Maple Sugaring in New Jersey

Discover The Best 2019 Places
To Experience The Process

Maple sugaring has a history in New Jersey that began centuries ago with the Native Americans Indians and colonists.

This is an excellent winter family or kids group activity. In New Jersey, the maple sugaring season runs early February until mid-Mar

New Jersey is at the southern most region for the maple sugaring and as a result, today there are no commercial maple sugaring farms in NJ. While commercial farms are not available, New Jersey has a number of parks that conduct maple sugaring programs for education and demonstration purposes.

While the maple sugaring process was started by native American Indians, it later evolved in the mid nineteenth century by farmers who began to use metal spiles, metal buckets, and metal tanks for sap collection and storage.

There are still many places in New Jersey that are open to the public where visitors can get to experience and become involved with the nineteenth century process of tapping trees by hand and making maple syrup. The process begins with the tapping of Maple trees, collecting the sap, and then producing the syrup by boiling over an open fire and evaporating it down to the final product of Maple syrup. It takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

Note: This information is provided by event sponsors as a free service to our viewers. Sometimes conditions require cancellations or changes of dates, times and location which are not reflected in the original schedule. Before planning a trip to visit one of the listed events, it is suggested that you call the event sponsor to confirm the event schedule or for additional information on the event.

Maple Sugaring in Northern Jersey

Maple Sugaring: Tap That Tree!
Saturday, January 26, 2019; 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Reeves-Reed Arboretum
165 Hobart Avenue
Summit, New Jersey
(908) 273-8787
Website
February marks the beginning of maple sugaring season. Join Director of Children's Education Jackie Kondel as she taps the Arboretum's maple trees in preparation for this season's sap flow. Not only will families learn the hows and whys behind tapping trees, but will also get first-hand experience actually helping us do it! Registration is required. for children ages 5 and up with an adult.
Please note that the cost is $10 per family for Members and $25 per family for Non-Members.

Maple Sugaring
Sundays, February 3, 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 2019
Visitor Center
Tenafly Nature Center
313 Hudson Ave.
Tenafly, NJ
Website
This is a great, family outdoor winter experience. Learn how to identify a maple tree and 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 Demo & Festival
Saturdays & Sundays, February 10, 16, 17, 23, & 24, .2019
Seatings: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center .
247 Southern Boulevard
Chatham, NJ
Cost: $3 per person age 3 & up
973.635.6629. No registration is required, but seating is first come, first served. All ages welcome.
Website
Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Taste-test different syrups at the end.

Journey of Sap to Syrup
February 16, & 18, 2019: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Watchung Reservation
452 New Providence Road
Mountainside, NJ 07092
Website
908-789-3670
See how 100% real maple syrup is made from the sap of a sugar maple tree. Find out what equipment is needed to collect sap and take part in a taste test to see if you can identify the real thing. Dress for the weather. There will be a short walk to the tapped tree.

Maple Sugaring at the Environmental Education Center
February 16, 17, 23, 24 March 2, 3, 9, 10, 2019; Saturdays - 10:00am, Noon, and 2:00pm Sundays - Noon and 2:00pm
The Environmental Education Center
190 Lord Stirling Road
Basking Ridge
Visit Site
Visitors will get see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 90-minute program is conducted at our Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC.
Please arrive at the EEC 20-30 minutes before the program start time and dress appropriately for the weather conditions.
Boots are recommended as the trails can be wet, muddy, and/or covered by snow.
Organized groups (such as schools) may schedule weekday demonstrations by calling the EEC at 908 766-2489, ext. 332.

Maple Sugaring at the Hermitage
Saturday, February 16th, 2019: 1:00 pm – 4:00pm (The rain or heavy-snow date is Sunday, February 17th.)
Hermitage Museum
335 North Franklin Turnpike
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
Website/Tickets Tickets are $25 per family and $15 per individual
Visit the Hermitage this President's Day Weekend for an exiting hands-on event! The Hermitage Master Gardeners will be tapping about 15 trees on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark. Families and friends are invited to learn how to tap maple trees and the importance of maple sugaring to the Lenape and early Dutch and English settlers in Northern New Jersey. Children 12 and older and adults will also be able to tap the trees with the Master Gardeners. Guests will be sent home with the equipment to tap the trees in their own yards and instructions on boiling the sap into syrup. During the event a small concession stand featuring hot beverages and maple sugary snacks will be also be open. Tap times will be available at 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
All proceeds benefit the The Hermitage Museum.

