With the weather cooling off and the colours of the trees starting to change, there are so many fun fall activities to do around Ottawa! One of my personal favourites is apple picking. Throwing on your favourite cozy sweater. Connecting and supporting local farms. Enjoying the beautiful landscape. Eating delicious apples. It's wonderful!
What makes apple picking even better? Bringing your dog along for the fun!
There are many stunning apple orchards in the area, but only some of them allow dogs on the property. I've done the hard work for you and contacted them to create this list of 7 dog-friendly apple orchards to visit this Fall.
*Note: Orchards are usually open for apple picking from late August to late September/early October. Make sure to check with the orchard that they still have apples before going.
Here’s where to go:
AppleStock orchard is a family-run business. It was purchased in 2013 as a passion project, and the family have been working hard ever since to produce delicious apples and provide a fun family experience. The family plants various types of apples as part of the rehabilitation of the orchard, but McIntosh apples are available to pick right from the tree.
The farm has free-range chickens, so make sure to respect the strict on-leash policy while on the property to keep everyone safe. If you're lucky, you might even get a hello from the resident doggo Mr. Bojangles!
A quick drive South of Ottawa, just off Bank Street
→ 1341 Merkley Road, North Dundas ON, Canada
T: (613) 774-0594
Open 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week.
Avonmore Berry Farm's season starts in June with a variety of berries and vegetables. The season ends in the call with Apples and Pumpkins. They have activities for kids, a shop to buy snacks and drinks, and even wagon rides.
The farm has two resident dogs roaming freely around the farm, but they're experts at orchard etiquette so please make sure to keep yours leashed when they visit.
One mile north of Avonmore on the corner of County Road 15 and Fourth Road
→ 16365 Fourth Rd Avonmore, ON
T: (613) 346-2336
FINAL WEEKEND FOR APPLE PICKING WAS SEPTEMBER 23-24 *
Domaine Cleroux is a family farm on 200 acres, including a young orchard with about 800 trees. You'll also find a sugar shack and a little shop on the property where you can buy honey, maple and apple products, and other products. They have several varieties of apples for picking. You can visit their Facebook Page for the picking dates of the apple varieties.
Prescott and Russell region, in the Nation county, 5 minutes from Casselman
→ 199 Route 300 E, Casselman ON, K0A 1M0
T: (613) 764-5543
Fall Season: Open on Weekends only. Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 10-4. Double check the hours on the Facebook Page before you visit.
Owned by the McGregor family, this beautiful orchard is in the early years of growing. They have several varieties of apples available for purchase and picking, including HoneyCrisp, Lobo, Ruby Red McIntosh, and Pioneer McIntosh. In their shop they also have lavender products, meat products, and maple syrup available for purchase.
704 Clifford Sideroad, Mcnab/Braeside ON
T: (613) 432-3264
Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm
Mountain Orchards is a stunning farm with a long history. The first apples trees on the property were planted in 1932, and they started the first Pick-your-own apple operation in Eastern Ontario in 1970. The current owners (The Lyall and Hobson families) have been operating the farm for 50 years.
Mountain Orchards offers many apple varieties for picking. Check this page on their website before you visit to know exactly what's available to pick. They offer tons of fun activities, including wagon rides, a corn maze, a picnic area, walking trails, and a store with yummy treats like doughnuts, butter tarts and BBQ.
10175 Clark Road, Mountain ON, K0E 1S0
T: 613.989.5601
Monday to Friday: 10am-6pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9am-5pm
A family-run, pick-your-own fruit farm. Pine Hill offers over 20 types of apples on 50 acres. They also offer apple juice and other seasonal products for purchase.
1818 St. Felix Road, Bourget ON, K0A 1E0
T: 613-487-2064
FINAL WEEKEND FOR APPLE PICKING WAS SEPTEMBER 23-24 *
Orleans Fruit Farm is a local grower of fruits and vegetables for the Ottawa market. They have a variety of produce available throughout the year. To see the harvest calendar and a list of available products on any given day, visit their harvest page.
1399 St-Joseph Boulevard, Orleans ON, K1C 7K9
T: 613-830-1303
Pick your own apples open only Saturdays and Sundays in September from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In order to keep everyone safe, including the resident farm animals, dogs must be kept on-leash while visiting any local orchard or farm. These are often very stimulating environments for dogs, so make sure to maintain control of your dog with the leash.
Like with any public place, make sure to clean up after your dog and only let them pee on grass (but not in growing areas, if possible).
Following these guidelines will help ensure that dog-friendly spaces like these stay dog-friendly 🙂
