Sumner Peck Ranch near Fresno reopens with a new winery, blueberry picking and more
Sumner Peck Ranch is back.
The big property on Friant Road with the sprawling white building had been closed for more than a year after matriarch Carolyn Peck died.
But the property is open to the public again, with a lot more going on.
The 76 acres of land was sold to the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust and Conservation Trust, Inc., which plans to preserve and restore the property.
Now there’s a prison-themed winery on the grounds, a gift shop, and blueberry picking that’s open to the public.
Not to mention the short walk to the San Joaquin River and all its views and wildlife, a hidden natural respite 20 minutes outside of Fresno.
Blueberry picking
About half the property is farmland, with citrus and blueberry bushes that are steadily producing.
Between now and June 5, the public can come pick blueberries. Reservations are a must – as is COVID-19 social distancing – and can be made on the organization’s website at riverparkway.org.
A short drive past the big white building and families can pick as many blueberries as they want. The cost is $3 a pound for the berries – though you can munch on as many as you want while picking – paid for at the manufactured home at the back of the property.
“One of the things we’ve learned through this pandemic is that outdoor space is so important,” said Sarah Parkes, development director for the parkway trust.
And there’s plenty of it, with swallows nesting in a nearby bridge swooping over the rows of blueberries and the occasional herons, hawks and egrets.
Blueberry picking can be scheduled between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The ground is a little sandy and uneven, so good footwear is encouraged.
Solitary Cellars
For the people who prefer their fruit in ready-to-drink form, a winery has opened on the site.
Solitary Cellars used to be located at event venue ApCal in Madera, but recently moved to Sumner Peck Ranch’s big white building.
You can taste and buy wines in the air-conditioned building, use its restroom or shop its gift shop stocked with throw pillows and other gift and decor items.
It’s a winery founded by a pair of former correctional officers, Greg Bergersen and Rick Quesada.
There’s also a little prison museum on the property.
Along with a cell, it has a quirky collection of things the pair has confiscated over the years. There’s a handmade tattoo gun, a cell phone hidden inside a Bible, and an electric skillet made by an inmate in the welding department who was caught frying Spam in his cell.
There is also a collection of shivs, the handmade weapons.
Bergersen and Quesada also have stories to tell about their time working in prisons. Get them talking and you’ll have all the entertainment you need.
Reservations are recommended for 90-minutes blocks on weekends and can be made online at solitarycellars.com. You can reserve the “west block” wine tasting room, or bring a blanket to sit on the “grassy knoll.” Yes, they’re deliberately using themed terms.
The current wines were made off site, but the winery will soon shift its wine making to the property.
There’s live music on weekend days. Check their website for the schedule. Wine tasting is available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Kids and dogs are welcome.
Nature walks
The property is open to anyone who wants to check it out just to enjoy nature, too.
Walk or drive down the “Green Mile,” the dirt road that leads to the blueberries and from there it’s a short walk to the river.
Just beyond the river is a massive oak tree that’s about 300 years old.
It’s all just steps from the heavily trafficked Friant Road (past Willow Avenue), but far enough away you can’t hear the cars.
“It’s very peaceful out here,” Parkes said. “I hear nearly every day, ‘I had no idea this was here.’”
Sumner Peck is key in the nonprofit Parkway’s plans because it connects nearby Ball Ranch and Ledger Island, owned by the state of California’s San Joaquin River Conservancy.
It’s all part of the parkway trust’s plans to create a 22-mile stretch of parks and public access to the river, while preserving the land from being developed into houses or gravel mines.
Tours of the river via kayak are available, too, and the property is used for kids educational camps.
During blueberry season, the property is open to walkers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. When that season ends June 5, it will be open the same hours as the winery, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
That could change as time goes on, however. Check the parkway trust’s website for the latest.
