Hillcrest Orchard of Walnut Creek Ltd.

Hillcrest Orchard, located just outside downtown Walnut Creek, has been family-owned and operated since 1968. There, the family of Merle and Lela Hershberger care for 75 acres of orchard, producing 22 varieties of apples and 12 varieties of peaches. Altogether, that’s more than 11,000 trees, a task that has the whole family hopping, from the youngest to the oldest, year-round.

The store was recently remodeled, which added 800 square feet of retail space, an observation deck overlooking the gorgeous Mudd Valley and beyond, and a new cider house with large windows, perfect for watching the cider-making process every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from September through March.

For those simply looking for a good apple, Hillcrest has plenty to choose from. During their most productive times of the year, you’ll find as many as 175 bushels in their grading room, from Melrose to Fuji, Mutsi to the popular Grimes Golden, a hard-to-find choice for sauces and pies.

In the Fall, Hillcrest offers a variety pumpkins, squash, mums, nuts, bittersweet, coating chocolate--milk, dark and white, and even whiskey barrels for decoration, outdoor weddings, wine and vinegar-making or rain barrels