Pumpkin Patches & Apple Orchards Near Des Moines 2026

Updated September 30, 2026. Every date, hour and price here comes from the farm's own website as it read on that day. Drive times from downtown Des Moines are our estimates.

If you want a pumpkin without a big day out, go to Iowa Orchard in Urbandale: about 15 minutes from downtown, no entry fee for the pumpkin patch, and pumpkins sold by the pound. If you want a whole afternoon of wagon rides, slides and a corn maze, Howell's in Cumming and Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge are the two biggest operations within 40 minutes. For apple picking, Iowa Orchard, Center Grove and Deal's Orchard all run u-pick.

For everything else happening this month, see the October 2026 events calendar.

Pumpkin patches and orchards at a glance

Farm	Town	Drive (est.)	Pumpkins	Apples	Admission
Iowa Orchard	Urbandale	15 min NW	Yes	U-pick	Free for pumpkins; $5 u-pick
Wilson's Orchard & Farm	Cumming	20 min SW	Yes	Yes	Check the site
Howell's	Cumming	20-25 min SW	Yes	No	$14 online, $18 gate
Pumpkinville	Mitchellville	20-25 min E	Yes	No	No general admission
Wills Family Orchard	Adel	30 min W	Yes	Yes	$12 activity pass
Center Grove Orchard	Cambridge	35 min N	Yes	U-pick	$14.95-$23.95
Berry Patch Farm	Nevada	40 min N	Yes	Yes	Check the site
Deal's Orchard	Jefferson	60-70 min NW	Yes	U-pick	$12.95 online, $14.95 gate

The farms

Iowa Orchard (Urbandale)

A family orchard on the northwest edge of the metro with a farm market, u-pick apples and a pumpkin patch.

Where: Farm market and pumpkin patch at 9875 Meredith Drive, Urbandale. The u-pick apples page lists 13140 NW 102nd Avenue, Granger as the u-pick location. About 15 minutes northwest of downtown.
Pumpkin patch: Tuesday through Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm, late September through Halloween. No entry fee; pumpkins are $0.50 a pound.
U-pick apples: Labor Day weekend through mid-October, 9 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, last admittance 4 pm, closed Mondays. Admission is $5 per person (under 2 free). Apples run $13 a half peck to $66 a bushel; Honeycrisp and EverCrisp are $19 to $95.
Family Fun Zone: Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am to 5 pm, late September through October, $5 per person.
The site doesn't put a year on these pages, and it says hours change with weather and ripening and that closings go out on its Facebook page. Check before you drive.
Site: iowaorchard.com (opens in a new tab)

Howell's Greenhouse & Pumpkin Patch (Cumming)

A greenhouse that turns into a full fall farm, with wagon rides, an 8-acre corn maze, pedal go-karts and a playground included in admission.

Where: 3145 Howell Court, Cumming. About 20-25 minutes southwest of downtown.
2026 season: September 12 through November 1. Hours in September and October are 10 am to 6 pm.
Price: $14 per person online (plus fees) or $18 plus tax at the gate, for everyone 2 and older. Seniors 65+ and military (ID required) are $12 plus tax. A fall season pass is $45.
Included: the farm activity area, goats, flower fields, wagon rides, the corn maze and the playground. Pony rides and the paintball range cost extra. The farm market and gift shop need no admission.
2026 events: Howellween on Saturday, October 31, and Pumpkin Smash on November 1.
Site: howellsgreenhouseandpumpkinpatch.com (opens in a new tab)

Center Grove Orchard (Cambridge)

The biggest fall farm north of the metro: u-pick apples, a pumpkin patch, a four-acre corn maze, jumping pillows and a train, all on one ticket.

Where: 32835 610th Avenue, Cambridge. The farm says it's 35 minutes from Des Moines.
2026 season: August 29 through November 8. The 2026 calendar lists 9 am to 7 pm daily, closed Tuesdays, with 9 am to 9 pm on October 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24.
Price (age 3+): online $14.95 weekday or $19.95 weekend, plus tax; at the gate $16.95 weekday or $23.95 weekend. Thursdays after 2 pm are buy one, get one free at the gate. Fall season pass $69.95.
Apples: u-pick runs $9.95 for a quarter peck to $64.95 a bushel, and admission is required to enter the orchard. The apples page doesn't list a year, so confirm prices at the gate.
Pumpkins: pumpkin picking runs late September through October and is included with admission.
Event page: Pumpkin Fest at Center Grove Orchard
Site: centergroveorchard.com (opens in a new tab)

Wills Family Orchard (Adel)

A weekend apple and pumpkin festival west of the metro with a corn maze, low ropes course, pedal tractors and hay wagon rides.

