High Hill Ranch

Family friendly place. Love the pond. The apples are amazing and fresh. I can’t wait till the season opens up again. They even have live music sometimes. Love this place. Best place in Apple Hill.

This is a must stop on our yearly trip to Apple Hill. We usually make it our first stop and get the famous donuts, and enjoy them at the picnic tables. We love to walk around and look at all of the beautiful crafts and its wonderful that it is dog friendly! Then of course we have to get our sample of the yummy apple cider, and take a few pictures. My favorite place to visit here is the fudge factory so yummy! The parking can be very hectic and there are always a lot of people but it’s worth it!

Hay rides, vendors, pony rides, pumpkins, a lake with ducks, fishing pond, and apple desserts– pies, donuts, cookies, juice. What’s not to love? Gets crowded so come early!

There were lots to do out here! This area can get super crowded and getting in and out of the parking sometimes gets annoying. However, its nice that they have attendants guiding around. Lots of tiny stalls selling items, lots of apple products and souvenirs. Try the Apple Berry Sour Cream pie, it was good… inspired me to make it at home for the Mr (which was fab by the way haha!). My husband did not like their apple fritters, so who knows, maybe its preference. They had a beautiful view and a little pond area.

Cute stop, not much but has a little fishing pond, and some shopping for little treats. We got a couple cute shots of baby and she liked the geese at the little fishing pond. We went Dec.4, so it was cool but still sunshine. Not busy but was a little disappointed that the bathrooms were out of order, and had to use the Ben toilet. But will say, it was at least clean!

High Hill Ranch breakdown:
Pros:
— One of the bigger venues in Apple Hill
— Sells all kinds of apple products
— Lots of tents selling goods like art products, jewelry, and craft items
— They have some pumpkins
— Ready and hot food is sold here
Cons:
— Parking are under big trees. Branches might fall on your car. Also parking area is not paved.
— Can get packed so hard to walk around since there are narrow paths.
I recommend stopping by if you have never been here before. Enjoy!

This spot is very cute. Great place to take family and friends to visit. We came the Saturday after Thanksgiving and at around 11am it wasn’t too crowded. We only stayed about an hour but a lot can happen in an hour when it’s that cold outside!
Summary of our purchases that morning:
— Apple Donuts
— Apple Fritters
— Apple Cider
— Frozen Dutch Apple Pie
— Cotton Candy (don’t judge)
— Fleece outfit for our dog
We got a dozen apple donuts (favorites are the crumb, glazed, and cinnamon sugar — probably in that order) and apple fritters. The apple fritter is huge and four of us shared one. I’m not sure if the apple cider can be found cheaper at a nearby grocery store but we bought it there. Apple cider is basically fresh apple juice made with apples in that area… SO GOOD. I drank 4 cups the other day: x We like the dutch apple pie and normally get it frozen to save and heat it up for holiday parties or dinners. Cotton candy was for my mom but it was good and we bought a cute fleece outfit for our dog from one of the vendors there.
I highly recommend going if you’ve never been and if you’re in the area. Maybe next time I’ll try a caramel apple or apple butter!

Best family spot at Apple Hill! Took my little boy fishing in their stocked trout pond for only $ 7.00…and yes he caught his first fish :)…
Perhaps the best caramel apples in Apple Hill, or anywhere for that matter. The apple donuts were mediocre, much better at other orchards.
They offer hay rides, pony rides, picnic spots, food, crafts, and a beautiful orchard to walk through. You won’t regret it!

High Hill, High Hill, it’s off to the orchards we go!
This is always one of our go-​to spots in Apple Hill because of all the photo opportunities to be had. There is a gorgeous orchard, pretty mural, the beautiful lake, cut-​outs, hayrides, and they always set up a cute little area with pumpkins that make a wonderful backdrop for some fall photos or even your christmas cards if you plan ahead!
There is a large store where you can buy the fresh produce and apple cider. This is always my favorite spot to grab the fresh apple cider. Unfortunately, this year I grabbed some and found out only days later that they had an E. Coli recall on that same cider. I think we will be skipping that from now on.
They have a charming pie shop and a couple of dozen little booths set up for the various creative artisans to sell their wares. It’s a great place to grab some unique christmas or birthday gifts for that someone who has everything!
My biggest suggestion is to make this your first stop of the day OR come during the week because it is the most popular farm in apple hill so it gets extremely busy and overly crowded quickly! That can make for an unpleasant day at Apple Hill if you don’t plan accordingly.

