A Midcoast Maine orchard with an unusually old-variety-heavy apple list, including Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet, that's refreshingly upfront about not being able to promise exact dates and points visitors to Facebook for real-time updates instead.
Hope Orchards is located at 434 Camden Road in Hope, Knox County, in Maine’s Midcoast region, with a phone number of (207) 763-2824. The farm’s own site lists days open as Friday through Sunday during September and October, with hours of 9am to 5pm. Both u-pick and pre-picked apples are available. The confirmed variety list is notably long and skews toward older varieties: Cortland, McIntosh, Empire, Macoun, Spartan, Northern Spy, Tolman Sweet, Golden Delicious, Golden Russet, and Red Delicious. Beyond apples, the farm offers pear picking, home-garden harvesting, and specialty variety events.
Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet, both included in the confirmed list, are older, less commonly grown apple varieties compared to the modern staples that dominate most other orchards in this research — Honeycrisp, Gala, and similar varieties show up repeatedly across Maine listings, but Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet don’t appear at any other Maine orchard researched for this project. That pattern suggests Hope Orchards may have older plantings rather than a newer high-density operation built around a handful of popular commercial varieties. For a visitor specifically interested in heirloom or historic apples, that’s a genuine point of differentiation worth seeking out.
Rather than posting a fixed 2026 opening date the way Boothby’s Orchard in Livermore does, Hope Orchards’ own site tells visitors that ripening dates vary year to year and points them to Facebook for real-time updates. That’s a meaningfully different approach than farms that either publish exact dates or simply stay silent on the topic — Hope Orchards is actively telling visitors where to look for current information rather than leaving them to guess. A separate Yelp listing claims specific Sept 15-Nov 15, 2026 hours, but since that couldn’t be confirmed against the farm’s own materials, it’s treated here as unverified rather than reliable.
Pear picking alongside apples, plus home-garden harvesting for crops like carrots and beets, broadens what a visit here can look like beyond a single-fruit trip. That’s a similar diversification pattern to Spiller Farm in Wells or Snell Family Farm in Buxton, both of which pair apples with other u-pick crops, though Hope Orchards’ specific combination of tree fruit and home-garden vegetables is distinct from either.
The record’s mention of “specialty variety events” as an activity implies the farm runs occasional programming tied to particular apples — potentially tastings or highlighted picking days for varieties like Golden Russet that a visitor might not otherwise seek out on their own. No specific dates or details for these events are given here, so this should be read as a confirmed offering in kind, not something to plan a trip around without checking Facebook first.
No 2026-specific season-start or season-end date is confirmed from the farm itself, and no pricing is listed anywhere in the record. The farm’s own deferral to Facebook for real-time updates means this record can’t substitute for checking that channel directly before a visit.
Hope Orchards offers one of the more distinctive apple lineups in this research, with genuine heirloom varieties like Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet alongside pear picking and home-garden harvesting. Because the farm itself declines to commit to fixed 2026 dates on its website, the practical move for anyone planning a visit is to check the farm’s Facebook page close to the trip rather than relying on a calendar guess — or call (207) 763-2824 directly.
Not stated with a firm date — the farm itself says ripening dates vary by year and directs visitors to Facebook for current 2026 updates rather than posting them on its own site.
you need a confirmed calendar date without checking social media first — the farm explicitly defers exact timing to Facebook rather than its own website.
Not stated with a firm date. The farm's own site says ripening dates vary by year and directs visitors to Facebook for real-time 2026 updates rather than committing to a date itself.
Ten are confirmed: Cortland, McIntosh, Empire, Macoun, Spartan, Northern Spy, Tolman Sweet, Golden Delicious, Golden Russet, and Red Delicious — an unusually old-variety-heavy list including Golden Russet and Tolman Sweet.
Friday through Sunday, September through October, 9am to 5pm, per the farm's own site.
Yes — pear picking and home-garden harvesting (carrots, beets, beans and similar crops), plus specialty variety events, per the record.
Yes — a Yelp listing claims Sept 15-Nov 15, 2026 hours, but this could not be verified against the farm's own materials, so it isn't treated as confirmed here.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Fri-Sun (September-October, per farm's own site). Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
Cortland, McIntosh, Empire, Macoun, Spartan, Northern Spy, Tolman Sweet, Golden Delicious, Golden Russet, Red Delicious — note that what's actually ready to pick changes week to week through the season.
434 Camden Road, Hope, ME 04847, in Knox County. It is one of 2 orchards we track in Midcoast Maine.
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
hopeorchards.com
Checked September 2026.