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A Beautiful Morning with a short walk/hike on Oak Glen Preserve trail and Riley's Farm
Starting the day with a short walk at Oak Glen Preserve
Oak Glen Preserve is the kind of place that invites attention. Not loud attention, just the kind where you start noticing small things: the shape of leaves, the sound of streams and wings, the way the trail changes underfoot.
We walked at an easy pace and let the morning unfold. There were birds along the trail, not always visible at first, but present in the trees and brush. Every so often, a flicker of movement would pull our eyes up from the path. We saw the pinyon jay along the way. Twice in the trees... and on the ground, and moving about the leaves, looking for something.
The smells were just as memorable. Oak Glen has that mountain-adjacent mix of dust, bark, grass, and nearby fruit trees. It felt clean and familiar, like fall had arrived even before the calendar fully agreed.
The walk/hike made a perfect first chapter for the day because it slowed everything down. Instead of rushing straight to the farm, we had time to arrive in the moment, breathe a little deeper, and take in the place around us.
Heading down the hill to Riley’s Farm
After the hike, we drove down the hill to Riley’s. Riley’s Farm in Oak Glen has a generous, spread-out feeling, the kind of property where you want to walk before you do anything else.
The first impression was space. Not just room to move, but room to look around, with folks visiting with their families and dogs walking around the property and enjoying the open fields. There were trees, paths, open areas, different buildings and barns, and that relaxed farm atmosphere that makes a weekend morning feel a little removed from regular life.
We did not rush into picking right away. We walked the property first, taking it in from different angles. That was one of the best parts of the visit. Apple picking is the reason to go, of course, but the setting itself deserves time.
Something about being on a farm in the morning feels grounding. The light hits differently. The air feels brighter. Even simple things, like walking from one row to another, become part of the experience.
Walking the property before picking apples
Walking first also helped us settle into the farm's pace. The property has many large trees. Folks are dressed in turn-of-the-century clothing too. You could also pick your own zinnias and watch the gourds ripen right in front of us, but we weren't allowed to pick those yet.
Picking Snow and Maiden's Blush apples
We picked two kinds of apples: Snow and Maiden's Blush. You get a bag at the station, and they tell you where the different kinds are located. It was fun walking up the different hills and finding the trees with the best apples. Some folks even brought fruit pickers to reach the apples high in the tree.
If you are planning a similar visit, a few small choices can make the day better:
Start early if you enjoy cooler air and softer light.
Wear shoes that work for both trails and farm paths.
Bring water, especially if you plan to hike first.
Leave extra time to walk the property before picking.
Pick more than one variety if available, just for the fun of comparing them later.
A simple day done well.
By the time we finished at Riley’s, the morning had turned into the kind of memory that feels easy to hold on to. Not dramatic, not overly planned, just beautiful in the way simple days can be when each part fits.
The apples came home with us, but so did the feeling of the morning: the trail at Oak Glen Preserve, the birds in the trees, the smell of the outdoors, the open property at Riley’s.
Some outings stay with you because they are rare or grand. This one stayed with us because it felt honest and unhurried. A beautiful morning, a good walk, a wide farm, and apples were more than enough.
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