Volcan Valley Apple Farm

We went in mid-​October 2015, and they really should have closed for the season weeks ago. Hardly an apples left. Most of the rows of trees were taped off and not open. The trees that we could access had seriously some slim pickens hanging off their branches. Sure it was fun to walk around, but the few golf ball sized apples we got were a bit depressing. Maybe it was our fault for going so late. If we go again, we’d definitely go way way way earlier in the fall.

Visited on 10−11−15
I think this was the last weekend for apple picking because there were hardly any apples left to pick. We still had a good time and I’m sure if we come earlier in the season next year, it will be better. The apples that were left were pretty tiny, about the size of an egg and most of them were browned and eaten by bugs so it was kind of hard to fill our bag.
I did like the fact that they allow dogs! My little pup loved walking around and smelling all the apples on the ground, he even tried to eat a few!

We’ve been picking apples here for years. We’ve seen it change management a few times too. Overall, we like picking apples here. It’s a no non-​sense place. You go, pay (cash) for a small-​ish paper bag, and fill it with whatever good-​sized apples you can find. We love their empire apples though!
The drought has been rough for apple trees lately, but this year they still had a decent amount! =)

This was our first time ever apple picking. I read the reviews on Unilocal and spoke w a couple of friends and we decided to come to here. It was great! We came on a Tuesday morning, so we saw two other families and had the orchard to ourselves. The man and woman working the orchard were very nice. He explained how to pick the best apples, which were better to eat, cook with, etc. It took us about half an hour to fill one bag and with a 4 yr old and a 10 month old, that was perfect. We enjoyed the experience.

Apple selection was abundant, but most were fairly small — this is probably more due to the heat this year though — the Julian area was significantly impacted by the drought this year. But it was still a lot of fun to pick our own apples. My 3 ½ year old son had a blast, and even at 43″ tall, he was able to reach a ton of apples, due to the smaller size of the trees. Ground is uneven so bring sturdy shoes, but that’s to be expected in an orchard. Great that there is a sign at the end of each row telling you which kind of apple is in that row.
Things to keep in mind when visiting:
— They only accept cash or check for the $ 12 per bag charge
— There are only outhouses (but Menghini winery is just down the road a short walk if you need a more private «setting»)
— The trees aren’t very tall, so bring hats & sunscreen
— I didn’t notice any refreshments being sold so bring your own water if you plan to be out there for any length of time

It’s a great place to take kids. Go early because it’s not much shade for those hot days.

Just went today 9/​25, there were plenty of apples for the picking. The available varieties for U-​pick right now are Jonathan, Empire, & Golden Delicious. The Jonathans were a little picked over/​not super tasty. IMHO the best tasting were the Golden Delicious (although smaller than the Empires). There are definitely some Empire trees with bigger red ripe apples rows 45 and above.
We picked 1 bag ($ 12) of Golden Delicious & Empires. I definitely would recommend going during the week to avoid the crowds. My toddler (2.5 y/​o) had a blast running through the rows and tasting each variety. Remember to bring water, sunscreen, & hats!
Bonus: there are some shades picnic tables and sitting areas for people to rest (great for me & my 2 month old). Overall a great fall family activity!

They allow dogs, which is a plus, but their orchard was almost totally bare on September 20. Walk to the lowest-​numbered rows that are still open to find the larger remaining apples if you still want to chance it. Very few Empire apples remain. The golden delicious are decimated, and there are still some Jonathan trees that have yet to fully ripen.

No frills apple farm. Show up, park, approach the tented stand, pay $ 12 for one bag (cash only) and be on your way! The farm itself is pretty big. They have some aisles caution taped off probably as they are over picked. I noticed the further down the aisles you went the more abundant the apples were. Apples were on the small side. Kids of all ages would enjoy this activity. Trees are short and apples are easily reachable for toddlers. My 3 year old had no issues filling up her Apple bag. Can easily be done picking in 45 minutes. No stand alone bathrooms just port a pottys.
Tips:
–go early in the season
–arrive before noon or it can get crowded
–sunscreen and hats
–wear closed toe shoes
Don’t expect big tasty apples. Come for the fun of picking and then drive down to Main Street for some apple pie ala mode!

