U‑Pick Pumpkin Patch Near Gaylord, Michigan
Walk out into the field at Wilderness Valley Farm and pick your own pumpkin off the vine. Every guest takes one home free with admission, every Saturday of the fall season, from opening day on August 29 through Halloween. Then stay for the reindeer, the hay wagon and the pumpkin game lawn.
Buy TicketsNo Upcharge At The Register
Your Pumpkin Is Already Paid For
Bring the kids out to the rows, twist one off the vine and carry it home. There is no scale at the gate and nothing to settle up on the way out. One pumpkin per guest, and no tools to bring, because the stems come free with a quarter turn.
Included With Every Admission
The Whole Farm Comes With Your Pumpkin
Most pumpkin patches in Northern Michigan are a field and a checkout table. Wilderness Valley Farm is a working farm in Otsego County with a reindeer barn, a Tibetan yak pasture and a Texas Longhorn herd, and one ticket covers all of it. Gates open at 10am and close at 5pm. Food and gifts are the only extras.
Animal Encounters
Feed Lilly the reindeer and meet Paisley, our 26 inch micro donkey.
Farm Rides
Tractor-pulled hay rides and the barrel train.
Pedal Kart Track
Race the paved loop on pedal powered karts.
Play Areas
Playgrounds, balance beams and the tractor tire park.
Gift Shop
Cider Haus apparel, hats and gifts, priced separately.
Food & Treats
The Farm Haus, the Waffle Barn and the Cider Haus, priced separately.
At The Entrance
Pumpkin Checkers & Pumpkin Tic‑Tac‑Toe
We built the boards ourselves and set them out on the hay bales between the barn and the gift shop. Orange pumpkins against white ones, full size checkers, and a row of tic-tac-toe boards beside them for the shorter attention spans.
It is the spot where parents end up sitting down for twenty minutes while the kids play a third round. Bring a coffee from the Farm Haus and let them.
Mark The Date
Pumpkin Fest, Saturday October 24
The patch is open every Saturday, but one weekend of the season is built around it. On October 24 we set up a painting station by the barn with paint and brushes ready to go, so your pumpkin leaves the farm already decorated instead of sitting on the porch waiting for a rainy afternoon.
Everything else is the same as any other Saturday. Same $15 admission, same free pumpkin, same whole farm open from 10am to 5pm.
Buy Tickets For October 24Before You Come
Plan Your Visit To The Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin Patch Hours and Admission
| Fall season | Aug 29 to Oct 31 |
| Open | Saturdays 10am to 5pm |
| Closed | Sunday to Friday |
| Adults 14 to 59 | $15 |
| Children 3 to 13 | $10 |
| Seniors 60 and up | $10 |
| Children 2 and under | Free |
| Pumpkin from the field | Free with admission |
Getting To The Patch
6500 Nicklaus Drive
Gaylord, MI 49735
About twenty minutes west of downtown Gaylord in Otsego County, and an easy drive from Petoskey, Traverse City, Boyne City, Grayling and Alpena. Parking is on site and free. Driving directions from twelve nearby towns.
If your GPS still calls this the Wilderness Valley Golf Course, you are in the right place. The course closed years ago and the property is the farm now.
Wear closed shoes and dress for the weather, since the pumpkin field and most of the farm are outdoors. Strollers and wagons handle the main paths, but the field rows are uneven ground.
Questions before you come? Call 989-858-6859 or send us a message.
Questions
Pumpkin Patch Questions
Is the pumpkin really free?
Yes. One pumpkin per guest is included with admission, every Saturday of the fall season. There is nothing to weigh and nothing to settle up at the register.
Do you pick it yourself, or are the pumpkins already picked?
You pick your own. Walk out into the field, choose a pumpkin still on the vine, and twist it off. No knife or shears needed, and kids can usually manage the smaller ones on their own. It is a real u-pick patch, not a display of pumpkins by the barn.
Is the pumpkin patch open on Sundays?
No. Wilderness Valley Farm is open Saturdays only during the fall season, 10am to 5pm, from August 29 through October 31. The farm is closed Sunday through Friday, though weekday farm tours can be arranged by calling ahead.
Is there a wagon to haul pumpkins back?
You carry your pumpkin out of the field yourself, so pick one you are happy to walk with. If you have young kids, it is worth choosing something they can carry rather than the biggest one in the row.
What is the difference between a regular Saturday and Pumpkin Fest?
The patch and the free pumpkin are the same either way. Pumpkin Fest on Saturday, October 24 adds a painting station so you can decorate your pumpkin before you leave.
What else is included with admission?
The whole farm. Lilly the reindeer, Bud the white Tibetan yak, the Texas Longhorn herd, Paisley the micro donkey and the free-roaming peacocks, plus hay wagon rides, the barrel train, the pedal kart track, the playgrounds, the tractor tire park and the pumpkin game lawn. Food at the Farm Haus and Waffle Barn and anything from the Cider Haus gift shop are the only extras. See the full Saturday lineup.
Where is the pumpkin patch, and how far is it from Petoskey or Traverse City?
Wilderness Valley Farm is at 6500 Nicklaus Drive, Gaylord MI 49735, about twenty minutes west of downtown Gaylord in Otsego County. Families drive in from across Northern Michigan, and our directions page has routes from twelve nearby towns including Petoskey, Traverse City, Boyne City, Grayling and Alpena. Parking is on site and free.
More Of The Season
Other October Saturdays At The Farm
The pumpkin patch is open all ten fall Saturdays, and each one has something of its own on top of it. All included with the same admission, with no separate event ticket. See all thirteen 2026 event dates.
AppleFest
Apple season on the farm. Ride the barrel cart through the orchard and warm up with cider at the Cider Haus.
Fall Colors On The Farm
Peak color weekend in Northern Michigan, with the hay wagon running the tree line and the pastures opening onto the woods.
Halloween On The Farm
Costumes, games and candy on the final Saturday of the fall season. Last call for the pumpkin patch too.
Saturdays, Aug 29 to Oct 31
Come Pick Your Pumpkin Near Gaylord
The field at Wilderness Valley Farm is open every Saturday of the fall season and every guest walks out with a pumpkin. Buy your tickets ahead so you can head straight through the gate.
Buy Tickets