Celebrating The Best 2025 Maple Sugaring
Events and Festivals in New Jersey

A Guide to Maple Sugaring in New Jersey

Maple Sugaring In New Jersey During the Winter 2025

Who doesn't love the sweet, golden goodness of maple syrup? In New Jersey, maple sugaring is not only a delicious tradition but also a time-honored practice that dates back centuries. Let's dive into the world of maple sugaring in the Garden State, from the best places to experience it to the environmental impact of this sweet process.

Maple sugaring in New Jersey has deep roots, with Native Americans and early settlers tapping maple trees to make syrup long before it became a beloved breakfast staple. The process of maple sugaring involves collecting sap from maple trees, boiling it down, and turning it into the sweet syrup we all know and love.

The Best Places in New Jersey to Experience Maple Sugaring

If you're looking to experience maple sugaring firsthand, New Jersey has a variety of farms and sugarhouses that offer tours and demonstrations during the sugaring season. From South Jersey to the northern regions, there's a sweet experience waiting for you.

Maple Sugaring in Northern Jersey

Maple Sugaring Demo & Festival
Saturday, Sundays, beginning January 18th until March 9th, 2025
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center .
247 Southern Boulevard
Chatham, NJ
Cost: $6 per person
Preregistration is required.
Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make real maple syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Finish with a syrup taste test! This program will be held entirely outdoors, so dress for the weather. Syrup will be available for purchase, while supplies last.
For ages 6 and up.

Maple Sugaring
Sundays, beginning January 19th until February 16th, 2025 (10am, 11:30 am & 1pm)
Visitor Center
Tenafly Nature Center
313 Hudson Ave.
Tenafly, NJ
Cost: Member $8.00, Non-member $12
This is a great, family outdoor winter experience. Learn how to identify a maple tree. Discover the history of syrup making and how technology has changed the way we gather sap over the centuries. The group will check Tenafly Nature Center's tapped tree and boil down sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup, a sweet treat for all to taste. All ages are welcome.

Maple Sugaring at the Environmental Education Center
Saturdays & Sundays, February 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 2025
190 Lord Stirling Road
Basking Ridge
Cost: $6 per student/senior $7 per adult (Walk-in ticket sales only. Tickets for Maple Sugaring will be sold the day of the program inside the EEC building)
Visitors will learn how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 60-minute, outdoor program is conducted at our Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC. Please arrive at the EEC 30-40 minutes before the program start time to purchase tickets and hike to the Sugar Shack to meet your Naturalist. Please dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Boots are recommended as the trails can be wet, muddy, and/or covered by snow.

Maple Sugaring at The New Weis Center
The New Weis Center for Education
Weekends February 8 ,9, 15, 16, 22, 2025
150 Snake Den Rd.
Ringwood, NJ
Cost: $18/person
Participate in their 90-minute program as attendees will learn about the process, history, and ecology of maple sap & syrup. There will be a short hike to learn about winter tree ID, sap ecology, and tree biology, with a discussion on the history of tree tapping and some of the many things sap is used for. Attendees will visit tapped trees where they will learn how to tap, collect and taste the sap, then see how the evaporator works. Finish the 90 minutes with a blind syrup taste test in the covered pavilion (with heaters).

Maple Sugaring at the Hermitage
Saturday, February 15, 2025: (The rain or heavy-snow date for this event Sunday, February 16th.)
Hermitage Museum
335 North Franklin Turnpike
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
Family tickets are $35
Learn how to tap maple trees for syrup, like the indigenous Leni Lenape tribes may have done on this land.
They have 15 Maple Trees, five per session. Also includes one kit per family of tap and tube and instructions for you to follow in your own backyard!

Maple Sugaring at the Van Fleck House
Saturday, March 1, 2025: 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm (rain date March 2nd)
Van Vleck House & Gardens
21 Van Vleck Street
Montclair, NJ
Registration required
Cost: $30/family for Members; $40/Family for Non-Members. Individuals: $12/person for Members; $15/person for Non-Members
Looking for a super sweet activity the whole family will love? Don't miss Van Vleck House & Gardens' annual Maple Sugaring event! Families are invited to learn how to identify a sugar maple tree, discover the steps for turning sap into syrup, and visit a tapped sugar maple tree in the Van Vleck Gardens. This program is indoors and outdoors, so please dress for the weather. Each tour will last approximately 1 hour, plus additional time for self-guided exploration (optional), with some tasty treats along the way!

Maple Sugaring Demonstration
Saturday, Sunday, March 1, 2, 2025; Three sessions @ 9:30am, 11am, & 1pm (rain or shine)
Schiff Nature Center
339 Pleasant Valley Road (Use 339 Schiff Dr in your GPS)
Mendham, NJ
Cost: This program is FREE to Schiff members. Non- member fee is $7 per person.
The public is welcome to come to Schiff to experience an educational presentation that will explain the history of maple sugaring, the seasonal life cycle of the sugar maple tree, and how 100% real maple syrup is made starting with identifying a maple tree through tapping the tree. Following the educational program we will see the wood-fired evaporator in action turning the sap into the final sweet product. The best part is tasting fresh syrup made from Schiff maple trees. The day includes a Maple Baked Goods Sale so bring some cash to buy some treats in support of Schiff! An optional two-mile field walk to the working maple grove will be offered to see the taps and collection operation.