Maple Sugaring Fest
February 24th, 2019; 1pm - 4pm ( Snow date is Sunday, March 3)
Reeves-Reed Arboretum
165 Hobart Ave.
Summit, NJ 07901
908-273-8787 ext. 1515
Website
Learn how early settlers tapped maple trees and turned the sap into delicious maple syrup! Take part in our family scavenger hunt and see whether you can successfully complete the "Maple Syrup Challenge". Round out the day with a sampling of maple syrup made here at the Arboretum! Maple Sugaring Fest is FREE for RRA Members and children under 3. The cost for Non-Members is $5 per person, $25 maximum per family. Pre-registration is not required. Payment is taken at the front gate.

Maple Sugaring
February 28, March 1, 2, 2019
Watchung Reservation
452 New Providence Road
Mountainside, NJ 07092
Website
Sugar maple sap is collected and is used to make delicious maple syrup or 2 Hug a maple tree to see if it is big enough to give sap and find out what equipment is needed to collect it. Take part in a taste test and find out if you like the real thing.

Maple Sugaring at the Van Fleck House
March 2, 2019; 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (sessions are 1pm, 1:30PM, 2pm & 2:30PM
Van Vleck House & Gardens
21 Van Vleck Street
Montclair, NJ
(973) 744-4752
Website/Tickets Registration required: $10/person
Looking for a super sweet activity the whole family will love? Families are invited to learn how to identify a sugar maple tree and discover the steps for turning sap into syrup, focusing on a tapped sugar maple tree in Mother's Garden.

Maple Sugaring Living History Programs
Saturday, March 9, 2019: Rain date: Sunday, March 10th
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM: Tours begin every 20 minutes and last about 1 hour. Pre-registration is not required
(check our website or call 782-1158 for cancellation information)
42 Lilac Drive
Flemington, NJ
Visit Site
Cost: $1 per person suggested donation
Experience first-hand the North American tradition of maple sugaring at Hunterdon County's Maple Sugaring Program. You'll take a trip through time to experience the art of the sugaring process. Along the way you will see an early American Frontiersman taping his trees, visit a sugar "farmer" at his evaporator, and enjoy a Native American story about the discovery of maple sap. At the end of your walk everyone will get a free taste of real maple syrup on a silver dollar pancake.

Maple Sugaring Demonstration & Educational Program
Saturday, March 23 & Sunday, March 24, 2019; 10 am - 3pm
Lusscraft Farm
50 Neilson Road
Wantage, NJ
973-875-4800
Website
Come see how maple sugar is made from Sap! Lusscroft Farm is a part of High Point State Park. It is a symbol of our vanishing rural heritage, holding a unique place in the Garden State's agricultural history. It embraces some of our most inspiring scenic vistas, intriguing geology and interesting topography.

Maple Sugar Sunday
March 31, 2019: 2pm - 4pm
Miller-Cory House Museum
614 Mountain Avenue
Westfield, NJ
Website
Email: millercorymuseum@gmail.com
Telephone: 908-232-1776
No reservations are required
Admission (unless otherwise noted): $4.00 age 13 & older; $3.00 ages 3-12; free under age 3.
This event is a lecture about the technique of maple sugaring, explaining how the maple sap rises and flows, how it is collected using wooden buckets and handmade spiles, and how sugar and syrup are made from the sap.
(Note: No trees will actually be tapped.)

Maple Sugaring in Central Jersey

Sugar Maple Celebration
February 9, 2019; 10am - 3pm
Duke Farms
1112 Dukes Parkway West
Hillsborough, NJ
Website & Registration
(908) 722-3700
Free Event
Celebrate the Sugar Maple and the magic it brings to your table. Learn about the entire maple sugaring process with Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania. Participate in activities and nature hikes focused on wildlife, tree identification, best forestry practices, and climate change as it relates to the Sugar Maple and our native forests. Experience the flavor of New Jersey maple syrup, visit live demonstrations, and have fun!

