Searching for the Great Pumpkin in Southwest Washington

Today is the first full day of fall and it’s not too early to start planning outings to local pumpkin patches.

You may have a favorite that you return to year after year. Or you may be ready to play the field, so to speak, and mix it up a bit by visiting a farm you’ve never been to before. Either way, here is all the information you’ll need to know before visiting your pumpkin patch of choice, including dates, hours, ticket prices and what to expect when you get there.

It might also be prudent to visit the websites listed below before you go, in case farms made last-minute changes in hours or ticket pricing. It’s a good idea to bring cash for various farm activities or to buy any on-site food. (Elephant ears and pumpkin pie, anyone?) No matter which patch you choose, you’ll make a wheelbarrow-full of cherished fall memories.

Bi-Zi Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

• 9504 N.E. 119th St., Brush Prairie; 360-574-9119; bi-zifarms.com

Open 1 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29. Tickets are $16.95 for ages 3 to 61, seniors 62 and older and those with military ID are $14.95, children 2 and younger are free. Admission closes at 5 p.m. Nighttime corn maze is open 6-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission to just the corn maze is $9 per person. Pumpkin Patch tickets include same-day admission to the nighttime corn maze, where admission closes at 9:30 p.m. Corn maze reservations are accepted for small groups. All tickets must be purchased online at bi-zifarms.com.

Tickets include one free pumpkin of any size; wagon ride to and from the pumpkin patch; one free hot drink; farm animals; corn maze; two shots on the pumpkin launcher; free apple cider samples; and live music. Children’s activities include the hay bale maze and pyramid, pedal tractor, calf-roping, corn play area, hippity-hop races, corn shelling and grinding. Cotton candy, food and drinks are available to buy. Purchase more gourds and local produce in the farm store. Dogs on 6-foot set-length leashes are allowed.

Vancouver Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

• 18905 N.E. 83rd St., Vancouver; 360-892-0434; vancouverpumpkinpatch.com

Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays through Oct. 29. The farm will also be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, Halloween. Admission is $10 on weekdays, $12 on Saturdays and Sundays and always free for ages 2 and younger.

Admission includes entry into the pumpkin patch plus one free pumpkin (except for guests 2 and under), entry to the corn maze, covered hay pyramid, covered petting zoo and covered hayrides from 3-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Try your hand at the powerful apple cannon, $5 for five apples. Pumpkins, gourds, squash and fall decor items are available to purchase in the farm store. Stroll out to the U-pick portion of the farm to pick tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans and cucumbers for $1.50 per pound. Leashed dogs are allowed if owners clean up after them.

Walton Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

• 1617 N.E. 267th Ave., Camas; 360-834-2810; waltonsfarms.com

Open 3-5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Sept. 30 through Oct. 29. Admission is $13, $11 for seniors 55 and older, and free for 2 and younger.

Admission includes the corn maze, barrel train ride and one pumpkin, any size (except for ages 2 and younger). Leashed dogs are welcome.

The Patch at Whalen Oaks Farm

• 636 Whalen Road, Woodland; 360-703-5606; www.whalenoaksfarm.com/the-patch

Open Oct. 1-31, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Halloween day. Admission is free.

The farm boasts 60 varieties of pumpkins and other gourds for sale by size, a free hay maze, a 1-acre corn maze (free ) and 5-acre corn maze ($4-$6), pumpkin bowling for kids from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays ($4), hay rides on weekends, weather permitting ($4-$6), pony rides on weekends by Flying Hat Ranch and free photo-ops with props. Days, times and prices vary for each activity; call or check website before going. On-site food trucks include Red Leaf Coffee, Bella Bee Wood Fired Pizza, Steakburger on the Go; Smokin’ Frank’s East Fork BBQ (weekends; check website for updates); and Rustic Cup Mobile Coffee and Shaved Ice (Wednesdays through Sundays). Bottled water is $1. Leashed dogs are welcome but owners must bag and dispose of waste. Photographers are welcome only by appointment for a small fee; email
whalenoaksfarm@gmail.com

Gather and Feast Farm

• 2706 N.E. 369th St., La Center; 360-768-3323; facebook.com/gatherandfeastfarm/, instagram.com/gatherandfeastfarm

Open daily from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Take a self-guided farm tour (see the map on the front porch) and visit the Scottish Highland cows and a Heifer calf, chickens and pigs. Purchase pumpkins at the farm stand, priced by size between $8 and $15; pay by cash or card. Buy vegetables grown on the farm, such as tomatoes, kale, leeks, garlic, Swiss chard and fresh eggs from the farm’s chickens. Prepared food includes hot sauce, plum barbecue sauce and frozen, scratch-made meals from the owners’ company, Crave Catering. After Halloween, bring your pumpkins to the farm to feed them to the farm animals (gourds should not have wax, glue, plastic or other decorations). If you can’t make it out to Gather and Feast Farm but have friends with farm animals, donate your pumpkins to them. The farm grounds are available to rent for public and private events, company picnics and reunions.

Pumpkin Lane at Pomeroy Farm

20902 N.E. Lucia Falls Road, Yacolt; 360-686-3537; pomeroyfarm.org

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for kids 3 to 11 and free for tots age 2 and younger. Admission ends at 4 p.m. Parking is free. Only service animals may enter the farm grounds.

Tickets include a hayride to see pumpkin-headed people posed in scenes inspired by books, movies, fairy tales and pop culture. Pick and purchase pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are priced by circumference from $1.50 to $12, plus an additional $2 for specialty pumpkins, such as white, Cinderella and warty. See friendly farm animals, wander the historic grounds for fall photo backdrops or buy refreshments from the on-site food and coffee vendor.

Pomeroy Farm is offering a new 21-and-older event this fall: Pumpkin Lane After Dark, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and 20. Ride down the farm’s scarecrow-adorned Pumpkin Lane, romp around the pumpkin patch and then enjoy a glass of wine and toasted s’mores. Tickets are $35 per person and include a hayride, a beverage token and two s’mores kits. Pumpkins, additional drinks and food are available to buy. Buy tickets online at pomeroyfarm.org.

Get To-Gather Farm

• 1913 S.E. 303rd Ave. Washougal; 360-989-0163; facebook.com/gettogatherfarm, instagram.com/gettogatherfarm

Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays into December. Admission is free.

Purchase a pumpkin grown on the farm’s hand-tended pumpkin patch, where early-harvest pumpkins are clean and fully ripe. Walk on one of the farm’s nature trails. Feed the chickens ($2 per bag) and visit with geese and turkeys. Watch a cider-making demonstration and play on the hay-bale pyramid. The farm store sells a wide variety of pumpkins (including pie pumpkins) and decorative gourds, as well as fall decor such as ornamental corn and corn stalks. Purchase winter squash, beans, carrots, corn, pies and scones from Sweet Things by Baldi, meats from Windy River Livestock, honey from Half Moon Farm and Sithean Acres and six varieties of watermelons and cantaloupe. Find rare produce such as cucamelons, ground cherries and Sugar Rush peppers. Buy fresh chicken and duck eggs, locally made granola, date rolls and caramels. Purchase apple cider, stevia tea, hot sauce, chili sauce, marinara sauce and Ghana baskets. Free parking on site. Leashed dogs allowed. Guests are welcome to bring blankets and picnic lunches and enjoy the grounds, set high in the hills with a beautiful view.