Apple picking near Toronto in 2026: compare orchard costs before you go

Which orchard fits your group?

Choose your priority before comparing prices: a bag of fruit to share, a relaxed outing with other farm activities, or a specific apple variety. Then count everyone entering, including people who plan to watch while others pick.

A bigger bag only offers value if you want the apples and can use them. Agree on how the fruit will be divided before paying, especially when several households travel together.

Downey’s in Caledon: calculate the bag requirement

The Caledon orchard page lists a 10 lb bag at $28 for up to three people and a 20 lb bag at $46 for up to five. Bags are purchased at entry. Four visitors therefore need more than one small bag; one large bag is $10 less than two small bags at the posted rates. That comparison covers the bag purchase only.

Use 13707 Heart Lake Road. Hours are listed as 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily, with field entry ending at 5 p.m. The orchard restricts bags, large purses, backpacks and diaper bags, so resolve how you will carry necessary items before leaving home. Do not confuse an apple outing here with admission to the separately operated Pumpkinfest across the road.

Applewood in Stouffville: confirm the conflicting admission figures

At 12416 McCowan Road, Applewood’s admissions page lists $13 entry for ages three and up, plus $20 for a small apple bag or $35 for a large one. Its apple-picking page also contains a $14 admission figure and older pricing blocks. We cannot responsibly choose a definitive 2026 admission price from those conflicting statements.

Call 905-640-5357 before travelling and ask for the current per-person rate and bag charge. The admissions page says reservations are not taken. Its labelled 2026 schedule is Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and weekends, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; ordinary Mondays and Tuesdays are closed. Last entry is one hour before closing. Thanksgiving Sunday and holiday Monday use shorter hours.

Chudleigh’s: book a later date; September 26–27 is sold out

Chudleigh’s lists its orchard at 9528 Regional Road 25, Halton Hills. The admissions calendar requires online advance tickets for a specific three-hour session. The start time is the beginning of your visit, rather than a flexible arrival window. Allow for the journey and check-in when choosing it.

The farm says general admission is sold out for Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27, and it does not accept walk-ins. Check its online calendar for a later date before travelling. We have not verified a final checkout total, so no universal adult price is quoted here.

At our September 25 check, the crop page marked Honeycrisp, Kerr Mini, Red Delicious and Northern Spy as “Picking Now,” while McIntosh and Cortland were sold out. Read it again for your chosen date: booking farm admission does not guarantee a particular crop will remain available.

Choose apples around what you will do with them

Give the trip a simple purpose. A household wanting lunchbox fruit may want a different amount from friends planning to bake together. Write down the amount you expect to use, how much space you have at home and who will take any surplus. This makes the bag decision easier at the entrance.

If one variety is the reason for the drive, check its live status that morning and have a second acceptable choice. A farm’s list of varieties grown is not the same as a list of fruit ready today. Ask staff which rows are open and follow their picking instructions. Keep picked fruit with your group instead of filling a bag first and deciding what you want afterwards.

Plan the return trip as carefully as the arrival

These addresses lie in different parts of the GTA. Compare a route from your actual starting point rather than relying on a blanket “one hour from Toronto” estimate. A west-end group and an east-end group may reach very different decisions even before ticket prices enter the calculation.

Without a car, check the complete outbound and return journey to the farm entrance. A transit route reaching a nearby town does not establish an easy final connection. Include the cost of any taxi, rental or organized transport in your comparison, and confirm a way home before buying a timed ticket.

For mobility needs, ask about the current route between parking, check-in and the picking rows, along with washroom access. Describe the assistance required; general photographs cannot establish whether the surface will work for your group after rain.

Make one main booking and keep the rest flexible

Leave space in the day for the harvest itself. A rigid sequence of farms, lunch reservations and another ticketed attraction can turn a small delay into a missed session. Decide whether picking is the whole outing or one stop, then choose any extra activity that fits the remaining time.

For an autumn outing built around a different activity, read our South Simcoe Railway fall train update. If the forecast changes the plan, our free Toronto museum guide explains the booking rules for indoor alternatives. Check the farm’s cancellation terms before replacing an existing reservation.