The perfect detour on your way to Tahoe? The hard cider trail

The story of Apple Hill is one of a regional marketing campaign that went wildly right. On peak fall weekends, the proof is in the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Highway 50 starting at exit 48, the turnoff for the Sierra foothill town of Placerville. Flannel-clad city folk — the types who used to identify solely with small-batch breweries — flood the area for stunning fall foliage, cozy firepits, and some excellent hard cider.

It wasn’t always this way. Once dominated by pear farms, the area —  about an hour from South Lake Tahoe — was decimated in the 1960s by a blight that wiped out nearly 80% of the crop. The original 16 farmers pivoted to apples, forming a growers association they coined “Apple Hill.” More than half a century later, the area spanning Placerville and Camino is home to at least 50 family-owned farms known for pick-your-own apples, cider doughnuts, and the fizzy, boozy, increasingly sophisticated beverage that’s giving craft beer a run for its money.

Now that the fall leaf-peeping season is waning, this is the perfect time of year for a quieter visit, when golden aspens still glitter against forest-green pines and country roads wind through canopies of scarlet and ochre. The next few weeks are peak cider season, so get up there ASAP.

If you’re driving from San Francisco and want to hit all the cider-trail stops in one day, get started no later than 9 a.m. Though peak apple-picking season has passed, Carson Road (which runs parallel to Highway 50) can be crowded on weekends. For a more leisurely drive, follow the back roads. The cideries are only five to 10 minutes apart, but be prepared to wait for parking. None allow outside food, but all have food vendors (plus plenty of porta-potties).

At first glance, Hidden Star Camino gives county-fair vibes, but the unassuming barn pours some of the best small-batch farmstead ciders around. Of the 24 unfiltered, naturally carbonated ciders — ranging from sour to semi-sweet — English dry Fool’s Gold is a favorite, but there’s also the crushable Apple Hill Reserve (a semi-dry heirloom blend) and Hawaii Five-O, a tropical twist that adds pineapple and lychee. Don’t miss the bakery, which has the area’s best cider doughnuts. If you’re traveling with the whole fam, Hidden Star’s apple slingshots, play area, and craft vendors will keep little ones entertained.

Though it’s not a cidery, Drew Bean Farms’ quaint, country-style kitchen is an ideal lunch stop. Order the rich, creamy chicken pot pie or hefty meatloaf sandwich to enjoy by the wood-burning stove in the main dining room or the firepits outside. The alfresco bar serves three varieties of cider from nearby North Canyon Cider Co., which uses apples grown at Barsotti Orchards.

Jack Russel Farm Brewery knows its way around fermentation. David Coody, a pioneer of Sacramento’s craft beer scene, now brews ciders as well as meads using apples, blackberries, raspberries, and hops grown at the site. The ciders are fruit-forward, subtly sparkling, and low-ABV, more closely resembling nonalcoholic ciders, but the mead clocks in at 13%. Most of the action happens in the dog-friendly grassy picnic area in front of the brewery. In the back is a funky tasting bar (clearly inspired by a wine cave) that pours seasonal selections in tasting flights or by the glass. 

Roots run deep at Delfino Farms, a picturesque, third-generation hilltop estate. Edio and Joan Delfino’s dedication to the land shows in their mastery of craft cider — dry selections that are barrel-fermented in French oak, aged sur lie for six months, and bottled for perfect, sparkling-wine-like carbonation. The result is light, clean, and complex. Though you can do a tasting alfresco, there’s a year-round option at the modern farmhouse-style tasting room, where reservations and walk-ins can sample a flight of the farm’s three ciders (heritage, blackberry, and whiskey-barrel Arkansas Black). 

Of course there’s cider, but at Pine-O-Mine Ranch there’re also laid-back vibes, live music, cornhole, and BBQ from a food truck. Surrounded by soaring pines and apple orchards, the rustic barn doubles as an idyllic Insta background, with a bar pouring hard ciders from rotating local producers. Right now, there are two excellent dry options from Bumgarner: Aloha, with its bold flavor punch of pineapple and passion fruit, is a tribute to the islands where cider-maker Brian Bumgarner spent his childhood, and Huckleberry is its nuanced counterpoint: crisp and refreshing, with floral notes and subtle berry flavor. 

Apple Hill is an easy day trip from the Bay Area, but it’s an even better overnighter. Placerville has a handful of bed and breakfasts, and Ponderosa Ridge checks all the charm boxes: a wraparound porch, stone fireplace, hot tub, and billiards room.

Across Highway 50 in downtown Placerville is the stately 40-room Cary House Hotel, rife with Gold Rush history and frequented by luminaries like Buffalo Bill, Bette Davis, and Mark Twain. The modern-luxe (and pet-friendly) Eden Vale Inn and stunning adobe-style Villa Agave — both well worth the extra 25-minute drive — are more upscale stays. Eden Vale has a spa, and Villa Agave is a working agave farm that hosts daily tequila tastings for guests.    

If you’re spending the night, grab dinner in downtown Placerville on your way out of Apple Hill. Spicy pub nachos and savory-sweet banh mi tacos are favorites at Placerville Public House, while Smith Flat House and Bricks Eats and Drinks offer more upscale fare.