The hayride rolls past a pond and willow trees before it reaches the pumpkin patch. By then, choosing a pumpkin feels like the main event of an outing that has already begun.
At Secor Farms in Mahwah, you can wander the field, try a corn maze, visit the goats and bunnies, and leave with apple cider donuts from the market. The farm has been a fall favorite for Bergen County families, but it now has a national distinction, too.
Secor Farms took the No. 10 spot in USA Today’s 2026 ranking of America’s best pumpkin patches. It is easy to see why a simple pumpkin trip caught voters’ attention: there is enough to fill an afternoon, without losing the pleasure of picking out one good pumpkin.
Here is what makes the farm such a satisfying fall stop, plus the practical details to know before you go.
Secor Farms Lands Among America’s Top 10 Pumpkin Patches
A Bergen County farm finished alongside pumpkin destinations from Maine, Kentucky, Washington and beyond in the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice ranking. Secor Farms came in at No. 10, giving New Jersey a place on a list chosen through expert nominations and reader voting.
For Mahwah regulars who already make a fall visit part of their yearly routine, the news may feel overdue. For everyone else, it puts a name to a place that offers considerably more than a pile of pumpkins beside a parking lot.
Secor Farms sits on Airmont Avenue, where the farm market changes with the seasons. Spring brings flowers and garden plants; fall brings pumpkins, mums, cider and the return of hayrides.
That year-round rhythm helps explain the appeal. The pumpkin patch is part of an operating seasonal farm, and the market is still worth browsing once the hayride is over.
The national ranking is a fun bragging right, but it need not turn the visit into a grand expedition. You can come with a specific jack-o’-lantern in mind, then spend far longer than expected deciding between pumpkins in the field.
You can make the corn mazes the priority, or keep things easy with a look around the market and the front patch on a weekday. Families with younger children have the petting zoo and hay maze to work into the day.
That flexibility is the farm’s strength. Secor Farms gives visitors a proper fall outing while leaving room for the small traditions that make pumpkin picking personal: the yearly photo, the improbable pumpkin choice, and the cider donut eaten before anyone gets back to the car.
A Scenic Hayride Takes You Straight to the Pumpkins
First comes the ride past the pond. Then the willow trees, fall decorations and the growing suspicion that someone in your group will want to photograph every turn.
Secor Farms uses its hayride to take visitors out to the pumpkin patch, so the journey is part of the experience. It gives kids something to anticipate and gives everyone else a few minutes to look around before the serious pumpkin comparisons begin.
At the field, there is room to take your time. Some people head for the biggest pumpkin they can reasonably carry.
Others inspect stems, look for a good carving face or choose a small one that will fit neatly on a doorstep. The fun is in finding your own rather than accepting the first orange option within reach.
Photo spots around the patch give the less decisive members of the group something to do while the search continues. The hayride also connects visitors with the corn mazes, so it pays to think of the field as more than a quick pickup stop.
Make a round of the patch, take on a maze and return when you have settled the pumpkin debate. There is no prize for choosing fastest, though anyone tasked with carrying several heavy pumpkins back may disagree.
One practical detail matters before you start claiming favorites: admission does not include a pumpkin. Secor Farms weighs picked pumpkins separately at its outdoor registers, with the farm currently listing a price of 75 cents per pound.
A modest pumpkin and a giant porch centerpiece will therefore make very different additions to the day’s bill. Knowing that upfront keeps the focus where it belongs—on enjoying the ride and finding one you actually want to take home.
Corn Mazes and Farm Animals Keep the Fun Going
The goats and bunnies have a way of rearranging a family’s itinerary. You may arrive talking about pumpkins, only to find that the petting zoo is where the youngest visitor wants to spend the most time.
Secor Farms has built that kind of detour into its fall setup, along with a hay maze for little explorers and two small corn mazes reached by hayride. The corn mazes are approachable enough to fit around the rest of the visit.
They add the pleasure of picking a path, realizing it was the wrong one and letting somebody else lead for a while. For a group with mixed ages, that can be more fun than committing the entire afternoon to an elaborate maze.
Younger children can have a turn at finding their way through the hay maze, then head back to see the animals. There is also a useful distinction between weekday and weekend access.
