Maple syrup season is upon us in Ontario and an early one at that! Not to get sappy, but we’re totally obsessed! Discover the best spots in Ontario for sugarbush tours, maple activities, meals, events and more.
All the Best Ways to Experience Maple Season in Ontario
Read on for our list of top ways to enjoy maple syrup season in Ontario this spring.
Go for a Road Trip Along the Muskoka Maple Trail
The Muskoka Maple Trail runs from March 10th-April 28th and is made up of stops across Muskoka offering up something fun and delicious this season! Think restaurants using local syrup on their menu (maple back ribs, anyone?), breweries getting creative with drinks like a Maple Espresso IPA and some hands on activities too!
From roasting your own marshmallows in the woods while drinking maple hot chocolate to touring a sugar bush and more, there is so much to discover.
It all comes together in a very sweet way with the Muskoka Maple Festival on April 29th in downtown Hunstville!
Tap into Maple Season in Perth County
Perth County is home to not one but two excellent maple syrup producers: Hoover’s and McCully’s Hill Farm.
At Hoover’s, tour the sugar bush with Terry- a maple extraordinaire who is ready to answer all of your questions. See their state of the art facility, walk through the sugar bush and of course, shop for some of that mapley goodness. You can book your tours now online.
Less than an hour away, McCully’s Hill Farm welcomes families each spring to experience their farm on weekends. Sugarbush tours, horse-drawn wagon rides and pancake brunches abound! Keep up with the scoop on their website.
A Family Maple Experience Like No Other
Trust us, this isn’t your average maple experience! Join the folks at Richardson’s Farm as a family this maple season to really get hands-on.
Wander the forest with the Richardsons as you try your hand at tapping a maple tree, collecting and boiling sap in a hollowed log and even make maple taffy on snow!
Want to try something truly unique? During this family experience, you can taste the sap at different stages of boiling.
Finally, enjoy a tasty farm brunch topped with (you guessed it) pure maple syrup right from the farm. Ready to book your spot? Get on it!
tap a tree, collect and boil sap in a hollowed log, make maple taffy on snow, taste sap at different stages of boiling and enjoy a tasty brunch topped with pure maple syrup.
Sip Fire Cider at West Avenue Cider
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Have you heard of fire cider? Created in Quebec originally, it’s a smoky-syrupy cider not too dissimilar to ice wine or ice cider. It’s made in a maple syrup evaporator once a year- generally when a cidery’s neighbouring syrup farm is taking a brief slice of downtime during syrup season.
This spring, the Feast On® certified folks at West Avenue Cider in Flamborough have made a batch and experimented by aging them in cognan and bourbon barrels! You can try some at their annual Maple Taps Festival on April 15th!
The 2023 Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival
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On March 11th and 12th, celebrate the running of the sap in the small town of Warkworth! They go all out folks. Think sugar bush tours and syrup making demonstrations, maple taffy on snow (yuuuum), horse drawn sleigh rides, live entertainment, pancake breakfasts, a beer garden, log sawing contest, art show and SO much more. It’s bound to be a very sweet weekend. You can even score yourself some pretty sweet Warkworth Maple Festival merch.
Visit Ontario’s Maple Capital in Lanark County
Did you know Lanark County is known as Ontario’s Maple Capital? It’s no wonder why! With a mix of producers of excellent maple syrup and the heritage to back it up, you don’t want to miss out on your visit this spring.
Located where the Canadian Shield meets the Limestone Plains, the combo of minerals here give a unique terroir to the area that is especially good for crafty hit-the-spot maple syrup.
From joining in on the Festival of the Maples and the Maple Run Tour which invites visitors to shop artisan crafts and pieces as well as indulge in some syrup, there are plenty of ways to join in on the revelry.
With over 200 maple syrup producers in the area, there are plenty of ways to indulge in the sappy goodness this spring! Read more about Lanark County’s tie to maple syrup.
Maple Weekend – April 1 & 2
On April 1-2 this year, maple syrup producers allllllll across the province are opening their doors and getting extra sweet. Run by the Maple Syrup Producers Association, this event invites people to experience the joy of maple season close to home (or far away…basically wherever they can in the province).
Maple syrup producers across the province open their doors this weekend to offer sugar bush tours, maple taffy on snow, samples and so much more. Find a maple syrup producer near (or far from) you and get planning!
Get Mapley in Essex County!
In Essex County, Essex Region Conservation Authority is hosting a Maple Festival over the course of three weekends! It will take place at two sites and a Maple Trail connects the two of them. How wonderfully delicious is that?
These include a Lumber Jack Weekend (March 4th and 5th), a Tasters’ Weekend (March 11 and 12) where you can eat your way through all kinds of mapley goodness like maple butter tarts, syrups, maple sugar and more PLUS enjoy a winter hike and horsedrawn carriage ride and finally a Makers’ Weekend (March 18 and 19) to learn all about maple syrup’s Indigenous origins, learn to tap a tree yourself, and enjoy an artisan market.
The fun doesn’t stop there so be sure to check out their website for all the sticky details!
A Very Sweet Spring
No matter where you are, we hope you have a delightful spring topped with only the best – Ontario maple syrup!
