FILER, Idaho — A short drive through the country to the Snake River Canyon is all it takes to find a little paradise at Kelley's Canyon Orchard, where the Fourth of July marks peak cherry season in southern Idaho.
"There's a lot of cherries here. I was expecting less cherries, actually," said one visitor picking cherries at the orchard.
The historic orchard north of Filer offers a great place for an outing, whether as a family or even as a lone visitor.
"This is our 117th season and we're very happy to be here," said Robin Kelley, whose connection to Kelley's Canyon Orchard goes back generations.
Join reporter Lorien Nettleton for a cherry-picking outing!
"My great grandfather established this wonderful place in 1908," Kelley said.
In 2024, an April cold snap froze all their fruit, and the stand was closed for the season — a loss that will take years to recover from. But the family carries on.
"There's a long legacy of people who have cared for and nurtured and love this place with the depth of their hearts and I am the caretaker now and I'm trying to do best I can," Kelley said.
The orchard is open Wednesday through Sunday, and every other Saturday they bring fruit in season to the Boise Farmer's Market.
"It is for those people who really want to have a sense of place of rural Idaho and enjoy all the things that the Magic Valley and the Snake River Canyon can offer," Kelley said.
The fifth generation is busy working the stand. Robin's daughter Sydney says she enjoys the busy summers.
"This is like where we have our family gatherings — like, this is our family," Sydney said.
"It's very lively when people are here. It's like makes it all kind of worth all the work during the off months," she said.
Cell signal is limited in the canyon, allowing visitors to almost forget about the outside world for a little while.
"And that is part of the beauty of it right and just to be able to enjoy where you are at the moment and there's very few times that we get to actually do that," Kelley said.
