Orchards Near Me
Cherry Picking Near Olympia: What You Need to Know
Washington State is the nation's leading producer of sweet cherries, and Olympia is the capital of the country's premier cherry-growing state. The main cherry-growing regions—the Yakima Valley, Wenatchee area, and Columbia River basin—are three to four hours east of Olympia across the Cascades, but the quality and variety of what you'll find there is unmatched anywhere in the United States, making the drive a genuine pilgrimage for fruit lovers.
Pacific Northwest: Cherry Country
The Pacific Northwest is the cherry-growing capital of the United States, producing the majority of the country's sweet cherry crop with a quality that sets the international standard. Washington's Columbia River basin and the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys grow Bing, Rainier, Chelan, and Lapins varieties in conditions that are essentially ideal—warm days, cool nights, low humidity, and volcanic soils with excellent drainage. Oregon's Willamette Valley and Hood River region contribute their own high-quality harvest, with some cherry varieties available from May through July depending on elevation and variety. Pick-your-own cherry operations in this region welcome visitors from around the country during the harvest window, and the experience of picking ripe Rainier cherries in a Washington orchard on a warm June morning is one of the country's finest agricultural tourism experiences.
Best Time to Go Cherry Picking Near Olympia
May through July depending on variety and elevation, with the Yakima Valley Bings typically ready in late May and the higher-elevation Rainiers peaking in late June.
Tips for Your Olympia Cherry Picking Trip
Washington's Eastern Washington cherry harvest is one of the most impressive agricultural events in the country, and making the drive from Olympia across the Cascades to the Yakima or Wenatchee area in late June is an experience that changes your understanding of what cherries can taste like. The scale of what Washington grows, combined with the quality of its Bing and Rainier varieties, makes this drive-and-pick excursion one of the best agricultural tourism experiences in the Pacific Northwest.