Get Sticky this Spring: 7 Amazing Sugar Shacks in Ontario to Enjoy Maple Syrup Season
Between February and April each year, Canadians get ready for one of the best and sweetest times of the year; maple syrup season. As the temperatures begin to rise above zero during the day, while remaining cold overnight, sap begins to flow through Canada’s iconic maple trees, and local sugar shacks come alive as trees are tapped, sap is boiled, and sticky maple syrup is made. The best way to celebrate maple season is to visit a local sugar shack, learn about the maple syrup process, enjoy the outdoors and devour a stack of pancakes smothered in ooeey gooey maple goodness. Plan your spring sugar shack trip with our picks for the best sugar shacks in Ontario.
When is Maple Syrup Season in Ontario
Maple syrup season generally starts in March and continues until the sap stop running; generally, the end of April. Many sugar shacks open in early March, while some open in late February, depending on the weather conditions of that particular year. We recommend planning a visit in mid to late March when many sugar shacks hold weekend special events, and when local and regional maple festivals take place.
Fun Maple Syrup Facts
Canada produces three-quarters of the world’s maple syrup
Ontario produces over a million litres of maple syrup every year
Maple sap starts flowing when outdoor temperatures reach +5° C during the day, and -5° C at night
It takes approximately 40 liters of raw tapped sap to produce one litre of maple syrup
A tree takes about 40 years before it’s big enough to tap
Fulton's Sugar Bush and Maple Shop
Tapping sugar maples since 1840, Fulton’s Sugar Bush and Maple Shop is one of the best and most well-known sugar camps in Ontario. Located in Lanark Country, which is known as the maple capital of Ontario, Fulton’s is less than an hour away from Ottawa and has over 400 acres of sugar bush. Learn how maple syrup is made from tap to bottle, and explore maple activities like 8 km of Sugarbush trails to walk, snowshoe, or ski, horse drawn sleigh rides, a maple museum, and maple taffy on snow. Stop in the maple shop for a bottle of pure maple syrup made just feet away, plus pick up maple sugar, maple infused foods and treats, and maple bath and body products.
Wheeler’s Maple Products
As one of the largest maple syrup producers in Ontario with over 20,000 tapped trees, Wheeler’s Maple is a staple on the maple syrup scene. This family-centric business has had roots in the maple syrup industry for over 30 years, and Wheeler’s land has even been used to make maple syrup since the 1820s! Owner Vernon Wheeler started working at the family sugar bush at age 6, and in 1978 he and his wife Judy tapped their first trees at the present site on the Highland Line, collecting sap from 2,300 taps in their first year. Since then, Wheelers Maple has become a full family affair with many family members becoming an active part of the growth of the maple operation.
Walk, ski or snowshoe through their sugar bush trails and check out over 300 km of pipeline used to transport maple sap to the Sugar Camp where it is boiled into pure maple syrup. Then stop in at Wheeler’s maple syrup museum, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of maple syrup artifacts in the world! There’s even a national historic plaque that explains the significance of maple syrup to Canada. End you day with a visit to the pancake house for a sweet and hardy brunch, and grab a bottle of fresh syrup to go.
Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm
One of the most popular maple sugar bushes in the region, Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm, is the perfect place for a family-friendly maple outing. Located near the village of Metcalfe, just 30 min south-east of Ottawa, this family-run maple farm makes its syrup the old-fashioned way; using wood-fired evaporators in a log cabin. Explore the grounds on 2 km of walking trails and watch as sap slowly flows from giant maples, or take a ride around the property on a “slagon”; a cool sled, wagon combination. Enjoy a stick of gooey maple taffy on snow, visit the adorable farm animals, then head inside the pancake house for a hearty breakfast. Don’t forget to venture into the Farm shop (attached to the original 1850's stone farmhouse) for wonderful locally made products like house made dressings, fresh baked goods, farm-raised beef, prepared meals, maple treats, and of course, fresh maple syrup.
Temple’s Sugar Bush
With over 70 acres of maple trees and almost 5,000 taps, Temple’s Sugar Bush is a unique family-owned maple farm and pancake house just a short drive west of Ottawa in Lanark County. Take a walk on the Sugar Bush Trail and explore the working sugar bush, then head back to their beautiful timber frame pancake house constructed with giant pine beams. Devour a stack of buttermilk pancakes drizzled in sweet liquid gold, and bring home a bottle of syrup, maple butter or pancake mix.
Proulx Sugar Bush and Berry Farm
Now in its fourth generation, Proulx Farm has been family owned and operated in Cumberland, Ontario since 1920. Well known for its seasonal family-friendly events and activities, the sugar bush is the main highlight each spring as maple season whips into full swing. Families can enjoy a day of maple fun by visiting the century-old sugar bush shack, enjoying a self-guided tour to learn the maple syrup production process, indulging in maple taffy on snow, maple cotton candy, or homemade pie, and enjoying a classic pancake breakfast. A large outdoor play park and slides, a small animal petting farm, and nature trails make it the perfect place to tire the kids out after a maple sugar rush. Drop into the farm shop to replenish your maple syrup stores, and pick up homemade preserves and jams, honey, seasonal produce and herbs as well as locally made goods.
Trillium Ridge Sugarworks
In the heart of Tyendinaga Township, located on aptly named Maple Sugar Road, Trillium Ridge Sugarworks has over 40 years of experience in producing pure, organic maple syrup the traditional way, over a wood-burning evaporator. Nestled on a sprawling limestone ridge about 20 minutes north of the 401, between Belleville and Kingston, the maple farm is run by a mixed Indigenous-settler family that continue to honour the roots of their Indigenous heritage. Winners of the Grand Champion Reserve at the Royal Winter Fair, their top-grade maple syrup has been certified organic for over a decade, and they continually use sustainable forestry practices. Drop in to hike the sugar bush trails to see how maple syrup is produced, enjoy a pancake brunch, and stock up on some of the best maple syrup in the region.
Sand Road Maple Farm
A short drive south-east of Ottawa in Moose Creek, Ontario, Sand Road Maple Farm is a family-run maple farm surrounded by a beautiful 75-acre mature maple forest. Experience the best of maple season with nature trails, horse drawn wagon rides (weekends), kids play area and a majestic large pine lodge that hosts one of the best sugar shack breakfasts in the region. Come hungry and indulge in a hearty breakfast complete with pancakes, maple ham, homemade maple baked beans, eggs, home fries, toast, and oreilles de crisses (think crispy ear-shaped specialty farm fresh bacon), a favorite French-Canadian specialty that is usually only served in Quebec sugar camps. Pick up maple treats before you leave including maple syrup, maple candy, granulated maple sugar, maple butter and maple taffy.
