Autumn is prime time for country escapes with back roads winding past colorful forests and heritage farms offering crisp ciders and buckets of apples for baking pies. Indeed, the bustle of harvest season fills the air as grapes hang heavy on the vines, making this an ideal time to spend a few nights in the heart of the action on a farm. The days may be getting cooler, but the fun is just heating up.

Many of these farm-stay properties welcome guests year-round, but call ahead to make sure, since each is subject to its own operating schedule. Reservations are almost always required, so it’s essential to plan in advance. Here are a few ways to make the most of a bountiful getaway.

### Stay on an Oregon Vineyard

You’ll find many relaxing wine retreats across the state, but for a pinot pilgrimage, head to the Willamette Valley, home to some of Oregon’s oldest vineyards. At **Stoller Family Estate** in Dayton, a turkey farm turned eco-pioneer in the wine world, you’ll find the largest contiguous vineyard in the area and the first LEED Gold Certified winery in the world. A country cottage and two farmhouses sit within walking distance of the tasting room. Closer to the town of McMinnville, soak up vineyard views and the beauty of the Oregon Coast Range from the hilltop veranda at **Youngberg Hill**. At this family-run winery and inn, cozy comforts include in-room fireplaces and a gourmet breakfast.

For travels in Southern Oregon, you’ll find great vineyard retreats, as well. Near Ashland the **Weisinger Family Winery** has a 1900s-era farmhouse turned modern bungalow with a hot tub and vineyard views. Other wine-tasting weekend options include **Troon Vineyard**’s three-bedroom Vineyard House in the Applegate Valley and **Rellik Winery** in Jacksonville, which offers three suites overlooking its 15-acre vineyard and farm, complete with alpacas, a pool and hot tub.

### Experience Life on a Farm

At **Leaping Lamb Farm Stay**, located between Corvallis and the Coast Range, you can stay in a sprawling 1895 six-bedroom farmhouse surrounded by ancient apple trees. It’s only a short walk from the picturesque barn where Chip, a miniature donkey, resides with a flock of salt-and-pepper sheep and baby lambs.

In Carlton combine wine with a farm stay at **Abbey Road Farm**, where beautifully designed (and renovated) grain silos make for a unique place to sleep on the 82-acre property. At the nearby fifth-generation, family-run **Durant at Red Ridge Farms** in Dayton, overnight lodging includes a garden suite with a bird’s-eye balcony view of vineyards, an olive grove and a lavender field. The farm also runs the state’s only commercial olive mill.

Head off the grid to **Willow-Witt Ranch** in Southern Oregon’s high country just outside of Ashland, where the owners restored a working forest and wetland and established an organic farm on 445 acres surrounded by miles of hiking trails. Stay in a charming farmhouse studio or a three-bedroom passive solar house, or glamp in wall tents with access to outdoor showers.

For mountain lovers, **The Inn at Wild Rabbit Farms** in Milton-Freewater combines quiet luxury — rainfall shower, spa-inspired linens and stunning views of the Blue Mountains — with the best of farm life. Guests can enjoy 800 square feet of living space in a stand-alone building with private entrance, a second-story retreat overlooking a creek and park-like setting, all within a few miles of numerous local boutique wineries and brewpubs. On the fully functioning farm there are horses, Highland cows, Sebastopol geese, chickens and a butterfly garden. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the property like it’s their home away from home.

### Find Fruit Loops and Food Trails

The lovely **Hood River County Fruit Loop** is a short trip from Portland by way of the Columbia River Gorge. The 35-mile meander takes you through picturesque fruit orchards, small towns and country lanes of the Hood River Valley, the state’s largest fruit-growing region. For a bed-and-breakfast experience nearby, the renovated **Sakura Ridge Farm & Lodge** has a luxurious five-room, alpine-style lodge overlooking a meadow complete with meandering sheep, several gardens and Mt. Hood in the distance. Guests are invited to nightly tastings of cider and perries made by the lodge’s owners, and can also book a picnic in the organic orchard. A made-to-order breakfast includes the lodge’s own produce.

Take a spin on Eastern Oregon’s **Whisky & Rocks Farm Loop**, where you can visit **Umapine Creamery** and **Blue Mountain Cider Company** in Milton-Freewater. Appetites satisfied, enjoy the two-hour drive south to the town of Bates at **Boulder Creek Ranch**, where you can settle into a country cabin or opt for sleeping in a one-of-a-kind covered wagon. The ranch offers opportunities to hang out with resident horses, goats, ducks, chickens and cattle, as well, and to help with farm chores.

Head farther south along the Coast to Bandon, the Cranberry Capital of Oregon, where you can see functioning cranberry bogs — especially fun during harvest around September — at **Bandon Farm Stay**. Surrounded by forest and cranberry bogs, the one-room cottage has a bohemian vibe, especially with the adjacent 1967 vintage trailer, which serves as the “glamping bathhouse.” Find even more cranberries and other farm goodies on the **Wild Rivers Coast Food Trail**.

### Be a Buckaroo on a Guest Ranch

Near the town of Fossil, the seventh-generation **Wilson Ranches Retreat** has a 9,000-acre cattle and hay ranch in the beautiful Butte Creek Valley. Guests stay in a historic 1910 Sears Roebuck Ranch House with six guest rooms and a sprawling lawn with century-old locust and fruit trees. You can horseback ride through juniper- and sage-covered high-desert hills and venture out for birding and hiking adventures.

Pack your worn-in boots and wide-brim hat for an authentic cowboy experience at the sixth-generation **Steens Mountain Guest Ranch** in remote Southeastern Oregon. On this family-operated working guest ranch, once you step foot on the dusty soils of Diamond Valley, you become part of the cowboy crew. You share the home “headquarters” with real cowboys, staying in a hand-built pine house with a wood stove. Your days include cattle drives and cowhand detail, cow camping and learning how to saddle and ride your horse. Bonus: You can sign up for a guided ride to see Oregon’s rare and wild Kiger mustangs on **Steens Mountain**.