Fun place for the whole family or even just a nice day trip with friends or significant other. Come on empty stomach and taste fresh caramel apples, giant apple fritters, rich apple pie a la mode, and everything delectible! They have pony rides for the little ones, a fish pond and you can rent fishing poles, a picnic area, a bazaar of local crafts and souvenirs, and a hay rides.
I like coming in here around this time of the year to get some McIntosh apples for my apple pie. I find it better to use for baking instead of granny smith. I like my pie softer and slightly sweet than tart. Back to the review, they also have a pumpkin patch however they ran out of pumpkins and only have a few left. The nice lady suggested we go to Apple Ridge farms next exit up. They also have a store where they sell local apple products.

High Hill is probably my second favorite ranch/​orchard/​apple stand in Apple Hill. It’s very family friendly and of course has a great variety of delicious apple products.
Like I said, High Hill Ranch is a great place to visit with your family. Especially if you have young children. There are cool activities like candle making, a pond to fish in, hay rides, and face painting just to name a few. I love the little pond they have. There is a cute family of ducks that I saw several people feeding. Around the pond are numerous picnic tables where you can enjoy some apple goodies from the bakery or some food from the small kitchen they have.
Their apple selection is pretty good. Not as good as Boa Vista, which is just down the road. Of course they have the apple pies, turnovers, fresh donuts, ciders, beers and wines, fritters, etc. There is also a candy shop called Fudge Factory down past the pond and picnic tables. I tried a caramel apple from High Hill and one from Fudge Factory, and I liked High Hills a lot better. In fact, I’d say it was the best caramel apple in Apple Hill. I do think the $ 5.50 price tag was a bit too much.
Parking is easy and plentiful. At least it was when I went on a weekday afternoon. This is one of the busiest apple ranches in Apple Hill, so be prepared for a large crowd. I even saw a couple tour buses dropping people off.
Along with the apple stand, there is an area for local vendors to sell their crafty creations. I didn’t check it out, but I think that it’s a really great that High Hill supports locally made goods.
Definitely make sure you stop at High Hill Ranch if you’re touring Apple Hill. Especially check out their caramel apples. So yummy!

We went here today and had a GREAT time! It is for sure high season right now. So it’s best to plan extra time for traffic, parking and getting in and out of the ranch.
The Pros:
*Apple Everything: We tried the apple turn overs, Apple cider, Apple wine, and Apple butters. All were good.
*Candle making: the stand was small and busy but we had a good time. The owner was friendly and you can pick your size and price. The kids loved it.
*Photo Boards: all through the farm, there are places to take photos with your head shots. This makes for great memories!!!
*Fishing pond: although we did not fish, it was sure busy. They offer pole rental, stocked lake and permits. We will for sure come back for this
*Parking: There is plenty, it’s free and the are parking helpers. Makes things move much better.
The Cons:
*The hay ride: the line was soooooo long. With only one hay ride moving and breaks before and after every ride. Over and hour wait. Then $ 4 per adult is pretty pricey.
*The seating: maybe because we came during a very busy weekend it was hard finding seating. The picnic area was just too crowded
Overall: we love it here and will keep coming back year after year.

