🎃 Where to Pick a Pumpkin This Fall. Ordered by How Far You Have to Drive.

So here's the list, ordered from closest to NE Seattle to furthest out. Drive times are rough estimates from Wedgwood with no traffic (add 15 minutes on an October Saturday). The key column is the one most guides skip: whether you can pick a pumpkin without paying admission. At most of these farms, you can.

Know a spot I'm missing? Tell me what you favorite is and I'll add it to the list!

7744 35th Ave NE (Wedgwood, 98115)

Simply need a pumpkin? Before you drive anywhere: this is the one our family always stops by to pick up our pumpkins. The same lot on 35th that turns into the Christmas tree lot in December sets up a small pumpkin patch in October. It's been a neighborhood gathering spot since the 1950s. The pumpkins come from Hunter Farms' home farm on Hood Canal near Union, a seven-generation family farm that has run its own pumpkin patch since 1983. No corn maze, no wristband, no drive. In past years a local Scout troop has run sales on October weekends.

14063 NE 145th St (Woodinville, 98072)

The closest farm patch to us, just past JB Family Growers' lavender farm in the Sammamish Valley. The "puzzle" is the trail system: a 10-acre corn maze, paths through a 6-acre sunflower field, and 10 acres of pumpkin vines to wander. No rides, no bounce houses, which is exactly the appeal if you want an hour outside instead of a whole production. The pumpkin tent is free to shop; walking the fields takes paid admission. Opened September 19; open Thursday afternoons and through the weekend (the farm's site has current hours). It's also one of the few patches around here that has welcomed leashed dogs in past seasons.

10917 Elliott Rd (Snohomish, 98296)

The big one on the Snohomish side, and the closest of the full-festival farms. Admission ($19.95 weekdays, $28.95 weekends) covers the corn maze, hayrides (weekends), big indoor slides, cow train, trike track, and a back-40 playground with combine slides and tire swings. The part people miss: the 10-acre lower pumpkin field, the pre-picked pumpkins, the country store, and all the food don't require a ticket. October weekend tickets have to be bought online in advance, and walk-up tickets cost $5 more. Open daily 10am–7pm through November 1, with a Night Maze on Friday and Saturday evenings. No pets.

9010 Marsh Rd (Snohomish, 98296)

A farm with two personalities. By day: 149 varieties of pumpkins, a corn maze, gem mining, and a mega tube slide. After dark: Nightmare on 9, a haunted house and haunted town, plus zombie paintball. This is the pick if your group spans a 6-year-old and a 16-year-old. Admission isn't required to enter the farm or pick pumpkins. Daytime opens Saturday, October 3, and opening weekend (Oct 3–4) is Grandparents Weekend with 50% off pumpkins and a free corn maze. The pumpkin patch is open daily (weekdays 10am–5pm); the Fun Park runs weekends, plus Friday afternoons starting October 9. No pets.

13817 Shorts School Rd (Snohomish, 98290)

The self-described original pumpkin patch of Snohomish, running since 1983, and the one with the most relaxed pricing model. Entry to the farm and the U-pick patch is free. If the kids want the Alice in Pumpkinland corn maze, cow train, mini golf, human foosball, and jump pad, that's a wristband. The adults can sit in the Farm Track Beer Garden and call it a compromise. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am–6pm, through November 1. Wristbands sell out on busy days, so buy ahead if you're set on them.

7301 Rivershore Rd (Snohomish, 98290)

I know this one from a kindergarten field trip, and it's easy to see why schools book it. The corn maze is shaped like the state of Washington: 12 acres, 4.5 miles of paths, with towns and landmarks labeled along the way. It's a geography lesson you get lost in. The 50-acre U-pick pumpkin patch and the apple orchard are free to enter. The wristband ($16.95 weekdays, $24.95 weekends, online only on weekends) adds the maze, hayrides, ziplines, jumping pillows, and a pig theater show. New this year: the Great Harvest Glow, a separately ticketed nighttime walk through thousands of lit pumpkins. Open daily 10am–6pm through October 31. No pets.

