August 11, 2024 – Yosemite National Park officials announce it’s time for apple picking in the park. Picking apples help to keep the bears wild and safe.

“I guess the apple don’t fall far from the tree.” No, not when we have skilled apple harvesters equipped with buckets, fruit pickers, and a hunger for pies, sauces, and crumbles to come.

We are having a BEAR summer and to prevent bears from becoming comfortable around humans in busy areas like the Curry Village parking lot, we regularly pick the apples that grow in orchards throughout the park. Apple trees are non-native to Yosemite, originating from nineteenth-century settlers as food for both humans and livestock.

“I guess the apple could turn yellow or green.” These historic apple trees are now the oldest orchards in the entire national park system, at over a hundred years old, and could also be the world’s only remaining specimens of certain varietals. Not only do they produce rare heirloom fruits but are important links to the park’s past. We try to pick the fruit just as it ripens, to reduce the temptation for our black bears to venture into developed areas.

By picking apples, we ensure our bears have a WILD summer and derive their food from natural sources away from human activity. We also get to reap the rewards of our hard work and savor the fruits produced by these historic trees.