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FALL FARMS

Fall farms, colorful pumpkins, corn mazes, and crisp autumn afternoons make an easy excuse to get outside and enjoy the season along Colorado’s Front Range.

The temperature drops a little. The trees start changing. Suddenly, you want a warm drink in your hand, pumpkins in the back of your car, and at least one photo that makes it look like you planned your autumn afternoon weeks in advance.

Around Northern Colorado and Boulder County, visiting local farms is one of our favorite ways to lean into the season.

But not every fall farm offers the same experience.

In our latest Fall Farms video, we highlight four local favorites that each bring something different to autumn: Anderson Farms in Erie, YA YA Farm & Orchard near Longmont, Cottonwood Farms in Lafayette, and Munson Farms in Boulder.

One gives you the full fall-festival experience. Another is all about apples and orchard season. One feels like the classic pumpkin-patch outing, while another keeps things simple with pumpkins and farm-fresh produce.

Four farms. Four different ways to enjoy a Colorado fall day.

So, which one sounds like your kind of fall?

Anderson Farms in Erie: When You Want the Full Fall Experience

If your idea of fall involves getting out into a pumpkin field, wandering through a corn maze, and spending several hours outside, Anderson Farms is the more activity-filled option.

Located at 6728 County Road 3 1/4 in Erie, Anderson Farms has become a well-known seasonal destination along the Front Range. For 2026, its Fall Festival runs September 23 through October 31.

And this is not a small pumpkin stand with a hay bale beside it.

According to the farm’s official attractions guide, the festival includes wagon rides to the pumpkin patch, a 25-acre corn maze, a barrel train, trike track, jump pads, slides, play areas, and the Barnyard Challenge low-ropes course. Live entertainment is also scheduled on select days throughout the season.

In other words, you can absolutely come home with a pumpkin.

But the pumpkin is only part of the story.

YA YA Farm & Orchard: Apples, Cider Donuts and Orchard Season – Fall farms

Pumpkins tend to get most of the attention once fall arrives.

But autumn is apple season too.

That is where YA YA Farm & Orchard offers something completely different.

Located near Longmont in Boulder County, YA YA is part of a historic farm that specializes in heirloom apples. Instead of a large pumpkin festival, the experience centers around the orchard, farm stand, apples, and the simple pleasure of being outside among the trees.

YA YA grows a variety of heirloom apples, and its U-Pick experience gives visitors the opportunity to head into the orchard and pick their own fruit. Reservations are required for apple and pear picking, and the 2026 U-Pick season is currently sold out. However, visitors can still stop by the farm stand during open hours without a reservation.

The farm stand offers fresh apples, apple cider donuts, pies, cider, apple butter, honey, and other seasonal products. Visitors can also see farm animals including Percheron draft horses, miniature donkeys, chickens, and peacocks.

What makes YA YA memorable is that the experience revolves around the orchard itself.

It has a slower rhythm than a large fall festival. You can enjoy the farm setting, browse what is available at the stand, and leave with a bag of apples or something apple-filled to enjoy on the way home.

And yes, the cider donuts deserve their moment.

Cottonwood Farms in Lafayette: The Classic Pumpkin Patch

Cottonwood Farms brings us back to one of fall’s simplest traditions: going out to a farm and finding a pumpkin.

Located at 10600 Isabelle Road, just north of Lafayette, Cottonwood Farms opens its pumpkin patch from September 23 through October 31, 2026.

The experience feels rooted in the farm and the harvest.

Visitors can borrow one of the farm’s red wagons and head into the pumpkin patch to choose their own pumpkin. Instead of selecting one from a perfectly arranged display, you get the fun of wandering around until you find the tall one, the round one, the slightly lopsided one, or whichever pumpkin somehow convinces you it belongs on your porch.

Cottonwood also has a corn maze and a separate kids maze, along with farm animals and seasonal activities.

Depending on your visit, you may see chickens, goats, sheep, cattle, and rabbits. Cottonwood notes that it is not a petting zoo. The animals are part of the working-farm environment and can decide whether they want to approach visitors.