27508 W Valley Hwy N (Kent, 98032)

The one south option, and on a clear day, Mount Rainier sits right behind your pumpkin photo. The 20-acre U-pick field costs $7 to enter, and that $7 is credited toward whatever pumpkins you buy, so it's free if you leave with one. The corn maze ($12 adults, $9 kids) has a USA 250 design this year. The Farm Fun Yard across the road ($10, plus $5 for the hayride) has a corn pit, rubber duck races, and goats walking on an overhead bridge. Open daily 9am to dusk through October 31. Their Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off is Sunday, October 4 at 11am. No pets.

32610 NE 32nd St (Carnation, 98014)

This is the full-day version that goes well beyond pumpkins! Remlinger is part farm and part small amusement park: roller coaster, steam train, Ferris wheel, pony rides, a new corn maze with a scavenger hunt, and pumpkin pie spiced mini donuts made in a window you will walk past more than once. Festival admission is $33.95 online (a dollar more at the gate) and covers 70+ attractions. The U-pick field is free to walk into and pumpkins are priced by size, not weight. Open Fridays through Sundays, 10am–6pm, September 26 through November 1, with last entry at 5pm. Mid-October Saturdays sell out, so book ahead. If weekends feel like too much, their Thursday self-guided tours in October are quieter (advance reservation only).

229 W Snoqualmie River Rd NE (Carnation, 98014)

The antidote to Remlinger, just up the road. Jubilee is a working organic farm that opens for a harvest festival on October weekends: free hayrides out to the pumpkin field, hot spiced cider, a hay maze for small kids, and a farm market. Free admission, pay for your pumpkins. There's even a washing station to get the mud off before it goes in your car. Saturdays and Sundays, October 3 through 25, 10am–5pm. They ask that you leave pets at home.

3636 Neal Rd (Fall City, 98024)

The small-farm pick. Fall City Farms grows its pumpkins with organic practices along the Snoqualmie River, and the draw is simple: hot mini doughnuts, cider, farm animals, and a field of pumpkins. No wristband math. Open Fridays and Saturdays 10am–6pm and Sundays 10am–5pm, through October 31. Pair it with a stop in Fall City or Snoqualmie Falls and it's a good fall Saturday. Please leave pets at home.

Which pumpkin patches near Seattle are free? The Hunter Farms lot in Wedgwood, Craven Farm, Thomas Family Farm, Swans Trail Farms, Jubilee Farm, and Fall City Farms don't charge to enter or pick. Bob's Corn and Remlinger Farms let you pick from their U-pick fields for free; admission only covers the festival activities. Carpinito Brothers charges $7 at the patch but credits it toward your pumpkins.

When should we go? Weekdays and the first week of October are the easy calls. Bob's Corn puts it plainly: October weekends are the busiest on every farm, not just theirs. If a weekend is your only option, go right at opening.

Do I need tickets in advance? For activities at Bob's Corn and Swans Trail on weekends, yes. Remlinger and Craven recommend it and do sell out. The free pumpkin fields don't require anything.

Can I bring my dog? Mostly no. Bob's Corn, Thomas Family Farm, Swans Trail, Carpinito, Jubilee, and Fall City Farms all ask you to leave pets home. The Pumpkin Farm and Puzzle Patch in Woodinville has welcomed leashed dogs in past seasons.

What should we wear? Boots. It's a farm in Western Washington in October. Bring a towel or old blanket for the trunk, because the pumpkins come home muddy even when you don't.

Which is best for a group of adults? Craven Farm (free entry, beer garden) or Remlinger, whose brewery sits on the property.

Which is best for teenagers? Thomas Family Farm (haunted house, zombie paintball) or Bob's Corn (Night Maze on Friday and Saturday evenings).

Know a spot I missed? Email me and I'll add it.