We love this place! It is a family tradition that we come here at least once a year. We bring all of our out of town friends here when we get a chance. We never go on Saturdays or sundays because it turns into a zoo! We try to go on Fridays since most of the vendors are there on fri, sat and sun. If you go early in the week a lot of the cute craft vendors aren’t there.
We kinda have our routine down. After we park we head to the vendor booths and take our time trolling through those. We then head to the pond to take pictures and take in the beautiful views on a bench. We head past this place to the fudge factory to get a sliced apple with caramel and nuts and once done with that we go back to the top of high hill ranch to the outdoor pie window where we buy our whole pie to head home… that’s right we don’t mess around with a slice from inside. We buy a whole chilled pie, the caramel apple crunch pie to be exact! We have tried other variations from around the apple hill area and this one is our favorite and others have yet to compare!!! You just bake it for 10 – 15 min at 350 degrees and you have a hot and gooey pie that is to die for with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream! We then hit the farm stand on the way to the car to buy our gallon or two of apple cider! Delicious! The only down side is the past few years it has been so hot during the fall so it breaks the atmosphere when you are sweating bullets up there. My favorite is when it is chilly and I can walk around with my sweater, a scarf, gloves and a warm cup of apple cider. I know they can’t control the temp which is why we still head up there. I’ve gone once this season already and hope to go again when it is not 85+ degrees

First timer here. It is a wonderful place to sit back and relax. Go get yourself some wonderful free cider samples or two, three… :)
There are a lot of small boutiques and eateries. Some of the bigger and popular shops I noticed was the Pie house, Fudge factory, Winery (with Apple Cider milkshakes?), and the main shop with the famous Apple donuts and BBQ. Unfortunately if your vegan like me, than you are limited to the fresh apples (and other goods) they have to offer. But be warned! Apparently the prices are nearly double of last year. While they offer many different varities of apples including my favorite McIntosh, the price per pound is a whooping $ 1.49 and a 20lb box is $ 24. Yikes. I might as well stick to Sprouts for better deals.
My favorite part of this ranch is the pond with the family of Geese (ignoring the fishing) and the fresh unpasteurized Apple Cider. I loved their Apple Cider so much that I got a ½ gallon of it for $ 5 to bring home.
Do note. this place is a big tourist attraction. So it is better to come on a weekday rather than weekend. Also remember to bring cash :)

On October 2^nd, 2015, I headed for this peaceful place right across Placerville, CA called, «High Hill Ranch.» High Hill Ranch has everything you need for the Fall weather harvest goodness from farm-​fresh apples, apple pies, caramel apple, apple fritters, apple cider, squashes, and of course, apple donuts! Yep, this is the only place to munch these incredible apple donuts whether if you’re a first timer, or a huge frequent customer! There’s also have great activities like pond fishing, wine sampling, farm tour, a mini grocery shop and many more!
There’s some good things that I’ve experience High Hill Ranch. First up, is the free apple cider samples! Located near the large wooden cabin restaurant house at the Cider Station, you can try their apple cider on a portable cup for free! So far, their apple cider tasted so good! Much better than every supermarket’s factory made apple ciders across the urban areas! Second, yummy apple pies! I ordered a slice of Dutch crust apple pie for a try. As I take a bite, the apple pie tasted outstanding! The crust of the Dutch crumbs are very crunchy and eatable to eat. The apples in this pie are very fresh and delicious as I tasted the natural made cinnamon into my mouth. I finished a slice of Dutch crust apple pie until I ordered a whole pie to take home. Finally, I’m totally obsessed with apple donuts! The cinnamon apple donut that I ordered tasted fantastic as I bite the apple and dough of the donut! The glazed apple donut also tasted very good too just like regular sized glazed donuts.
Of course, there’s some tent shops here from handmade crafts, paintings, jewelry, accessories, and more! I haven’t got a chance to buy their crafts, so I’ll decide to come back in the next visit or so.
The parking can be busy at some time during the fall season. Try to park early as the sun rises up, so you can park the best parking spot available without the hassles. Additionally, High Hill Ranch is open after Labor Day thru Christmas Eve at noon, so you can grab last minute apple-​related foods and gifts in no time!
In the end, High Hill Ranch is the coolest and the finest seasonal ranch ever made in Placerville! Perfect for friends/​family gatherings as well as road trip pit stop too! A well, worthy visit!

