A 2022 rebrand of the long-running Huffstutter Orchards, still offering u-pick apples across roughly 700 trees under new ownership — worth knowing the name changed, since older listings may still point to the previous name.
Hilltop Orchard, in New Franklin, Howard County, Missouri, is the same physical farm long known in older listings and aggregators as Huffstutter Orchards. The Huffstutter family ran it as a u-pick operation from 1958 until 2022, when Terry and Amanda Gibson took over and continued u-pick apples under the new Hilltop Orchard name — same address, same phone number. That ownership change is the single most useful thing to know about this record before anything else.
If you’ve seen this farm referenced elsewhere as Huffstutter Orchards, that’s not outdated information exactly — it’s the same place, just under prior ownership and branding. The record’s research notes flag this specifically as a “rebrand catch”: a site still exists at the old huffstutterorchards.com domain with thin content, which could otherwise cause confusion or a duplicate listing under the old name. If you’re cross-referencing other sources, treat Huffstutter Orchards and Hilltop Orchard as the same New Franklin location, not two different farms.
The orchard’s own site states “26 varieties of apples” across roughly 700 trees — a real sense of scale, since 700 trees is a substantial planting for a family u-pick operation. What the record doesn’t have is any specific variety names. Rather than guess which of the 26 might be on offer, the record leaves apple_varieties blank. If a specific apple matters to your trip, that’s a direct question for a phone call.
This record is thinner than most on operational specifics: no hours, no season start or end date, no cider information, and no pricing are published on the site as of this check. That’s a real gap, and it means this isn’t a farm you can plan a same-day drop-in visit around from published information alone. U-pick itself is confirmed true, so apples are available to pick — the uncertainty is entirely around when and for how much.
Beyond the name change, this qualifies as a genuinely historic operation — nearly seven decades of continuous operation as a u-pick orchard, first under the Huffstutter family and now under the Gibsons. That kind of longevity is worth something in itself, even without confirmed hours or pricing, and it’s a legitimate central Missouri option distinct from orchards in other parts of the state.
The address is 2621 State Route P, New Franklin, MO 65274. The listed coordinates are New Franklin, MO city-center coordinates rather than a geocode of the exact address, so treat the map pin as approximate and confirm directions by phone if needed.
Hilltop Orchard is a legitimate, long-running u-pick operation under new ownership since 2022, with a real tree count and variety count to back up its scale. But with no hours, dates, or pricing published, a phone call to 660-537-0055 is the only way to actually plan a visit here rather than just confirming it exists.
Not stated in the record. No hours, season dates, or pricing are published by the orchard's own site.
You need confirmed hours or a variety list before you leave home — neither is published.
Yes. The Huffstutter family owned and operated it as a u-pick orchard from 1958 until selling to Terry and Amanda Gibson in 2022, who continue u-pick under the new Hilltop Orchard name at the same address and phone number.
The site states '26 varieties of apples' across roughly 700 trees, but doesn't name the varieties specifically, so no variety list is included here.
Not published on the orchard's own site as of this check. Cider, pricing, and hours are all unconfirmed — call 660-537-0055 before visiting.
Yes — a site still exists at the old huffstutterorchards.com domain with thin content, which could otherwise lead to a stale or duplicate listing under the old name. The current, active site is hilltoporchardapples.com.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard.
2621 State Route P, New Franklin, MO 65274, in Howard County. It is one of 2 orchards we track in Central Missouri.
There is 1 other orchard we track in Howard County. All Central Missouri orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
hilltoporchardapples.com
Checked September 2026.