Mile High Fun for Everyone

Oak Glen is a 5 mile loop of historic apple orchards, scenic landscapes, unique shops,   family-friendly restaurants, fragrant bakeries, and living history sites.

Located among the slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains, Oak Glen is uniquely surrounded by desert on all sides. But it is always 10 – 15 degrees cooler here than in the valleys and the mile-high climate provides beautiful changes of seasons. (http://www.oakglen.net)

Our neighbor, Allison, suggested we take a day-trip here since it is less than 25 miles from San Jacinto. Even though apple season runs from September through November, and we arrived at Diamond Valley RV Resort in the middle of November, Glen Oak is open all year, sort of. So we took her advice and drove up one day.

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The red color in the hills is from the fire retardant used to control a recent fire that started from a car crash.

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Except for the mountains in the background, the scenery reminds us of  a fall day in New England:

 

 

 

 

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We stop at the Parrish Ranch store because it’s open on a weekday.

 

We sample apples, cider, and apple butter. We leave with a bag of Cameo apples that don’t turn brown when sliced, apple butter, and apple butter barbecue sauce.

Enoch Kidder Parrish settled in Oak Glen in 1860 and was the first apple grower, planting an acre of apple trees in 1867. The store we visited was originally the packing shed and is the oldest wooden stick structure in San Bernardino County. (http://www.oakglen.net)

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Our next stop is Oak Tree Village, 14 acres of family fun including  shows, shops, food, animals, pony rides, and train rides.

The shops and restaurant are open but the family fun area is only open on weekends now.

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Besides apples, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, watermelons, pears, and pumpkins are available for U-Pick.

Special events take place monthly from February through December.

And finally, Oak Glen is a popular “go to” destination for weddings. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were married at the Secret Garden venue located on Parrish Ranch in 2015 over the July 4th weekend.