"There's still a ways to go because we have apples on the trees until early October to mid-October." Kristie Altonen, owner of Altonen Orchards, said that in a Northern Express harvest interview published October 3, 2026. On today's calendar, that window is already closing.
That is the first step in how fall winds down along M-72 and US-31. The fruit comes in first. The farm stands keep going after the trees are picked. One weekend near the end of the month lines up the last of the farm and library dates, and then the season switches over to Christmas markets after a gap. Knowing the order helps you plan the next three weekends.
The Trees Finish First
Altonen Orchards is a multi-generational Williamsburg farm. In the Northern Express piece on the 2026 apple harvest, Altonen called this year's crop "quite comparable to last year," with "a good amount of fruit, good quality fruit." Apples came through the spring better than cherries because they hadn't developed far enough to be hurt by a late freeze. She said the last three or four years have been good apple years.
The variety list explains why the season is front-loaded. Honeycrisp is Altonen's main seller. The farm also grows Chisel Gold, Zestar, Paula Red, and Premier Honeycrisp, which Altonen describes as a sister to the standard Honeycrisp that ripens earlier and doesn't keep as long. In all, the farm grows more than 20 eating varieties and more than 20 cider varieties.
"Our main seller is Honeycrisp … but we also grow Chisel Gold, Zestar, Paula Red, and there's something called the Premier Honeycrisp."
Once the trees are picked, the apples move indoors. Altonen sells at its two retail locations, one on US-31 and one on M-72. Some of the crop goes to commercial buyers, and some is pressed for cider at the affiliated Townline Ciderworks in Elk Rapids, where Altonen manages the tasting room. The cider orchard was planted after a 2015 windstorm destroyed a young orchard on the farm. Altonen said those trees are "just now maturing" and have been producing quite well.
So apples will still be around after mid-October, but you'll be buying them at a stand instead of picking them off a tree. Altonen hasn't published fall hours or a closing date for either stand, so call ahead before you drive out.
Hubbell Farms Carries the Weekends
On M-72, Hubbell Farms runs its fall on weekends. The Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce listing for Hubbell's Fall Harvest Weekends says the farm is open "every weekend throughout October," Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
There's no admission fee. Each activity is priced separately:
- Corn maze: $6 per person
- Wagon rides: $5 per person
- Apple cannon: $9 per bucket
- U-pick apples and pumpkins: ask inside the farm market for current varieties and prices
Because each activity is priced on its own, a short stop costs only what you buy. A family doing the maze and a wagon ride pays $11 a person before buying any food. The market sells coffee, fall baked goods, seasonal produce, authentic Mexican food, and ice cream. Hubbell's own fall page lists cider and donuts plus pies, scones, muffins, and breads, and its banner says Honeycrisp apples and cider donuts are available now.
Hubbell hasn't announced a final day. "Throughout October" includes the weekends of October 17 and 18 and October 24 and 25. Nothing published so far says what happens after that.
October 24 and 25 Is the Last Weekend When Everything Overlaps
That weekend is the last time this fall that Hubbell, Myrtle & Maude's, and the library's harvest event all fall on the same two days.
Saturday, October 24, the East Bay Branch Library holds a free Fall Harvest Fest from noon to 2 p.m., with cider, donuts, games, and crafts. Sunday, October 25, is Myrtle & Maude's last day of the fall season. Hubbell's October weekend hours cover both days.
Here's the order things close, based on what each source has published:
- Now through mid-October: Altonen expects the last apples to come off the trees in Williamsburg.
- Weekends through October: Hubbell Farms is open Saturdays 9 to 5:30 and Sundays 9 to 4:30.
- Daily through October 25: Myrtle & Maude's is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, October 24, noon to 2 p.m.: Fall Harvest Fest at the East Bay Branch Library.
- Sunday, October 25: Myrtle & Maude's closes for fall.
- November 12 to December 13: Myrtle & Maude's reopens as Christmas on the Farm.
If you plan around just one weekend, plan around this one. You could start at the library at noon on Saturday, head to Hubbell for the maze in the afternoon, and stop at Myrtle & Maude's on Sunday for a last caramel apple, all on the same road network east of Traverse City.
Myrtle & Maude's Closes Its Doors for About Two and a Half Weeks
Myrtle & Maude's is the only farm here that has published both a firm end date and a reopening date. Its 2026 fall season runs daily from September 17 through October 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The daily list includes Maude's caramel apples, apples grown on the farm, pumpkins, donuts, cider, Grandma Birdie's homemade pies, apple cider slushies, and an apple pie parfait made with soft serve. You'll also find a corn maze, yard games, a play area, and animals, including a Mini Highland Cow, goats, and chickens. The market sells vintage pieces and Michigan-made goods. Tractor-pulled wagon tours and bonfires run on weekends only, and the porch has a big screen showing the games.
So October 24 and 25 is the last chance this year to take the wagon tour.
After October 25, the farm says it switches the market to "all things Christmas" and reopens November 12 through December 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. That leaves 17 days, October 26 through November 11, when it's closed. The Christmas run lasts about a month. The fall season ran nearly six weeks.
What Stays Open After the Farms Close
Once the farm calendar winds down, a few nearby spots don't depend on the harvest.
In late September, a Little Free Library was installed at Bayside Park in Acme. German high school students helped put it up, and the Bookmobile came for the library-warming event, according to UpNorthLive's report. It's open whenever the park is, so you can drop off a book on the way back from an orchard stand in November.
On M-72, the old Mr. C's Pub & Grill space reopened this year as Coyote Joe's Pub & Grill. The Ticker reported in February that a soft opening was planned for early March, and the restaurant's website now says "NOW OPEN." Hours weren't posted when we checked, so call before you go.
Flintfields Horse Park's 2026 show season ended September 20 with the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup and American Gold Cup. The show calendar at the horse park is finished for 2026.
Here's what's settled so far: Altonen expected its Williamsburg apples off the trees by mid-October, Hubbell keeps weekend hours through October, Myrtle & Maude's last fall day is Sunday, October 25, and its Christmas market opens November 12.
A lot of the M-72 and US-31 corridor is farmland, and that affects how property out here gets valued and used. If you've ever wondered what the orchard parcels and roadside farm properties near Williamsburg are worth, or how working agricultural land changes hands, Joe Van Antwerp offers land consulting for exactly those questions. Contact Joe for a free consultation.
