Marker-Miller Orchards
Donuts & cider · Virginia
This Winchester farm market fries apple cider donuts most mornings and keeps a full bakery case of pies and cakes next to its produce stand. Pick-your-own apples run from early August into November in the heart of Frederick County's orchard country, a short detour off Route 50.
Don’t miss
Plan your visit
Color nearby peaks: October 20–October 24
Color builds from October 7 · mostly bare by November 13
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Marker-Miller Orchards’s own coordinates and elevation (240 m) rather than a regional average. Estimates, not promises — check locally before you plan a trip around it.
Marker-Miller Orchards on the map
More things to do in Virginia
Skyline Drive
Scenic drivePeak October 21
Shenandoah National Park's 105-mile ridge-top drive along the Blue Ridge crest strings together 75 overlooks of the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont, with color typically peaking mid-to-late October at the higher elevations near the Front Royal entrance.
Don’t miss: 105 miles along the Blue Ridge crest · 75 scenic overlooks · Peak color mid-to-late October
Old Rag Mountain
TrailPeak October 20
The 9-mile circuit to Old Rag's 3,284-foot summit climbs through a mile-long boulder scramble that's become Virginia's most popular hike, so popular that a capped day-use ticket, bought in advance on recreation.gov, is now required year-round on top of the park entrance pass.
Don’t miss: Signature summit boulder scramble · 3,284-ft summit · Advance day-use ticket required
Cox Farms
FarmColor nearby peaks October 31
This Centreville farm runs a daytime Fall Festival of slides, hayrides, and pumpkins alongside Fields of Fear, a nighttime haunted attraction with a scare-zone cornfield and hayride, on Friday and Saturday nights from late September into early November.
Don’t miss: Fall Festival slides and hayrides · Fields of Fear haunted nights · Cornightmare cornfield maze
Great Falls Park
National parkPeak November 2
The Potomac drops 76 feet over jagged bedrock cascades at this 800-acre National Park Service site near McLean, with cliffside trails past the ruins of George Washington's Patowmack Canal offering some of the region's most dramatic river-gorge foliage views.
Don’t miss: 76-ft Potomac River cascades · Historic Patowmack Canal ruins · Cliffside overlook trails
Plan from a city
Frequently asked
- When does Marker-Miller Orchards peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 20–October 24 (best estimate October 22). Color starts around October 7 and is mostly bare by November 13.
- What is Marker-Miller Orchards best for?
- A donut stop on a Shenandoah Valley apple run.
- How do I get to Marker-Miller Orchards?
- The closest city is Washington, DC, about 65 mi away. It's part of Virginia's fall lineup.
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