Weekend wagon rides are also offered in October for an additional fee. The farm’s 1906 Case steam engine is displayed during the season and is scheduled to run on weekends in October.

Cottonwood Farms charges admission during pumpkin-patch season, and prepaid admission is strongly recommended, especially on weekends.

That combination gives Cottonwood Farms its own personality. There are things to do, but the pumpkin patch and working-farm setting remain at the center of the experience.

Munson Farms in Boulder: A Simpler Kind of Fall Tradition – Fall farms

Munson Farms offers almost the opposite experience.

And that is exactly why we included it.

Located at 7455 Valmont Road in Boulder, Munson Farms has been growing vegetables in Boulder since 1976. In 2026, the farm is celebrating its 50th season.

Rather than a large ticketed festival, Munson feels like a traditional seasonal farm stop.

You will find farm-fresh produce and, as fall arrives, pumpkins in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors.

The farm grows more than 100 acres of vegetables and specializes in sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches, and pumpkins. Munson Farms also says much of its produce is picked the same day it is sold, particularly its well-known sweet corn.

For the 2026 season, Munson Farms lists its hours as 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with the season continuing into early November.

That working-farm quality is what gives Munson Farms its character.

It does not need to turn fall into a large event. Sometimes you simply want to browse the produce, look through the pumpkins, choose a few things to take home, and enjoy an easy seasonal stop.

Four Fall Farms, Four Different Experiences – Fall farms

The fun of these Colorado fall farms is that they do not feel interchangeable.

Anderson Farms is the full fall-festival experience. Go when you want the corn maze, wagon rides, pumpkin picking, and enough activities to make the farm the main event.

YA YA Farm & Orchard is for apple season. Heirloom apples, the orchard setting, cider, and cider donuts give it a completely different autumn personality.

Cottonwood Farms brings things back to the classic pumpkin patch. Pumpkins growing in the field, a corn maze, farm animals, and weekend wagon rides keep the harvest at the center of the experience.

Munson Farms is the simplest of the four. Browse pumpkins and seasonal produce at a working Boulder farm, choose what you want to take home, and enjoy a fall tradition that does not require an elaborate plan.

None of them needs to be the “best.”

They are different, which is exactly what makes them worth knowing about.

A Few Things to Know Before You Go – Fall farms

Fall outings become a lot more enjoyable when you leave a little room for changing conditions.

For Anderson Farms, buy tickets ahead when possible. The farm notes that tickets are limited and many dates are expected to sell out.

For YA YA Farm & Orchard, U-Pick reservations are required for apple and pear picking. These reservations tend to sell out quickly! If you don’t get one you can still visit the farm stand during open hours without a reservation.

For Cottonwood Farms, prepaid admission is strongly recommended, especially on weekends. Wagon rides are offered Saturdays and Sundays during pumpkin-patch season.

For Munson Farms, remember that it is a seasonal working farm. Produce availability naturally changes throughout the season.

For any of these outings, comfortable shoes are a good idea. Farm terrain can be uneven, and Colorado weather can change over the course of an afternoon.

Before heading out, check each farm’s official website for current hours, tickets, activities, reservations, and seasonal updates.

Why We Keep Coming Back to Colorado Fall Farms

There are plenty of elaborate ways to celebrate fall in Colorado.

These do not have to be among them.

Sometimes the season is simply about getting outside while the air is crisp, walking through a pumpkin field, picking apples from a tree, bringing home vegetables grown nearby, or discovering that you absolutely did need another pumpkin for the front porch.

That is what these four fall farms have in common.

Anderson Farms gives you the energy of a fall festival.

YA YA Farm & Orchard gives you the slower rhythm of an apple orchard.

Cottonwood Farms gives you the familiar tradition of wandering through a pumpkin patch.

Munson Farms gives you the simplicity of a working farm and seasonal produce stand.

Four farms. Four very different versions of a Colorado fall day.

Do you have a favorite fall farm, orchard, or pumpkin patch that belongs on our list? Tell us where we should go next.

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Keep Exploring Northern Colorado

Keep exploring more of our Colorado Hidden Gems and the local places that make Northern Colorado such an interesting place to experience one season at a time.

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