I have been apple picking here for the past 4 years and love it! There are several rows to wander down and pick. There are apples high and low so it is fun for all ages. My 3 year old can easily pick his own. I always get there right when it opens as the parking lot is usually pretty full when we leave a couple hours later. They did increase the price this year to 12 $ a bag which was kind of a bummer but still well worth it. The apples are small but they are delicious!

Went there today and found the Empire apples are awesome!
Remember to bring a ice box if you are going to the Julian town afterwards.

It’s our 1^st time apple picking and this location is great since there’s plenty of parking, lots of apple trees to pick and it’s easy for the kids to pick even for my 2 year old. Many trees and not crowded which is a plus. Plenty of apples and all were sweet, just perfect and great opportunity for pictures. Stroller was hard to push, but wagon would be great especially if you have kids.
Wear closed toe shoes, don’t wear sandals like I did, that was a mistake since there could be random thorns on the ground.

They allow doggies! On leash of course. The whole visit was very easy… No line… And not crowded at all. They had two types of apples available to pick… Jonathon and Empires… Both are very tasty.

First time apple picking and we chose this over the others in the area because they allow dogs on a leash. $ 12 for a bag of self picked apples, and you can try all of the apples you want, so not a bad deal. They had four varieties of apples, of which they had an abundance of Jonathan. For the trip, we weren’t disappointed. Would love to have tasted other in season varieties aside from golden, empire and Jonathan, but over all very good experience.

My family and I went to Volcan Valley Farm last Saturday 09÷27÷14. We had a blast. There were a lot of sweet apples of several varieties. We loved the golden delicious ones. the place has tables so you can actually had a picnic there, which we did. With the apples we picked I was able to do two delicious apple pies and we still had some leftovers. This place is awesome, in front of the farm you can find a couple of wineries, we saw many people tasting some wine after picking their apples. How fun!

I rate this five stars, since it was my first time apple picking in Julian. So there is nothing to compare it to. I’ve always talked about going with family and friends throughout the years. It finally happened! We wanted to try their neighboring organic farm, but they were closed. We drove all that way to pick some apples and apple picking we were determined to do! Aside from working to harvest our apples, there were a lot of apples picked for just $ 10 a bag, awesome deal! We each brought home a lot of apples. There were different varieties. After trying the green apples, I should’ve picked more of them over the red apples. The apple varieties I picked were crisp and juicy. My bag was filled to the rim. I ended up giving some apples to family members, since there were too many for me to eat. I believe I exceeded my «An apple a day keeps the doctor away.» quota. It was well worth the trip with two cars full of fun friends for a day of apple picking.

They need competition or to limit the quantity of people to give the trees time to grow more apples! Very picked over, no cleanup of dead apples on the ground, and a big line to get in. My kids still had a good time.

After reading many negative and positive reviews about volcan and starr I decided to take my husband and friend here. There was a confusion on price an I want to clarify that the bags were $ 10 and a pretty good size. My husband and I paid for one bag (so we didnt have to both get a bag). I thought the bags would be $ 15 – 25 and we would both have to get one. It was nice to spend the extra money on lunch. The drive was long but it was super nice to get out of San Diego. If you get the chance, come here! Or Apple Starr. We may have to check that one out hext year. Oh and volcan only has like 4 dofferent kinds of apples (no pears) but every tree was very different. I loved every nibble I sampled…

We went yesterday during the julian apple festival and we all had such a great time. I have a 1 year old who LOVES apples so it was great they allow eating the apples as you pick them. We went as a group of 8 people and it’s only $ 10 per bag. They had a lot of different kinds an they have some rows on reserve so there will always be Apples for the season. There was a lot of people but with all the room you really didn’t even notice. I defiantly will be coming back.
Ps the apples are so tasty.

Tasty apples and the fun of picking your own make this a great stop when visiting Julian during apple season.
— There is not much else to this apple orchard other than rows of trellised apple trees.
— They let you sample as you pick
— Many of the apples have worm holes. I think that’s a good thing.
— Unfortunately there are several wineries /​tasting rooms on this same street. Watch out for tipsy people walking in the middle of the road completely oblivious to traffic.
Tip — It’s pretty packed on the weekends, but if you keep driving down the road you can actually park behind the orchard and enter there.