Even though we're all tired of the regulations dictating our activities, we all want to be safe and want the same for everyone with whom we come in contact. We encourage social interaction but maintaining a 6' physical distance is required. Masks are worn by all staff and required by all visitors (while inside the barn), gloves for staff, distancing markers, and sanitizer required before entering the store and recommended as you leave. Happy pets are permitted inside on a leash (no mask required). Bill is on premises telling tales and entertaining visitors.

The trails are open, and a revised map  installed, but please respect distancing with other walkers.

We hope that all of the above will come to an end soon, but in the interim, the health and safety of our staff and our visitors are our only concern in our decision making. The apple trees are still thriving and ripening. No matter what the climate of the planet, they're getting ready for pickin' as usual.

If you would like to purchase something from the store and have it shipped directly to you, or want to order it ahead of time, just call Alicia at 828-765-9531 Wednesday through Sunday from 10AM to 5PM.

We invite you to come for a visit. You don't want to leave without a walk through the apple "forest." Bring your appetites for the hot apple pie alamode with hand-scooped ice cream. Pick your own apples or purchase them in our General Store (in season). Return to a simpler time for an hour or an afternoon at the family- (and pet-) friendly Orchard At Altapass.

Back in the early 1900s the Clinchfield Railroad stopped on its newly laid route from Kentucky to South Carolina and planted an orchard at what is now know as Altapass. To recognize their contribution to the existence of the Orchard at Altapass today, we are collaborating with the Toe River Model Railroad Club to construct a miniature railroad representation (48 times smaller than a real train) of the Orchard that will “track” in the red barn (train whistle included). The project will be ongoing as there is always room for another car, another apple tree. Currently, the design is for a 16' oval replica of the track and orchard land in the mid 1900s. A model Clinchfield train will run the track passing in front of the tiny red barn, disappear inside the tunnel and reappear at the other end. If you would like to be a part of the Clinchfield/Orchard Project, please email the executive director, Beth Hilton. Members of the Model Railroad Club will be working on construction Wednesdays through the remainder of the season. Come and watch as it slowly chugs along. 


We are also planning a “Creating a Miniature Apple Tree” workshop for children. Dates and times to be. The real-size Orchard is over 40 acres. Even miniaturized, that’s a lot of apple trees.