Written By Mauricio Segura // Photo: Golden Bay Times Graphics Dept.
When the first cool winds roll down from the Sierras, Sacramento Valley knows what time it is, pumpkin season. The fields shift from green to gold, families pile into cars, and weekends start to smell like hay, cinnamon, and kettle corn. Around here, pumpkin patches aren’t just farms; they’re autumn playgrounds, each with its own charm, flavor, and a story waiting behind every carved smile.
Dave’s Pumpkin Patch at Vierra Farms – West Sacramento
This one’s the Valley’s unofficial headquarters of fall fun. Spread across a working farm, Dave’s offers the full experience: a sprawling 10-acre corn maze, hay rides, and a patch that feels endless. There’s a Cornival midway for kids, food stands dishing out tri-tip sandwiches, and enough funnel cake sugar in the air to make you feel twelve again. The magic is in the balance, big enough for excitement, small enough to still feel local.
(3010 Burrows Ave., West Sacramento | (916) 849-9450 | vierrafarms.com
Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm – Wheatland
If fall had a capital, it would be here. Bishop’s is a generational institution, turning farmland into a full-blown festival every October. Visitors hop aboard hayrides, cheer at pig races, and ride the BPF train that circles the grounds. Bakers churn out caramel apples and cider doughnuts so good they practically steal the show. By sunset, the place glows like a lantern field, hundreds of pumpkins dotting the horizon.
(1415 Pumpkin Lane, Wheatland | (530) 633-2568 | bishopspumpkinfarm.com
Nick and Ray’s Pumpkin Patch – Sacramento (Natomas)
You don’t have to leave the city to find the country. This family-run patch at Bastiao Farms brings a rustic slice of farm life to Natomas. Kids conquer the straw pyramid, ride the little mining train, and get lost in the maze while parents sip coffee from the snack stand and plot revenge in the pumpkin-weighing contest. It’s the perfect weekday escape or low-key weekend stop without the long drive.
(3845 El Centro Rd., Sacramento | (916) 747-8922 | nickandrayspumpkinpatch.com
Sacramento River Fox Train Pumpkin Patch Express – West Sacramento
This one trades tractors for train tracks. The Pumpkin Patch Express is a vintage locomotive ride that rolls through farmland before dropping passengers off at a private patch. There, kids grab pumpkins, jump in bounce houses, and play games before boarding the train back. It’s nostalgia on rails, the sound of the whistle, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the feeling of stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting for a few hours.
(18095 County Rd 117, West Sacramento | (800) 866-1690 | riverfoxtrain.com
Fog Willow Farms – Wilton
Nestled along the Cosumnes River, Fog Willow feels like autumn slowed to half speed. This family farm trades chaos for calm, hay rides under oak trees, friendly goats at the petting zoo, and pumpkins stacked in tidy rows that make for perfect photo ops. It’s one of those places where the sound of laughter drifts through the fields, and the only thing more wholesome than the scenery might be the staff.
(11011 Cecatra Dr., Wilton | (916) 687-4547 | fogwillowfarms.com
Zittel Farms – Folsom
One of the oldest family farms in the region, Zittel Farms has been part of Folsom’s autumn rhythm for nearly half a century. It’s smaller, quieter, and full of charm, a place where locals pick up their pumpkins, feed the goats, and share cider in the afternoon sun. There’s no carnival here, just a comforting reminder that simplicity still works.
(6781 Oak Ave., Folsom | (916) 989-2633 | zittelfarms.com
Cool Patch Pumpkins – Dixon
You’ve seen it in headlines, the world’s largest corn maze. Cool Patch is the adrenaline junkie’s answer to fall, with mazes so massive they’re visible from the air. But it’s not all about getting lost. The farm offers hay rides, pumpkin cannons, food trucks, and fields packed with every pumpkin size imaginable. It’s the wild cousin in the Valley’s pumpkin family.
(6150 Dixon Ave West, Dixon | (530) 746-8725 | coolpatchpumpkins.com
Rickey Ranch Pumpkin Patch – Granite Bay
Smaller and personal, Rickey Ranch feels like walking into your neighbor’s farm, if your neighbor happened to have a perfect pumpkin patch and hay rides. Families come here for the easy pace, friendly owners, and photo worthy backdrops framed by golden oaks. It’s where you go when you’ve had enough of lines and noise, and you just want a moment that feels unmanufactured.
(6950 Cavitt Stallman Rd., Granite Bay | (916) 599-2071 | visitplacer.com
Bobby Dazzler’s Pumpkin Patch and Milo Maze – Woodland
This Yolo County favorite has been running since the early 1980s, and it’s still run by the same family with the same old fashioned heart. Between the two acre Milo Maze, cow train, hay pyramid, and endless photo ops, it’s pure Americana. The name might sound whimsical, but the fun is real, a patch that still feels authentic in a world full of filters.
(23300 County Rd 99D, Woodland | (530) 867-4167 | dazzlerfarms.com
The Sacramento Valley doesn’t just grow pumpkins; it grows traditions. Every farm, every wagon ride, every maze is a little reminder that fall isn’t about the calendar. It’s about slowing down, bundling up, and letting orange fields remind us why this season still feels like home.
