There’s still time to visit u-pick blueberry farms in Federal Way

So many berries in just one city.

While in Federal Way, visit the local u-pick blueberry farms and take home locally grown fruits to complete a pretty sweet trip. Blueberry season is typically between June through early September.

Northeastern Federal Way: Higher Taste Blueberry Farm (30431 38th Ave. S., Auburn, WA 98001)

Families and berry lovers alike often find fruity treasurers among the 2,100 bushes at the Higher Taste Blueberry Farm — one of the neighborhood’s best preserved hidden gems nestled on the waterfront of Lake Dolloff. The 5-acre, all-organic farm that is home to eight varieties of blueberries is celebrating its 66th anniversary this summer.

Gazing over a low fence, visitors find rows of blueberry bushes dotted with pesky blackberry shrubs standing in thick, overgrown rows. The 6- to 7-foot bushes obscure the immediate view of Lake Dolloff, instead encouraging visitors to wander down a marked path to the waterfront.

While blueberry bushes tend to have a 60-year life span, the farm boasts plenty of fruits today. The family-owned farm is now in the hands of Mary King, a Federal Way resident who vowed to keep the blueberries organic, wild and available for all.

U-pick blueberries are sold for $2.50 per pound, and pre-picked options are also available along with raw organic honey from the farm’s beehives.

Higher Taste Blueberry Farm is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to dusk.

South Federal Way: Hylebos Blueberry Farm Park (630 S. 356th St., Federal Way, WA 98003)

Safely kept in the southern heart of Federal Way, this little farm is the result of community labor, love and support.

Once an overgrown and barely recognizable field, volunteers of Federal Way recently transformed the farm into an easily accessible, free and public u-pick blueberry farm.

The spirit of Federal Way lives in the rows of thriving plants, carefully tended to by various nonprofit, city and volunteer organizations to ensure all visitors can enjoy the blueberry bounty.

Generations of Federal Way residents return to the farm each year, sharing memories and reminiscing as they pluck blueberries from the branches.

While details of the original owner are difficult to track down, some volunteers corroborated that the farm was planted by Air Force retiree Brian Allen in the 1960s.

In October 2019, the city opened a connector trail from Brooklake Community Center to the West Hylebos Wetlands Boardwalk trail, linking the 5-acre blueberry farm property to the 125 acres of serene wetlands of Federal Way.

After a walk under the green canopy overhanging the wetland trails and spotting various wildlife who also call Federal Way home, taste a handful of blueberries grown with love.

The Hylebos Blueberry Farm Park is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.