New Jersey's original U-pick apple orchard, dating to 1974, with an apple season that its own site says begins September 5 and clear entrance pricing — a solid, well-documented choice if this year's regional frost hasn't thinned its roughly 50 varieties.
Weekday PYO entrance ticket $3.50; weekend/holiday entrance $10.50; season pass $37.50 (entrance fee, not the apples themselves).
Riamede Farm bills itself as New Jersey’s original U-pick apple orchard, having opened for pick-your-own apples back in 1974. That long track record, combined with a specific season-start date pulled directly from the farm’s own site — Apple Days beginning September 5 — makes this one of the better-documented options in the Skylands region. The farm store sells cider donuts and pies made on-site, and weekend hayrides carry visitors into the orchard. What’s less certain, given the frost that’s affected orchards across New Jersey this year, is exactly which of the roughly 50 apple varieties Riamede grows will actually be available to pick this season.
Riamede’s own site states plainly that “Apple Days begin September 5.” That’s a genuinely useful, checkable detail — most of the orchards researched for this project don’t publish a specific calendar date at all. The one wrinkle is that the page captured didn’t pair that date with an explicit “2026” label in the text read, so while the date is understood to apply to this season based on when the site was checked, it’s not stamped with the year in a way that removes all doubt. If you’re planning around September 5 specifically, a quick call to 908-879-7762 to confirm is a reasonable extra step.
Unlike many smaller orchards in this research batch, Riamede’s hours and pricing are spelled out in detail. The farm is open Wednesday through Monday — closed Tuesdays — from 9am to 5:30pm, with last entry into the orchard at 4:30pm. Pricing follows a two-tier structure: $3.50 for weekday entrance, $10.50 on weekends and holidays, or a $37.50 season pass for those planning multiple trips. That’s an entrance fee for access to the orchard, separate from whatever you pay for the apples you actually pick. The gap between weekday and weekend pricing is a strong signal that weekends draw noticeably more visitors, worth factoring in if you’d rather avoid a crowd.
The research notes describe a season spanning approximately 50 apple varieties, plus pumpkins and sunflowers later in the fall. That’s an unusually wide selection for a New Jersey orchard. However, the record is candid that exact 2026 variety availability wasn’t confirmed on the pages read, and this comes at a time when several other orchards in the same state — including Terhune Orchards, which has explicitly said Honeycrisp is unavailable this year — have reported real crop losses from an April cold snap. Riamede’s own site didn’t make a frost statement on the page captured, but given how widespread the damage was across New Jersey, it would be worth asking specifically which varieties are actually open for picking before making a special trip for one in particular.
Weekend hayrides are confirmed, giving families a way to get out to the rows without a long walk, and the farm store’s cider donuts and on-site pies are a reliable draw regardless of what’s happening with the apple crop that particular week.
Riamede Farm is at 122 Oakdale Road in Chester, in Morris County’s Skylands region. The coordinates on file are Chester town-center estimates rather than a geocoded point for the Oakdale Road address, so use the street address for navigation.
Riamede Farm has more going for it on paper than most of the smaller orchards in this batch — a specific season-start date, clear pricing, a long operating history, and a big variety list. The honest caveat is that “roughly 50 varieties” describes a typical year, not a confirmed 2026 inventory, and this year’s regional frost makes that distinction matter more than usual. Call 908-879-7762 to confirm what’s actually ready before driving out, especially if you’re chasing a particular apple.
The farm's own site states Apple Days begin September 5, though the year wasn't spelled out explicitly on the page read, so that date is inferred from context rather than confirmed word-for-word as 2026. The orchard is open Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays, 9am-5:30pm with last orchard entry at 4:30pm.
Weekend and holiday entrance is $10.50 versus $3.50 on weekdays, a pricing gap that suggests the farm expects — and may be managing for — heavier weekend traffic.
You're visiting on a Tuesday — the orchard is closed that day — or you need confirmed 2026 variety availability given this year's regional frost damage.
The farm's own site states 'Apple Days begin September 5.' The specific year wasn't spelled out on the page captured, but based on when this record was compiled, that's understood to mean September 5, 2026.
Weekday PYO entrance is $3.50, weekend/holiday entrance is $10.50, and a season pass runs $37.50. This is an entrance fee, not the cost of the apples themselves.
Wednesday through Monday, 9am-5:30pm, with last orchard entry at 4:30pm. The farm is closed on Tuesdays.
Roughly 50 varieties across the season, per the research notes, though the record doesn't break down which varieties are ripe at any given time — that's the kind of detail worth a phone call to confirm.
Yes, the record confirms cider donuts, along with pies made on-site at the farm store.
Opens September 5, 2026 (closing date not published). Wed-Mon (closed Tuesdays). Hours: 9am-5:30pm (last orchard entry 4:30pm).
Prices start at $3.5. Weekday PYO entrance ticket $3.50; weekend/holiday entrance $10.50; season pass $37.50 (entrance fee, not the apples themselves).
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
122 Oakdale Road, Chester, NJ 07930, in Morris County. It is one of 4 orchards we track in Skylands.
We track 4 orchards in Skylands, 3 of which let you pick your own apples. At $3.5 to start this one sits below the regional median of $15, undercutting 2 of the 3 priced orchards we track here.
There are 3 other orchards we track in Morris County. All Skylands orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
riamedefarm.com
Checked September 2026.