Sugar Maple Tapping
Saturday, February 9, 2019;
Howell Living History Farm
70 Wooden's Lane
Lambertville, NJ
(609) 737-3299
Website
An annual occurrence where the Farm taps several hundred Maple trees, collects the sap, which is then evaporated by boiling down the sap on an open fire, producing the maple syrup. Hundreds of sugar maple trees line the banks of Moore's Creek and the nearby woods at the foot of Baldpate Mountain. Come and help us tap the trees as we begin the annual work of sap collection and maple syrup production. Visits to the sugar bush, sap house, and farmhouse kitchen are a must ... especially if you plan to try this at home. At 11a.m., 1p.m. and 3p.m., you can join our expert tree-tappers for lesson in how to tap your backyard maple tree and make your own syrup.

Maple Sugaring at Happy Day Farm
February 9th & 10th, 16th & 17th, 2019 (weather permtting)
Happy Day Farm
106 Iron Ore Rd
Manalapan, NJ
Facebook page
(732) 977-3607
Cost: $3.00 per person, children under two are FREE. Tractor ride included
Come lend Farmer Tim a hand in the process! You can't make this chemistry up! Real science. Real maple. Come see the process for yourself in Olivia's Sugar Shack!
Freezing nights and thawing days mark the beginning of maple sugaring season, and at Happy Day Farm the work of tapping trees and boiling sap is underway. This is a great outdoor winter experience where attendees will take a tractor ride of our 130-acre farm with over 600 maple trees and it takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

From Sap to Maple Syrup
Saturday, February 23, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, & Sunday February 24, 2019 1:00-3:00 PM
Huber Woods Park
25 Brown's Dock Road
Locust (Middletown Twp.), NJ
Visit Site (all ages, under 18 with adult)
Note: This program fills up fast. Please call for registration or wait list @ (732) 842--4000, ext 1
Winter is winding down and the sap is running in the trees which means its time to make maple syrup! Bring the whole family for some old-fashioned fun as we learn the history, technique and some of the science behind this delicious treat. Highlights include a syrup taste test,tree tapping demonstration and instruction, and winter tree identification. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes or boots.

Maple Sugaring Brunch & Hike
Saturday, March 2, 2019; 2 sessions: 9:30 – 11:30AM OR 11:00AM – 1:00PM
The Watershed Center
31 Titus Mill Road
Pennington, NJ 08534
609-737-3735
Website
Join us at the Watershed Center for this popular annual event. Hike with the Teacher-Naturalists to our tapped trees, learn about the process to convert maple sap to syrup and visit the evaporation station. The highlight of the morning is a delicious pancake brunch, served with our homemade maple syrup made from trees on the Reserve! Part of this program is conducted outdoors – winter gear, including boots, is necessary. Sign up for one session – registration and prepayment are required.They
accept VISA, MasterCard and Discover, $22.00 per Adult and child over 13 $15.00 per Child (3-13).

Maple Sugaring
Saturday March 2, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m; Sunday March 3, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m, Saturday March 9, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m; & Sunday March 10, 2019, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m
Washington Crossing State Park Nature Center
355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road
Titusville, NJ
(609) 737-0623
Website
Pre-registration required, Admission is free.
Visitors will learn and experience the history of maple sugaring by using homemade sumac spiles, crafted in the park. The program starts with an educational slide presentation on the history, folklore, mechanics, and science of maple sugaring. The group then hikes into the forest for a demonstration and some personal practice in sugar maple tree identification and tapping. There are extensive stands of sugar maple trees throughout the state park

Maple Sugaring in Southern Jersey

Connect with Nature: Maple Sugaring
Sunday, February 17, 2019, 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Rancocas Nature Center
794 Rancocas Rd.
Westampton, NJ 08060
Preregister by calling RNC at 609-261-2495. Cost: RNC members: $7/person, $15/family (limit 5) Nonmembers: $9/person, $21/family (limit 5)
Visit Site
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. Learn about the sugar maple tree and the history of maple sugaring, observe a tapping demonstration, and enjoy a maple syrup tasting. To ward off the chills, we'll have an old-fashioned campfire burning.

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