Highland Orchards
Orchard · Pennsylvania
West Chester's go-to orchard for pick-your-own fruit, with a corn maze, apple cannons, and hayrides filling out the fall lineup alongside a bakery known for apple cider donuts once named among the best in Philadelphia. The farm market and picking fields sit just outside town, an easy add-on to a Brandywine Valley day trip.
Don’t miss
Plan your visit
Color nearby peaks: October 29–November 2
Color builds from October 16 · mostly bare by November 22
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Highland Orchards’s own coordinates and elevation (143 m) rather than a regional average. Estimates, not promises — check locally before you plan a trip around it.
Highland Orchards on the map
More things to do in Pennsylvania
Longwood Gardens
GardenPeak November 1
Pierre S. du Pont's 1,100-acre estate near Kennett Square anchors its fall season with the Chrysanthemum Festival (some 4,500 mums, including an 18-month-trained 'thousand bloom' specimen) set against woodland and meadow color running into mid-November.
Don’t miss: Chrysanthemum Festival · 1,100 acres of gardens and meadow · Conservatory displays
Eastern State Penitentiary
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 3
Philadelphia's crumbling 1829 penitentiary (one of the first true prisons in the world, abandoned in 1971) turns its cellblocks into Halloween Nights each fall: five haunted houses and an outdoor scare zone staffed by 200-plus performers, running select nights from mid-September through Halloween.
Don’t miss: Five haunted house experiences · 200+ live performers · Set inside an 1829 former penitentiary
Ricketts Glen State Park
State parkPeak October 17
The Falls Trail's 7.1-mile loop threads past 22 named waterfalls, including the 94-foot Ganoga Falls, through a National Natural Landmark old-growth forest. Fall color across the 13,050-acre park peaks mid-to-late October, with the Route 118 trailhead near Benton the standard starting point.
Don’t miss: 7.1-mile Falls Trail loop · 22 named waterfalls · 94-ft Ganoga Falls
Leonard Harrison State Park
State parkPeak October 15
The east rim overlook of Pine Creek Gorge (800 feet deep and nearly 4,000 feet across, and nicknamed the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon) turns into a sea of red and gold each October. Leonard Harrison donated the 585-acre park's land in 1922; its visitor center sits steps from the main overlook.
Don’t miss: 800-ft-deep gorge overlook · Visitor center at the rim · Pine Creek Rail Trail access
Plan from a city
Frequently asked
- When does Highland Orchards peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 29–November 2 (best estimate October 31). Color starts around October 16 and is mostly bare by November 22.
- What is Highland Orchards best for?
- A Brandywine Valley stop with cider donuts.
- How do I get to Highland Orchards?
- The closest city is Philadelphia, about 28 mi away. It's part of Pennsylvania's fall lineup.
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