Apple Picking in the Catskills After the April Freeze

Apple picking in the Catskills looks different this year, and the reason is a single cold night in April. After an early, warm spring pushed fruit trees into bloom, temperatures fell below 23 degrees in late April and killed buds across the region. In July the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted a disaster declaration for Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia and Greene counties, among others, according to the Daily Freeman. Ulster County’s executive said some farms lost as much as 90% of their crop.

So the 2026 rule for an orchard day is simple: call before you drive. Then shop like it matters, because this year it does. This guide pairs the U-pick farms we could verify with the farm stands and markets that keep going after the picking runs thin. It is a shopping route, not a restaurant list; for that, see our guide to planning food around midweek hours and our places to eat.

Why the freeze changes the plan

Officials told the Daily Freeman that the frost hit hardest at higher elevations, and that apples, cherries, peaches, plums, pears, grapes and strawberries were all affected. Many orchards are open anyway, but “open” and “ready to pick” are different things. Varieties sell out, U-pick blocks close early, and a farm stand may be selling apples it bought from a neighbor. None of that makes the trip worse. It just means a phone call beats a Google listing.

Governor Hochul’s message in the same article was direct: buy from local growers, at the farm or through the products they make. Cider, doughnuts, pies, preserves, maple and honey all count, and they do not depend on a single variety being on the tree the day you show up.

This is the year to buy the pie, not just pick the bag.

Greene County: Boehm Farm, Climax

Boehm Farm has been growing fruit in Greene County since 1903 and is the closest U-pick orchard to a Hunter base that we could confirm. Its site lists apples, including Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp and McIntosh, with a key showing which are on the stand and which are in the trees. Pick-your-own pumpkins are listed too. The stand menu reads like a reason to skip lunch: doughnuts, cookies, apple dumplings, and pies from apple crumb to fruit of the forest.

Two practical notes. The farm is closed on Tuesdays. And it is in Climax, out toward the Hudson side of Greene County, so pair it with a lower-elevation drive rather than a mountain day. The September 30 foliage report had Greenville, the nearest Greene County town in the report, at 30% change.

Ulster County: Stone Ridge Orchard

Stone Ridge Orchard is a 200-year-old working farm on 115 acres in the Rondout Valley. It lists U-pick apples and Asian pears from Labor Day weekend until the end of October, every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the farm stand open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On weekends in September and October, the Farm Bar pours cider flights and New York beer and wine from noon to 6 p.m.

This one is a real drive from Hunter, so make it the day rather than a detour. Ulster’s county executive said its orchards and vineyards were hit particularly hard, so the call-first rule matters most here. The variety list on the orchard’s homepage is dated 2024, not 2026.

Schoharie County: the Carrot Barn

Route 30 through the Schoharie Valley is farm country, and the Carrot Barn at Schoharie Valley Farms is the easiest stop to plan around: open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with local dairy, honey, frozen meats, eggs, maple syrup, jams and sauces alongside its own produce. It is the place to stock a cabin kitchen for a whole weekend in one stop.

Schoharie County is also where our next cabin is. Juniper Ridge, in Jefferson, is coming soon and not yet bookable. If a Schoharie farm day is on your list, it is worth following.

Delaware County: Pakatakan at the Round Barn

Pakatakan Farmers’ Market sets up every Saturday in the Kelly Round Barn on Route 30 in Halcottsville Its regular season runs through October 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; from October 17 to November 28 it becomes the annual holiday market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is rain or shine, and no dogs. Vendors cover vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy, maple, honey, baked goods, eggs, food to eat on site, and crafts.

Pair it with the Route 28 side of the mountains. The September 30 report had Belleayre Mountain in Highmount at 65% change, and Route 28 past Belleayre is one way to get there from Hunter.

What to ask when you call

Keep the call short and specific. Ask whether U-pick is open that day, not just whether the farm is open. Ask which varieties are in the trees and which are only on the stand. Ask whether weekend crowds or weather have changed the hours. If the answer is “not much left to pick,” that is fine. Go for the stand, buy the cider and the baked goods, and save the picking for another year. A good orchard day in 2026 is one that ends with something you bought from the people who grew it.

Bring it back to the cabin

The point of a farm-stand day is the evening it sets up. Pick one stop, buy more than you planned, and cook it where you are staying. Apples and a cast-iron pan cover dessert. Cider covers the rest. If you only have one day, here are three ways to plan it:

Short: Boehm Farm for pie and whatever is on the stand, home by mid-afternoon.
Long: Saturday morning at Pakatakan, a Route 28 drive past Belleayre, back for dinner.
Stock-up: The Carrot Barn on Route 30, with a cooler in the trunk.

Need a kitchen to bring it all back to? Clove Creek Cabin in Hunter, NY has a hot tub, sauna and fire pit for after the farm run. Check dates and book Clove Creek.