Where: 33130 Panther Creek Road, Adel. About 30 minutes west of downtown.
2026 festival weekends: September 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27; October 3-4, 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25. Saturdays 9 am to 6 pm, Sundays noon to 6 pm.
Price: activity pass $12 per person plus tax; children 2 and under are free. The pass covers ten activities including the corn maze and hay wagon ride.
Site: willsfamilyorchard.com (opens in a new tab)

Wilson's Orchard & Farm (Cumming)

The Des Moines location of the Iowa City orchard: a 125-acre farm with you-pick crops, a farm market, a bakery and a cider bar and restaurant.

Where: 3201 15th Avenue, Cumming. About 20 minutes southwest of downtown.
Hours: the farm, market and farmyard are listed as closed Monday and Tuesday and open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 am to 9 pm. The page didn't show 2026 dates or prices when we checked, so check the site for 2026 hours and prices.
Site: wilsonsorchard.com/des-moines (opens in a new tab)

Pumpkinville and Cornmaze (Mitchellville)

A pumpkin farm east of Altoona with no general admission fee; you pay for pumpkins and for the big corn maze.

Where: 618 Center Ave South, Mitchellville. About 20-25 minutes east of downtown.
Hours: closed Mondays; Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday 10 am to 7 pm; Friday and Saturday 10 am to 8 pm. Pumpkins and decorations are September through October.
Price: no general admission. Pumpkins and gourds are $1 to $30; corn shocks $5.
Site: pumpkinvillecornmaze.com (opens in a new tab)

Berry Patch Farm (Nevada)

A farm east of Ames with apples, pumpkins and hayrack rides in the fall.

Where: 62785 280th Street, Nevada. About 40 minutes north of downtown.
Hours: the site lists Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm. It doesn't list 2026 fall dates or prices, so check the site for 2026 hours.
Site: berrypatchfarm.com (opens in a new tab)

Deal's Orchard (Jefferson)

A family orchard since 1917 with an apple barn, a pumpkin patch and a play area called Apple Acres that includes a corn maze.

Where: 1102 244th Street, Jefferson. About an hour or a little more northwest of downtown, the longest drive on this list.
2026 season: August 29 through November 1, 9 am to 6 pm daily, weather permitting.
Price: Apple Acres is $12.95 online or $14.95 at the gate; 65+ is $6.95 online or $7.95 at the gate; 2 and under free. The farm says there's no charge to visit the Apple Barn or the pumpkin patch, listen to live music or take a weekend hayride.
Site: dealsorchard.com (opens in a new tab)

Tips before you go

Buy online at the big farms. Howell's saves you $4 a head online; Center Grove saves $2 on weekdays and $4 on weekends.
Go on a weekday or a Thursday. Center Grove's gate price drops by $7 Monday through Friday, and Thursdays after 2 pm are two-for-one.
Pumpkins only? Iowa Orchard, Pumpkinville and the Deal's pumpkin patch don't charge admission to buy pumpkins.

More October plans

Sources

All fetched September 30, 2026.

Iowa Orchard: home (opens in a new tab), u-pick apples (opens in a new tab), tours and activities (opens in a new tab)
Howell's: admission (opens in a new tab), events (opens in a new tab)
Center Grove Orchard: tickets (opens in a new tab), calendar (opens in a new tab), u-pick apples (opens in a new tab)
Wills Family Orchard: Apple and Pumpkin Fest (opens in a new tab)
Wilson's Orchard & Farm: Des Moines (opens in a new tab)
Pumpkinville and Cornmaze: home (opens in a new tab), prices (opens in a new tab), hours (opens in a new tab)
Berry Patch Farm: home (opens in a new tab)
Deal's Orchard: home (opens in a new tab), Apple Acres 2026 tickets (opens in a new tab)

Pumpkin Patches and Apple Orchards Near Des Moines (2026)