On weekends, general admission covers the petting zoo, hayride, pumpkin patch, corn maze and hay maze. During the week, the farm says its front pumpkin patch and petting zoo are open to the public at no charge, except on holidays.
A weekday hayride ticket is needed to reach the field and corn mazes. Those arrangements make it possible to choose the outing that suits your group rather than paying for a full slate of activities when a shorter visit will do.
However you plan it, allow for a little drift. The person who said they would be “just a minute” with the bunnies may still be there when everyone else is ready for donuts.
At this farm, that is a fairly reasonable way for the afternoon to unfold.
Apple Cider Donuts Make the Farm Market a Must-Stop
A pumpkin may be the official reason for the trip, but the farm market makes a persuasive case for one more stop before leaving.
Secor Farms sells homemade apple cider donuts, fresh-pressed apple cider, New York State apples, candy apples and locally grown produce alongside its seasonal decorations.
It is the sort of place where a quick look around can turn into an armful of things for the weekend. The donuts are the obvious place to begin.
Pick some up after the field if you want a reward for the pumpkin hauling, or buy them first if your group has no interest in pretending it can wait. Add cider and apples, and the visit starts to feel like a fall grocery run with significantly better scenery.
The market also gives adults a chance to browse while children remain invested in the outing. Someone can examine the produce, someone else can argue for a candy apple, and a third person can return to the donut decision as though it requires careful research.
That mix of treats and practical shopping is part of what makes Secor Farms easy to revisit. You do not need a fresh pumpkin every weekend to have a reason to stop in.
If you are planning a meal around the visit, treat the market as a place for snacks and take-home finds rather than assuming every food offering will be available on a particular day.
The reliable pleasure is simpler: walking in after some time outdoors, seeing what is in season and leaving with something good for later—assuming the donuts make it that far.
Mums and Fall Decorations Add Color to Every Corner
By the time pumpkins begin appearing on porches, Secor Farms has plenty of other ways to bring fall home. The farm carries mums in bloom, gourds, small jack-be-little pumpkins, cornstalks and Halloween decorations.
That selection makes the visit especially useful if your front steps need more than a single oversized pumpkin to look ready for October. Mums are a good example of how a small addition can change the whole arrangement.
Set a pot beside the pumpkin you picked, add a few gourds, and suddenly the porch looks as though someone planned it. Secor Farms gives you the chance to compare colors and sizes in person, which is considerably easier than trying to picture how everything will look together once you get home.
The decorations are part of the outing itself, too. The hayride passes seasonal displays on its way to the field, and the farm has photo spots near the pumpkin patch.
For children, the “How Tall This Fall” display offers a particularly good excuse for an annual picture. Next year, the pumpkin may be a different size; the child beside it almost certainly will be taller.
None of this requires turning the trip into a photo shoot. A few minutes among the mums, a picture in the field and a cornstalk strapped into the car can be enough.
The farm’s color comes from things visitors can actually choose, carry home and use, which gives all those bright fall displays a purpose beyond looking nice on the day.
What to Know Before Visiting Secor Farms
Start with the address: Secor Farms lists its location as 85 Airmont Avenue in Mahwah. Its farm market currently lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but fall activities have their own schedules and ticket rules.
Checking the farm’s current booking details before leaving home is especially important if your plans include a hayride or a weekend visit. Weekday hayrides are listed for Monday through Friday from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
A weekday ticket includes the ride to the pumpkin patch and access to the two small corn mazes. On non-holiday weekdays, you can visit the front pumpkin patch and petting zoo without buying a ticket, but you will need the hayride ticket to reach the field and mazes.
On Saturdays and Sundays, general admission runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is required for fall activities, including the petting zoo and pumpkin patch. It covers the hayride, corn maze and hay maze as well.
Secor Farms asks visitors to purchase weekend tickets online in advance; its visitor information says walk-in sales are not guaranteed. Reserve a time before making the drive, particularly if your group has agreed on a specific day.
Remember to budget separately for the pumpkin you pick. The farm currently lists pumpkins at 75 cents per pound, and neither weekday hayride tickets nor weekend general admission include one.
That is the main detail to settle before a child falls in love with the largest pumpkin in the field. After that, the plan can stay pleasantly loose: take the hayride, see where the mazes lead and leave enough time to look through the market before heading home.
Share this story
