Searching for fall in SoCal? Visit this autumn haven just 80 miles from L.A.
For a town with just 307 residents as of the last census, Oak Glen contains multitudes.
It’s a long-beloved autumnal haven for scores of Southern Californians seeking an “authentic” fall experience, complete with U-pick apples and warm cups of cider.
“The attendant lure of Oak Glen for the flatlander, deprived of seasonal ebb and flow, is the chance to shop for apples where winter is a-comin’, where the leaves are changing and where your coat is cinched up against the thin, cool mountain air,” writer Chris Hodenfield described in the L.A. Times in 1985.
But it’s not all autumn leaves and apples. Last month, the community bore witness to a devastating mudslide that resulted in the death of a 62-year-old woman in nearby Forest Falls and damage to or total destruction of 16 homes.
“This is California’s new reality,” Brenda Ebrahim, whose barn and property were swamped by debris, told my colleague Melissa Gomez.
As is typical in many small towns, Oak Glen has seen its fair share of drama, especially within the apple industry. And the community has also come together to survive.
Gomez spoke with nearby residents who planned to use their backhoe and skid steer to clear their neighbors’ driveways in the aftermath of the mudslide. “It’s what we do up here for each other,” Nicole Duncan said.
Despite the Sept. 12 mudslide, many of the businesses in Oak Glen remain open for visitors making the 80-mile journey from Los Angeles and beyond.
In this edition of Escapes, you’ll find ideas for spending an idyllic day in Oak Glen. Where are you traveling this fall? I love receiving trip recommendations from readers — email me with yours.
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Mark your calendar for the Apple Butter Festival
A few weeks ago, I rounded up eight places to pick apples within driving distance of L.A. — and Oak Glen-area orchards made up half of the list.
Now, U-pick season is drawing to a close, and we’re fast approaching the next phase of Oak Glen’s autumn celebrations: its famous Apple Butter Festival.
Running from Nov. 25 to 27, the festival provides families, friend groups and solo travelers a delicious and old-timey alternative to Black Friday shopping.
You can snag an apple butter latte and cinnamon roll at Wilshire’s Apple Shed, catch a live apple-butter-making demonstration and take a carriage ride around Los Rios Rancho’s orchard. The more creative among us may enjoy the pumpkin-painting, ornament-making and cookie-decorating activities.
Take a look at the full schedule of events here.
Can’t wait until the end of November? Stone Soup Farm, a family farm and orchard in Oak Glen, hosts its own Apple Butter Festival — which includes farm tours, spiced mulled cider and apple butter s’mores — weekends in November from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Snack your way across Oak Glen — while tackling holiday shopping
Cider doughnuts. Pumpkin butter. Mile High Pie.
The upcoming Apple Butter Festival is far from the only place to find tasty fall treats across Oak Glen and the surrounding towns.
Begin tracking them down at Snow-Line Orchard, an apple farm, winery and cidery founded in 1898 (Hodenfield described it as one of Oak Glen‘s “old, cozy relics”). In addition to its hard apple ciders and wines, the orchard is known for its mini cider doughnuts served with a sprinkle of house-blended cinnamon sugar.
Want to take home some souvenirs from Oak Glen — or get a head start on holiday shopping? Then make your next stop Moms Country Orchards, which stocks a sprawling inventory of jams, honey, soaps and other locally sourced products that make thoughtful and delicious stocking stuffers. (I have my eye on the pumpkin butter.)
After checking out Oak Glen’s other country markets, finish up with a visit to Oak Tree Mountain, a 14-acre family fun park that offers activities such as mountain tube sliding and axe-throwing. If all that activity has you working up a serious appetite, pop into Apple Annie’s Bakery & Restaurant and avail yourself of one of their towering 5-pound Mile High Apple Pies. Another option is Parrish Pioneer Ranch, which includes a historic orchard, country market, restaurant, artist’s studio, antiques shop and more. If you go, make sure to wave to the ranch’s alpacas, pygmy goats and other assorted resident fauna.
From the sounds of it, a miniature donkey named Miss Covergirl and a miniature horse named Cinderella are the stars of the show.
Stroll through a garden, or summit Southern California’s tallest peak
Tucked up against San Bernardino National Forest, Oak Glen is a convenient jumping-off point for anyone searching for a breath of fresh air — or a serious trek.
The San Bernardino Mountains, part of one of only two east-west trending mountain ranges in the continental U.S., are “the most botanically diverse range of its size” in the nation, according to the Wildlands Conservancy. The organization is in the process of developing the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden at its Oak Glen Preserve, which includes conifer forest, springs, wetlands, oak woodland and beyond.
The preserve, botanic garden and outdoor discovery center are open to hikers and picnickers daily. Admission is free.
Interested in venturing even farther into the San Bernardino Mountains? The San Gorgonio Wilderness, home to Southern California’s tallest peak, is easily accessible via a number of trails near Oak Glen.
My husband and I summited 11,503-foot-high San Gorgonio Mountain in June 2020, our last training hike before climbing Mt. Whitney two weeks later. In some ways, the 18-mile hike tested our mettle even more than the longer Whitney hike. I distinctly remember the ache in my legs after rising above the treeline, left with nothing but white rock and blue sky ahead.
But the views from the top — and the lush foliage along Vivian Creek toward the beginning of the trail — made our efforts well worth it.
If you’d like to try hiking San Gorgonio Mountain, you’ll need to obtain a free wilderness permit. More information is available on the U.S. Forest Service website. I strongly recommend waiting until the warmer months, though it’s possible with the right experience and equipment to summit during the winter too.
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One more thing
If you keep up with Escapes, you’ve seen me mention California Fall Color, many Golden State residents’ favorite resource for autumn adventures.
Casey Schreiner, writer of the Wild newsletter for the next few months, chatted with California Fall Color’s editor and publisher, John Poimiroo, about tips for fall leaf viewing earlier this month.
I hopped on the phone with Poimiroo myself recently to learn more about fall in California — and California Fall Color’s beloved slogan: “Dude, autumn happens here too.”
“I’m poking fun at us as Californians,” Poimiroo told me, laughing at his “surfer expression.”
“I’m certainly not a surfer … but I thought [it] would be a way of saying to Californians, ‘Hey, get out of your shell and get up to see where the fall color is,’” he added.
A bit of news as well: Poimiroo says he plans to sell California Fall Color this year; he’s freeing up time for a few creative projects, as well as his role as a bike patroller on the National Ski Patrol.
He said he had 11 people interested in taking over the seasonal travel blog. “I think it will continue. … I want to pass it on to somebody who cares.”
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