I love donuts. And when I hear, «they are the best donuts ever», I’m definitely going to make a trip to try them out. Upon my visit to High Hill Ranch, I will admit that it does live up to the hype.
I followed the sweet smell of apples donuts and found my way to the High Hill store. The donut area is tucked away in a small corner with a few table benches. They have several types of apple donuts: Plain, cinnamon sugar, glazed or crumb. Each donut was $ 1.20 or $ 13.50 for a dozen. If you are feeling fancy, you can also get sprinkles or nuts added to the donuts which does cost a bit more. The best is when they donuts are right out of the fryer — slight crisp on the outside and tiny apple bits in the donut add a nice texture.
They also have beverages available and a few people were raving about it in the table next to me.
If you are in the area, I would recommend to stop by and try one!

Loved High Hill so much! My family and I came here yesterday for a day getaway and we had so much fun! Parking was a little tough but we were able to find some with help from staff that worked here. We arrived around 11 AM so it was getting filled quickly.
When you walk in you will notice lots of local vendors selling crafts and other goods (ie wood art, candles, jewelry, home made items, etc).
Once inside the main drag, you’ll see a plethora of apple hill goodies including apple donuts, apple pies, caramel apples and more. Actually, you’ll smell it before you see it. The apple store has tons of apples you can buy in bulk as well as apple cider, apple dessert and more.
For kiddos, you can find hayrides, pony rides ($ 6), free face painting (tips appreciated) and «making your own candle» crafts. Overall, a fun experience for the whole family of all ages. Did I mention that they have wine tastings and adult beverages? Yes, please!

Kind of a mess. Lots of gimmicky carnival type displays and kitschy craft tents — and, not a lot else. We did manage to get reasonable parking, since we accidentally came in the back way, but it was very very busy.
There’s almost nothing vegan here; the restaurant seemed overwork, and people were in line bitching (largely, unnecessarily) about their orders. I was only waiting for fries, which did take in ordinate amount of time to come, although since I was apparently the most pleasant person in line and bothered to smile, the server ended up giving me a free peach turnover (I didn’t have the heart to tell her I couldn’t eat it).
Still, move along. There must be better places in Apple Hill to visit than this.

Early trip up to Apple Hill & we were not disappointed.
Not too crowded yet, that was a real plus! So much food to choose from. Vendors selling so many items. JK, Trixie & I had a wonderful day.
Candle making, hay rides, face painting, shopping, eating, fishing and sadly, pony rides. Not a fan of that… Seeing them going around & around all damn day long! That is NOT what they are suppose to be doing! (Why I can’t stand the circus either!) Sorry– back to the review.
JK enjoyed making a candle. I enjoyed shopping! We both enjoyed the food! Picked up a frozen pie to bake later, as we were already in a sugar coma from visiting the Fudge Factory Farm!
We enjoyed strolling around. There were lots of friendly people & pooches. There’s a market with lots to choose from. The Pie House is where you can pick up more food & pies. They sell so many different kinds, apple is just the beginning! Slices, whole, baked or frozen, you’re sure to find what you like.
Definitely enjoyed our day. Going early helped to avoid, what can be crazy busy! Looking forward to returning again.

This was my friend and I’s last stop at Apple Hill and it was great!
Beautiful area and views! They have a little pond you can fish at and the view is great. There is also a shopping area with a lot of little tents set up selling all kinds of art and other goodies. There is a tent that is closer to the pond area where you can make your own candle. They had some fun ones you could do — I would’ve done it if I had room in my suitcase.
They have a fairly large market area where you can buy so many variations of apples (I didn’t know there were so many!), gourmet goods and so much more. I’m impressed with all they have to offer here. Like I said, if I had more room in my luggage I would have bought some gourmet goodies!
Also, inside their market they have a place you can buy desserts (donuts, etc). There is a building near the tents where you can buy apple cider too. I sampled some and it was yummy!
Definitely, check this place out!