Maple Sugaring Fest
Sunday, March 2, 2025, 11am until 3pm (This event is held rain or shine)
Reeves-Reed Arboretum
165 Hobart Avenue
Summit, New Jersey
Cost: Member Price: Free, Non-Member Price: $5.00
Enjoy a brisk winter afternoon learning the steps involved in turning tree sap into delicious maple syrup. The whole family will enjoy spending the day outdoors, hiking our trails, and partaking in our Maple Sugaring Challenge activities! Also enjoy hot chocolate, some vendors, and more. It's going to be a sweet day!

Maple Sugaring in Central Jersey

Maple Sap Collection
Sundays, January 19, February 9, 23, 2025
42 Lilac Drive
Flemington, NJ
Ages: 4 through 8 recommended (children must be accompanied by an adult)
Cost: $8/family
Collecting the sap is a crucial step of the maple sugaring process! You will visit the Sugar Bush to see sap collection in action. Get hands-on experience with sap buckets and learn about modern sap collection system.

Maple Sugaring
Saturday, February 8, 15, 2025; 10 am - 11 am & 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
The Watershed Center
31 Titus Mill Road
Pennington, NJ .
Discover the history, folklore, and science of maple sugaring. Visit their maple trees, find out how they tap them using drills and spiles, and try a sample of sweet maple sugar. Learn about the evaporation process and how sticky sap transforms into sweet maple syrup. The operation of our outdoor evaporator is dependent on the amount of sap the trees produce and the weather. It may not be running during all program sessions.

Sugar Shack Demonstration
mid-March, 2025
Happy Day Farm
106 Iron Ore Rd
Manalapan, NJ
Cost: $18 per person. Children 1 and under Free. Cash only!
Tours will take place at select times (10am, 11:15am, 12:30pm, 1:45pm & 3pm). Last tour at 3pm. Tickets will be sold at the door only, no reservations are required
This is a great outdoor winter experience where attendees will take a tractor ride of their 130-acre farm. Pancakes and maple syrup will be available to purchase. Visitors will then see their 'sugar bush', find out what equipment is needed to collect sap, learn first hand how to identify maple trees, and lend Farmer Tim a hand in the tapping process. In Olivia's Sugar Shack, visitors can see how sap is finally produced into our delicious maple syrup. The sap is boiled and evaporated in a wood-fired evaporator. They have over 700 maple trees and it takes about 80 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. Goats and chickens will be available to feed?

Maple Sugaring in South Jersey

Maple Sugaring in Rancocas Nature Center
Sunday, March 2nd, 2025: Start times are staggered
Rancocas Nature Center
794 Rancocas Rd.
Westampton, NJ
For Scout and accompanying adult
Cost: $15
What a tasty way to spend a winter afternoon! Bring the whole family and enjoy a program about maple sugaring, the oldest continuous industry in North America. On this self-guided hike, you'll follow a map and visit multiple interactive stations along the Rancocas trails. Learn about the Sugar Maple tree and the history of maple sugaring, observe a tapping demonstration, and enjoy a maple syrup tasting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question
What is maple sugaring?

Answer
Maple sugaring is the process of collecting sap from sugar maple trees and boiling it down to produce maple syrup. This traditional practice has been a staple in the northeastern United States and Canada for centuries.

Question
When is maple sugaring season in New Jersey?

Answer
The maple sugaring season typically runs from late January to early March. The best conditions for sap flow are when daytime temperatures are above freezing (32°F) and nighttime temperatures dip below freezing.

Question
What types of trees can be tapped for syrup?

Answer
While sugar maples are preferred due to their high sugar content, other maples, such as red and silver maples, can also be tapped. However, the syrup yield and quality may vary.

Question
Can I tap trees on my own property?

Answer
Yes, if you have mature maple trees (at least 10-12 inches in diameter), you can tap them to collect sap. You’ll need tools like spiles, buckets or tubing, and a method to boil the sap.

Question
How much sap is needed to make maple syrup?

Answer
It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. This ratio can vary depending on the sugar content of the sap.

Question
Is there a difference between Grade A and Grade B syrup?

Answer

Yes, but the classification system has changed in recent years. All maple syrup is now Grade A but is categorized by color and taste:

  • Golden (Delicate Taste)
  • Amber (Rich Taste)
  • Dark (Robust Taste)
  • Very Dark (Strong Taste)

Question
Are there health benefits to maple syrup?

Answer
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener rich in minerals like manganese and zinc. However, like all sweeteners, it should be consumed in moderation.

Question
What should I wear to a maple sugaring event?

Answer
Dress warmly and wear sturdy, waterproof boots, as most events are held outdoors and can involve muddy or snowy conditions.

Question
Can children participate in maple sugaring activities?

Answer
Absolutely! Maple sugaring events are family-friendly and often include hands-on activities like tree tapping, sap collection, and syrup tasting.

Question
Is maple sugaring sustainable?

Answer
Yes, when done responsibly. Tapping does not harm healthy trees, and producers follow guidelines to ensure sustainability. A tree can provide sap for many years if cared for properly.