Nothing says spring in Ontario like the maple harvest. Like the melting of snow, the first crocuses poking their heads above ground, and the singing of early returning robins, it’s a sure sign that the seasons are changing.
“The harvesting of sap from sugar maple trees to produce delicious syrup is a spring tradition in Ontario,” says Tom Stehr, owner of
Sugarbush Hill Maple Farm (sugarbushhill.com) in Muskoka. “In the springtime, when the nights are still cold, water is absorbed into the maple tree. During the day, warmer temperatures create pressure that pushes water down to the bottom of the tree, where we place the taps.”
Visit Sugarbush Farms on April 4-5 for their Maple Weekend – watch maple sap boil, visit a heritage sugar shack, trek through the sugarbush, and sample maple treats (tip: the maple ice cream is unforgettably good).
Of course, collecting maple sap for sugar was not the invention of European settlers. Woodland First Nations had been practising it for centuries before the first white man even appeared on the shores of the New World.

Experience the maple season through a First Nations lens at the Wye Marsh Sweetwater Festival (wyemarsh.com/sweetwater) held jointly at Wye Marsh and Sainte-Marie among the Hurons on March 28-29. Enjoy Indigenous storytelling, roast bannock on a stick, watch historical demonstrations, and learn how the Huron-Wendat traditionally welcomed spring.
Early European settlers learned from First Nations the value of tapping maple trees. Harvesting maple sap became an important yearly rite. Hundreds of producers continue to embrace maple season today in Ontario. Maple syrup is produced commercially wherever maples are found, from the southern tip of the province to Thunder Bay in the northwest. With a production level of close to a million litres per year, Ontario is the second largest producer of maple syrup in the country next to Quebec. Maple is generally considered to be the first agricultural crop of the year.
‘Sugar bush season’ has been increasingly popular with the public. And why not? It’s a great way to shake off winter and embrace spring, to get out into nature, and enjoy local, sustainable agriculture.
While a tour of a sugar bush may be a highlight, there are many more experiences to enjoy – maple-themed dining, soothing maple spa treatments, savouring maple themed beer, shopping in quaint shops for maple candles and other novelty items, and more. For all that and more, just point your car north.
Orillia and Lake Country Tourism host an annual Tap into Maple program
(orillialakecountry.ca/tapintomaple), running March 6 to April 5 with twenty participating locations.
Muskoka has a similar tour, the Muskoka Maple Trail (discovermuskoka.ca/maple-in-muskoka), running March 8 to April 26. More than a dozen sugarbushes, restaurants, and shops participate.
The Muskoka Maple Trail culminates in the Muskoka Maple Festival in Huntsville on April 25, a street fest that includes child-friendly activities, log-carving demos, live entertainment, and lots and lots of maple goodies to feast on (muskokamaple.com).