Beyond the Fence: Explore Mariposa’s Farms and Ranches
An October tour invites visitors to meet local growers, explore gardens and discover the work behind the foothills’ rural landscape.
A drive through Mariposa County offers plenty to admire. This October, there’s an opportunity to stop, step beyond the roadside view and meet some of the people caring for that landscape.
The 14th annual Mariposa Farm & Ranch Tour returns Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., opening five locations for a day of agricultural discovery, nature workshops and conversations with local owner-growers.
Presented by the Mariposa Agri-Nature Association and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, the tour gives visitors a closer look at working agricultural lands—and the people whose knowledge and daily efforts help sustain them. Event information
It’s an invitation to bring a little curiosity along for the drive.
Visitors can explore how food is grown, see different approaches to caring for land and water, and ask questions directly of the people doing the work. Families can make a day of it, with children’s activities, art demonstrations, fresh vegetables available to purchase and handmade gifts crafted from natural materials among the planned offerings.
This year’s stops include Sierra Foothill Conservancy’s Stookey Preserve, Betty Massey’s Water Catchment, Folktale Country Homestead, Foxtail Farm and Aurum Vineyard.
The variety gives the outing a broader focus than farming alone. Gardens, water stewardship, vineyard agriculture and habitat conservation all have a place on the route.
At the 226-acre Bill and Betty Stookey Preserve, that connection between working land and conservation is part of the property’s story. Sierra Foothill Conservancy acquired the southeast Mariposa County preserve in 2021, protecting a landscape that connects mountain meadow, wetland, streamside and mixed-conifer forest habitats.
The preserve’s protection grew out of the Stookey family’s desire to keep the property’s natural, historical and cultural legacy intact. Its inclusion in the tour offers an opportunity to learn more about a property where access is ordinarily limited to conservancy-hosted activities. About Stookey Preserve
Visitors may explore the five tour locations in any order, allowing time to linger at the places that interest them most. Lunch will be available for purchase at two locations.
Tickets cost $10 per person or $20 per carload, with children and students admitted free. One ticket covers every stop.
Tickets are available online, at Casto Oaks Wine, 5022 Highway 140 in downtown Mariposa, and at each participating location on tour day. A printable route map is available on the event website, and printed maps will also be available at the stops.
Organizers ask visitors to drive carefully and respectfully between properties and leave pets at home. Service dogs are welcome. Tickets and tour map
For those who want to begin the weekend around the dinner table, a separate Farm-to-Fork Dinner on Friday, October 9, will feature seasonal food sourced from farms participating in the tour. Dinner information and tickets are available through the event website.
Whether the appeal is a garden, a vineyard, a conservation project or simply a different kind of Saturday outing, the tour offers a chance to get better acquainted with Mariposa County—one stop and one conversation at a time.
For more information, contact Kris Casto at 209-810-7154 or UC Cooperative Extension at 209-966-2417.
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Feature Photo: Stookey Preserve is one of five locations welcoming visitors during the Mariposa Farm & Ranch Tour on October 10.
Photo Credit: Sierra Foothill Conservancy.