Apple Season in WNC Is Early This Year, and the Growers Are Smiling for the First Time in a While

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  August 13, 2026

Henderson County apple growers are heading into fall with something they have not had in a few years: a good crop and no asterisks attached to it. Terry Kelley, the county's Extension director, expects average to above-average yields across the region this season, and he is not hedging much about it. After Helene, after late freezes, after hail, that is a real change.

The orchards sit along the ridges and slopes south and east of Hendersonville, an easy run from Asheville on I-26 East, about 30 to 40 minutes door to door depending on which orchard you are aiming for. Skytop Orchard, down in Zirconia near the state line, has been part of that landscape since the Butler family planted it in 1967 and opened it to U-pick in 1980.

Why is the apple crop early in Western NC this year?

Heat. Kelley said the main thing growers are watching right now is the temperature, and the practical effect has been apples reaching maturity ahead of schedule. Families were already walking the rows at Skytop on a Monday morning in August, which is early by any normal calendar.

That matters if you are planning a trip. The window for specific varieties shifts forward with the crop, so the weekend you had circled for a particular apple may land later than the fruit does. Call ahead. Most of these are family operations and someone will pick up the phone and tell you exactly what is ready.

The crop is not flawless. Kelley said Pink Lady and Fuji are both expected to be in shorter supply this year. But the overall picture, quality plus yield plus the prices growers are getting, is the strongest it has been in several seasons.

How have WNC orchards recovered since Helene?

David Butler at Skytop said the hardest part of last season was not the trees. It was the questions. Were businesses open. Could people get here safely. Was it appropriate to come at all. Those questions cost the orchards a season's worth of visitors at the exact moment they needed them most.

This year, Butler said, that apprehension is largely gone. "People are not apprehensive about coming, which is a good thing for all of us apple growers," he said. Skytop is running better than half a typical crop, enough to keep the U-pick going through the season, and the orchard plans to stay open seven days a week into early December.

Kelley put it in plainer terms. "For a change, we've got a smile on our face when we go into apple season, and it's about time for that."

What does apple season mean for the local economy?

More than apples. Butler said visitors come from across the Southeast and most of them stay a few days, which means hotel rooms in Hendersonville, dinner reservations, and side trips to whatever else is nearby. He gets asked for recommendations constantly and is happy to give them.

That effect is real for the whole region. Henderson County grows the large majority of North Carolina's apples, and the state ranks near the top nationally, so the fall crop is not a novelty here. It is an industry with a season attached, and the season pulls people up the mountain. The North Carolina Apple Festival takes over downtown Hendersonville over Labor Day weekend for the same reason.

For those of us further west in Franklin, Sylva, and Waynesville, the effect shows up secondhand. People come for the orchards, take the long way home on US-64 or the Blue Ridge Parkway, and start noticing what the rest of these counties look like in October. A fair number of the people who eventually move here first came up for a weekend of apple picking and never quite got over it.

Two years ago the conversation around here was about whether the mountains would feel normal again. This fall, an orchard that has been in one family since 1967 is open seven days a week with a full season ahead of it. Normal came back quietly, one crop at a time.

If a good fall in the mountains has you wondering what it would be like to be here year-round instead of just for the weekend, Jon Tharp is always glad to talk it through.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

When does apple picking season start in Henderson County, NC?

Apple season in Henderson County typically runs from late August through October, but the 2026 crop is running early. Extension director Terry Kelley said the summer heat pushed apples to maturity ahead of normal, and families were already picking at Skytop Orchard in early August. If you are planning a trip around a specific variety, call the orchard first, because the early start shifts the whole calendar forward by a couple of weeks. Skytop plans to stay open seven days a week through the beginning of December, so late-season visitors still have plenty of time.

Where is Skytop Orchard and how do you get there from Asheville?

Skytop Orchard sits in the Zirconia area of southern Henderson County, roughly 30 to 40 minutes from downtown Asheville depending on traffic. Most visitors take I-26 East toward Hendersonville, then head south on US-25 toward the state line. The Butler family planted the orchard in 1967 and opened it for U-pick in 1980, and it has grown into a destination that draws visitors from across the Southeast. It is open seven days a week during the season and plans to stay open through early December this year.

Did Hurricane Helene damage Western North Carolina apple orchards?

Helene created serious problems for the apple industry, though the bigger issue for many growers was not the trees but the visitors. David Butler of Skytop Orchard said last season was difficult largely because people did not know whether businesses were open or whether roads were safe to travel. That uncertainty has mostly cleared for 2026. Between Helene, spring freezes, and hail, growers strung together several rough seasons, and Henderson County Extension says this year finally breaks that pattern with better quality, better yields, and better prices.

Why is Henderson County the center of North Carolina apple growing?

Henderson County produces the large majority of North Carolina's apples, and the state ranks among the top apple producers in the country. The elevation, the cool mountain nights, and the well-drained slopes around Hendersonville and Edneyville create conditions apples do well in, which is why the industry took root there generations ago rather than in the flatter parts of the state. That concentration is why the county holds the North Carolina Apple Festival in Hendersonville over Labor Day weekend and why so many family orchards along US-64 have stayed in business for decades.