 
Starting in September most years, Apple Hill growers are open for visitors (and a few are open year-round). You'll find all sorts of goodies and activities.
Apple Hill is located in the Camino-Placerville area of El Dorado County. The ideal growing season, 2500 to 3000' elevation with a long,
chilly dormant season, helps ranchers produce great tasting apples that rival out-of-state crops. 
The beginning of Apple Hill can be traced back to 1951, when Floyd Bolster retired to Camino to enjoy working his new 10-acre apple ranch. Marilyn Thomas was a trend-setter in selling her fresh-baked apple pies at a roadside stand in Apple Hill. In 1964, the Apple Hill 'Big Four' (Gene Bolster, Dick Bethell, Ed Delfino, and Bob Tuck) started the Apple Hill Growers Association. Apple Hill has grown from 16 original ranchers to 45 ranches, including tree farms,
vineyards, and wineries, and still attracts people from around the world.
The Rhode Island Greening, which is considered the oldest apple tree in El Dorado County, is located at Larsen's Ranch. If you long for the apples of your youth, visit Bolster's Hilltop Ranch, where they have collected a number of antique varieties. On Pony Express Trail, you can see one of the original fruit stands, where the Fryk's sold fruit from their ranch.
The community has gone to great lengths to preserve the history of Apple Hill, offering the public not only a great day in the foothills but also an opportunity to step back in time. So head for Apple Hill for an old-fashioned picnic at these working ranches—and savor a bygone era.
Remember, a piece of fresh-baked apple pie awaits!
For more about Apple Hill, including tree farms, visit their website.
|
