ending just before the beginning of November. A great fall family activity, a lot of these spots also produce a selection of ciders (cue a spontaneous fall road trip from Montreal). These are U-pick orchards and farms that offer at least a dozen different apple varieties to choose from at varying times of the season (in addition to pears, plums and pumpkin picking in the mix). Take your pick!
Apple picking season in Montréal runs from late August to October, with peak harvest happening in September and early October. The ideal time depends on the varieties you’re after—early apples like Paula Red or Sunrise are ready in August, while Honeycrisp and Cortland ripen from mid-September into October. To plan your visit, it’s best to check the orchard’s website for their apple availability calendar.
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Drive time from Montreal: 35 minutes
Straight south of Montreal in the town of Hemmingford is where you’ll find Vergers Écologiques Philion. U-pick your way through over 15 different types of apples, Flemish Beauty pears and Mount Royal plums. Don’t miss out on their small but award-winning selection of ice cider and pear ice wine.
Drive time from Montreal: 40 minutes
It’s got a century of apple expertise under its belt, so you know the Lafrances are specialists even before you get a taste of their apple donuts. Pick up some of their ice ciders, jams, pastries and more at this Saint-Joseph-du-Lac spot before setting off for a promenade among the trees, where you can fill your bags with apples, pears or plums. And in the spring, come back for their sugar shack.
Drive time from Montreal: 40 minutes
Organic U-picks aren’t super common, so this Saint-Joseph-du-Lac orchard and its 18 varieties of apples may be lower on pomp and circumstance than some of the other orchards on this list, but it’s perfect for those seeking an experience of harmony with nature. They also have pears, plums, grapes, squashes and pumpkins, depending on the season, plus a ton of sweet treats to grab from their pretty boutique.
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Drive time from Montreal: 45 minutes
Located east of Montreal in Mont-Saint-Hilaire is Le Flanc Nord Verger & Cidrerie. With apple picking available from mid-August to mid-October and pumpkins from September to October, there’s plenty of time to get in on the fall festivities. Don’t forget to check out their selection of ice ciders that they have been producing since 2011.
Drive time from Montreal: 45 minutes
Mont-Saint-Grégoire is home to this apple orchard and cidery located to the east of Montreal. With almost 30,000 trees growing more than 15 different apple varieties, you can take your time finding your favourites. Sparkling and ice ciders are available here, as well as a creperie that offers Breton crêpes—many of which are filled with apples, of course.
Drive time from Montreal: 45 minutes
Cidrerie-Verger Léo Boutin near Mont-Saint-Grégoire has been around since 1980 and features u-pick apples throughout the late summer into mid-fall. They also make over ten different kinds of cider and other fruit-based spirits, including both ice and sparkling ciders as well as a pear wine and blackcurrant liqueur. Hungry? You can get a country-style meal featuring Breton crêpes to refuel.
Drive time from Montreal: 45 minutes
Growing out of an orchard that was planted back in 1920, the Hemmingford-based Petch Orchards has been providing apples to locals and travellers alike through harsh ice storms and heat waves alike. A resilient patch of green south of Montreal, they now host picnics in the summer alongside U-picking 24 varieties of apples when the season starts, including rare heirloom apples. They mean business, too; they've got a whole chart to consult about which apples are best when.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
West of Montreal in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac is Verger et Cidrerie Lacroix, because the only thing better than apples for eating are apples for drinking. Once you’ve had your fill with the u-pick, be sure to stock up on award-winning dry, sparkling and ice cider. Their Lacroix 1er Gel is made from late harvest apples picked after the first frost and is the ideal balance of sweet and aromatic.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
Located near the town of Dunham in the Eastern Townships is Paradis des Fruits, a literal paradise for pick-your-own fruit throughout the seasons. Come fall though, apples reign supreme, with 22 different types on offer. Its location is also the perfect excuse to make a day trip and enjoy the wine tasting in the region as well.
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Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
Located west of the city near Saint-Eustache is La magie de la pomme. A family operation with over 200 years of history in the area, they offer something for all ages including apple donuts for the kids and cider for the adults. The property is also home to a sugar shack, so even if you visit in fall, stocking up on maple syrup is a must.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
This orchard near Saint-Joseph-du-Lac has offered U-pick since 1979 (both apples and pumpkins are available here). You can also make a day of it with one of their packages which includes apple picking, a farm visit and a picnic to fuel up afterwards. Whether you love or hate them, they also produce brussels sprouts, so grab some of those too.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
Just north of Oka, Labonté de la pomme is both an apple orchard and a honey producer, so it’s essential to come with your sweet tooth at the ready. Check out their apple shack which follows the concept of a sugar shack, but with apples as the star ingredient. Menu items include offerings that range from their apple, maple and honey sausage to Applewood-smoked rainbow trout.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
This spot to the west of Montreal is part apple orchard, part chocolate factory. Start your day by hand picking from their 25+ varieties of apples and finish off by treating yourself to chocolate treats like their chocolate covered apples. Ciders are also available, and their on-site café features an apple-oriented menu with sweet and savoury options.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
Oka’s Jude-Pomme offers apple and pear U-pick, as well as eight different varieties of plums for those who prefer stone fruit, all available for harvesting from August to early October. Stock up on a bit of everything and you can get to work on your own homemade preserves, or just snacking where you stand.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
Just west of the island of Montreal is Quinn Farm, situated near Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot. Not only can you pick your own apples, sweet corn is also available until the end of August. If you’re visiting with kids, no day at the farm would be complete without saying hi to the animals and checking out their play area with mazes and other activities.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
Sure, they have apples, but the picking goes season-long at this U-pick spot in Mont-Rouge: you can pick tomatoes, strawberries, onions, eggplant, peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and more, depending on when you visit. There’s a casse-croûte on the spot, too, that serves up pizza, Euro-style hot dogs, traditional Quebec potato donuts and apple fritters, so come early and make a day of it.
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Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour
This family joint in Mont Saint-Grégoire has been going since 1945, today with 2,000 apple trees on its sprawling estate that you can take your pick of — literally. Grab a ride on the carousel, pet the animals, enjoy a cider tasting and stock up on tourtière, pie, jams, jellies and syrups all made from family recipes.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour 15 minutes
Apple pies, apple donuts, apple cider, and—oh yeah—picking your own apples. With the orchard open to everyone from late August to late October and a sugar shack going full tily with maple syrup in March and April, you can trust that the owners and operators at Hillspring not only know how grow a good variety of apple (10,000 trees with 13 varieties to be precise); they know how to cook it up, too.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour 15 minutes
In the apple-rich lands of Saint-Hilaire, this orchard can brag about both its 20 award-winning ciders (fill your trunk before you leave) and 50,000 apple trees that you can pick from between late August and early November. From melbas to sunrises, spartans to honeycrisps, there are about a dozen varieties to choose from, plus a petting zoo, a labyrinth, a huge wooden game structure and tractor rides to keep the tots entertained.
Drive time from Montreal: 1 hour 30 minutes
Au cœur de la pomme is south-east of Montreal in Frelighsburg in the Eastern Townships. Grab apples to go or pick them yourself, but don’t neglect to check out their homemade apple cider vinegar and selection of apple-based preserves. U-pick begins in early September, while their boutique and orchard are open to the public (pay for what you pick, obviously) from mid-August to mid-November.
Travel time: 2 hours
It’s worth a couple hours’ drive through picturesque Eastern Township vistas to visit Gros Pierre, a popular apple picking destination in warmer months that turns over to pumpkins and squash in fall. Make sure you buy a couple of their apple-chocolate “baluchons” to take home: whole apples encased in glorious pastry.
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