Most of the pick-your-own apple orchards within a short drive of Urbana have no apples to pick this October. A single cold night in April caused it. The pumpkin fields are open on their usual schedule. Sugarloaf Mountain still closes its gate at 4 p.m. Apples are still for sale, but you buy them at the farm market counter instead of picking them. In 2026, a fall farm weekend near Urbana starts with the pumpkin field and the mountain gate.
One Night in April
The Governor's office names April 21, 2026 as the date of the damaging freeze. Temperatures dropped into the low 20s after several unusually warm weeks, right as perennial crops were coming out of dormancy.
The warm weeks before the freeze made it worse. As Maryland Matters reported in May, preliminary Maryland Farm Service Agency figures showed losses of up to 94% of the state's apple crop and 99% of its peach crop. The Maryland Farm Bureau surveyed specialty crops and found an average estimated loss of 67.5%, with more than 320 acres affected in counties that include Frederick and Montgomery. The same article says some orchards and vineyards reported a near-total loss of their 2026 crop.
By June, Maryland had a federal disaster declaration. It cited losses above the 30% federal threshold and opened emergency loans to eligible producers in 12 primary counties.
What the Orchards Around Urbana Posted
The farms' own updates tell you more than the statewide numbers do. Here is where the familiar names stand as of their most recent posts.
- Homestead Farm, Poolesville. The October page says no pick-your-own apples are left for 2026. The harvest page adds that the freeze also wiped out this year's peaches. The market does have apples, but they are pre-picked and come from Pennsylvania.
- Gaver Farm, Mt. Airy. The farm says it lost more than 90% of its apple crop, calls it the most severe loss the orchard has ever had, and has canceled pick-your-own apples for the season. Apples are still for sale in the Farm Market.
- Butler's Orchard, Germantown. The homepage says there is no more apple picking this year because of late-frost damage. In early September, WTOP reported that Butler's short picking window would close before Labor Day and that its market would carry pre-picked apples from regional farms through the fall.
- Catoctin Mountain Orchard, Thurmont. Its usual low-lying fields froze. One block at the top of the orchard sat high enough to escape the frost, so the farm is offering limited picking days there. The terrain is steep and uneven, and the farm says the site is not handicap or stroller friendly. As of its October 7 update, the next picking day was listed as TBD.
- Lewis Orchards, Dickerson. The fall page lists Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Empire and Gala, and asks visitors to call and confirm what's in stock.
Taken together, the farm market is now the main place to get apples this fall, and the orchard row is mostly closed to pickers. Catoctin shows why the damage was so uneven. The same freeze that killed the lower fields left fruit on a hillside a few hundred yards uphill.
"We are devastated that pick your own apples will not be available this season." Gaver Farm, in its 2026 apple crop update
Gaver's update ends on a hopeful note. The farm says the trees themselves weren't damaged, it planted more apple trees this spring, and it expects an excellent crop in 2027.
The Pumpkin Field Is the Fixed Point This Year
None of the farm updates report freeze damage to pumpkins, and those seasons are running on schedule. Homestead Farm's harvest page says pumpkin picking started "as usual" in late September and goes through October 31. Pumpkins there are 79 cents a pound. Farm admission is $4, and hayrides are included on Saturdays and Sundays in October. The farm is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closed Mondays, so it's closed today, Monday, October 12.
Gaver Farm is putting its effort into sunflowers and pumpkins. Its Fall Fun Fest opened September 4 with more than 65 attractions, farm animals and hayrides. Gaver's fall season runs through November 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch in Middletown is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through November 1.
For a family that usually built the day around a bag of apples, the bag of pumpkins is now the main stop. The market counter takes care of the apples.
If You Still Want to Pick Apples
Larriland Farm in Woodbine is the strongest lead in the research. Its October 11 harvest report called apple picking "good today" and listed Golden Delicious, Ludacrisp and Winecrisp. The same report says the pick-your-own fields closed that day because of flooding. Larriland updates the report every day, so check it the morning you plan to go.
Larriland's listed apple bags cost $20 small, $35 medium and $50 large. Field tickets are $3 per person on weekdays and $14 on festival weekends. Market apples run $8 a quarter-peck. Larriland grows some of those market varieties itself and gets others, such as Ambrosia, from 78 Acres Farm in Western Maryland. Even this year's market apples travel a bit.
Catoctin's hillside is the other option, once the orchard posts a date. Its pick-your-own page lists Crimson Crisp, Fuji and Golden Delicious, picking hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a $3 entrance fee per person.
Sugarloaf Runs on a 4 p.m. Clock
With the orchards out, the mountain south of Urbana is the stop the freeze didn't touch. Stronghold, Incorporated is the nonprofit that owns Sugarloaf Mountain and runs it for public use. Gordon Strong organized it in 1946. The rules shape the rest of the day.
- The entrance gate is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round, and there is no parking after 4.
- Visitors need to be off the property by sunset. Vehicles left after that, or parked along a roadside, can be towed.
- Stronghold asks for a voluntary donation of $5 or more. There are no trash cans along the trails, so you pack out what you bring.
- Dogs must be leashed. Alcohol and fires are not allowed on the mountain.
Stronghold's 2020 trail map names the White Mountain Loop, a 2.5-mile summit circuit, and the steep quarter-mile Orange Sunrise Trail to the top. It also names the East View, West View and Potomac overlooks. The map is six years old, so use it as a general guide. Stronghold also asks hikers to stay off the trails right after rain.
Since the gate closes at 4, the mountain works best before the farm stops. Pumpkin fields and markets stay open later, and a winery or beer garden can stay open until sunset or later.
A Saturday That Fits the New Order
Here is one way to sequence a day using the posted hours. Confirm each before you go.
- Morning on Sugarloaf. Get there well before the 4 p.m. gate cutoff, ideally early, since parking is limited to designated spaces.
- Lunch at The Comus Inn. The Comus Inn beer garden is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to sunset, with food from the grill. This coming Saturday, October 17, it closes from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. for a private wedding, so plan a midday visit.
- A tasting nearby. Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard on Comus Road is open daily and takes no reservations. Flights end an hour before closing.
- Apples from the counter. Lewis Orchards on Peach Tree Road in Dickerson is open until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Call ahead to check apple stock.
- Pumpkins last. Gaver and Jumbo's both stay open until 6 p.m. daily, so the pumpkin stop can come at the end of the day.
The Comus Inn's calendar fills in the rest of the month. On Sunday, October 18, Acoustic Chicks plays from 1 to 4 p.m., followed by Boos and Brews, a benefit, from 4 to 7. Meowolloween, a family-friendly animal-welfare fundraiser, runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Halloween.
After the Pumpkins Are Gone
Homestead's pumpkin season ends October 31. Gaver and Jumbo's close their fall seasons November 1. The week after that, on Saturday, November 7, Stronghold is holding a volunteer trail work day at 9 a.m., meeting at the West View parking lot pavilion. Tools are provided, and volunteers bring gloves, snacks and drinks. The mountain keeps its 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. gate hours year-round.
The orchards are already looking ahead to next fall. Gaver says its trees came through April undamaged and expects an excellent crop in 2027.
Seasonal changes like this freeze are part of what Melissa L Lambert tracks in Urbana and across Frederick County, from farm calendars to the roads you take to get there. If you'd like a neighbor's read on what's changing around Urbana this fall, or a list of the farm stands worth a call before Saturday, let's connect.
