A variety of Clark County farms offer pumpkins, mazes, more to kick off fall

Western Washingtonians are a funny bunch. We spend much of the year complaining about the rain, but after a mere three months of summer, we go bananas with excitement at the first sign of fall. When flame-orange pumpkins appear in stores and in fields, gray weather isn’t far behind — yet all we can talk about is pumpkin spice and fuzzy sweaters. October’s pumpkin patches, harvest festivals and other autumn celebrations offer us a brief window to flirt with the idea of coziness while still soaking up sunshine. Yes, it’s technically fall, but you can feel summer’s last kiss on your cheek and it’s absolutely glorious. So embrace the paradox! Get out your plaid flannel shirts and sturdy boots because it’s time to revel in the season’s fleeting beauty.

Get To-Gather Farm

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

Open 3:30-6:30 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November. Admission is free.

Purchase a pumpkin grown on the farm’s hand-tended pumpkin patch. Walk on one of the farm’s nature trails or brave the Spooky Trail through the woods. Feed the chickens ($2 per bag) and visit with geese, ducks, rabbits and goats. Kids can 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, meats from Windy River Livestock, honey from Half Moon Farm and Sithean Acres and a variety 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 hot sauce, chili sauce, marinara sauce and Ghana baskets. Free parking on site. Leashed dogs are allowed; Nancie Edwards, the Camas Canine Coach, will offer a canine agility and dog training course. Guests are welcome to bring blankets and picnic lunches and enjoy the grounds, set high in the hills with a beautiful view.

Walton Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

1617 N.E. 267th Ave., Camas; waltonsfarms.com

Open 3-5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 4-26. Admission is $13, $11 for seniors 55 and older, and free for ages 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.

Bi-Zi Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

9316 N.E. 119th St., Brush Prairie; bi-zifarms.com

Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily except Tuesdays from Oct. 1-30 (closed Halloween day). The Nighttime Corn Maze is open from 6-10 p.m. Saturday and every Friday and Saturday from Oct. 3-25. Tickets are $16 for ages 3 to 61; seniors 62 and older and those with military ID are $14; children 2 and younger are free. Admission for the Nighttime Corn Maze is $9.50 per person. Pumpkin Patch tickets on Friday and Saturday include same-day admission to the corn maze. Corn maze reservations are accepted for small groups. All tickets must be purchased online.

Pumpkin patch 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. Food and concessions are available to buy on site. Dogs on 6-foot set-length leashes are allowed. The farm store is open during all pumpkin patch hours, showcasing the farm’s fresh produce and products plus more pumpkins and gourds, prepared foods and autumn decor.

Pumpkin Lane at Pomeroy Farm and Pumpkin Lane After Dark

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

Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in October. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for kids 3 to 11 and free for tots 2 and younger. Latest admission is 4 p.m. Parking is free. Only service animals may enter the farm grounds.

Tickets include a hayride to see pumpkin-head 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 $12.50, 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 vendors.

Pumpkin Lane After Dark, for adults 21 and older, is open 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 and 24. Ride down Pumpkin Lane, romp around the pumpkin patch and then enjoy a glass of wine and toasted s’mores. Tickets ($40) must be purchased in advance at pomeroyfarm.org and include a lighted hayride, beverage token and s’mores kit. Pumpkins, additional drinks, and food by 4 Caminos will be available to buy.

Vancouver Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

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

Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, starting today and continuing through Oct. 31. Purchase tickets (no online tickets) at the farm. 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 on weekends and Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Try your hand at the powerful apple cannon. Pumpkins, gourds, squash and fall decor items are available to purchase in the farm store, open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Stroll out to the U-pick portion of the farm to pick tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers for $1.50 per pound. U-pickers should bring their own containers and cash.

Gather and Feast Farm

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

Open daily from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is free. The Spooky Forest is $5 for adults and free for children 3 and under.

Take a self-guided farm tour (see the map on the front porch of the farm store) and visit the Scottish Highland cows and a calf, chickens, goats, pigs and a peacock and peahen. Walk through the Spooky Forest, then pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch for $12; pay by cash or card. In the farm store, buy a variety of fresh vegetables grown on the farm, eggs from the farm’s chickens, hot sauces, finishing salts and apples and treats for the animals. Pork shares are available; inquire at the farm store. Buy 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).

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.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays. Admission and parking are free. Activities are individually priced.

The farm offers 70 varieties of pumpkins and other gourds for sale by size and variety as well as local Honeycrisp apples.

Guests can enjoy 5-acre and 1-acre corn mazes, a hay maze and hay bale pyramid. Pumpkin bowling and hayrides are available on weekends (weather dependent). Hayrides, pumpkin bowling and the large corn maze are $6 per adult and $4 for ages 12 and under. Children 2 and under are free. Activity wristbands are $10 and include the large corn maze and hayride for adults and corn maze, hayride and pumpkin bowl for kids.

Purchase snacks, fall treats and meals from a variety of on-site food trucks; check website for schedule. Visit the Marketplace at the Silo to buy home decor items, floral arrangements, decorative pumpkins and hand-crafted goods. Leashed dogs are welcome but owners must bag and dispose of waste.

Photographers and field trips are welcome by appointment; visit www.whalenoaksfarm.com for details.