Extended Michigan Maple Syrup Season: Sweeten Up Your Weekends!

Hey Michigan! It’s that sweet time again in the Mitten State – maple syrup season. As the days grow longer, tapping into those maple trees is a happy reminder that spring is on its way.

The same trees that give us a wild color show in autumn are back with another tasty gift: maple syrup festivals and maple weekend events, pancakes and waffles included!

If you’re ready to add a syrup celebration to your spring to-do list, you’re in the right spot. Here’s a look at everything maple going on this year.

Michigan is a Maple Syrup State

A little backstory: 2023 was a totally amazing year for Michigan’s maple syrup scene. Last year, we made 195,000 gallons of syrup, tying the state’s first-place record from 2019.

That makes us the 5th leading state in maple syrup production, behind Vermont, New York, Maine, and Wisconsin.

Getting to that number took a lot of sap—over 7.8 million gallons—boiled down to create the sought-after liquid gold. (Seriously – did you hear about the great Canadian maple syrup heist? Thieves got away with $18 million in syrup. The stuff really is valuable!)

Anyhow, just add ‘maple syrup’ to the long list of things Michigan is good at growing. Here, our special climate lets us nurture over 300 different kinds of crops each year, with maple syrup being the oldest of them all (Native Americans are credited with the earliest production of this sticky good.)

Sweet Times Ahead: Maple Syrup Weekends, Maple Syrup Festival & More

So, let’s celebrate the syrup!

Michigan is home to both Maple Weekends and Maple Syrup Festivals.

Michigan Maple Weekends are your chance to really see the syrup making process in action.

From tree tapping demonstrations to the boiling down process that transforms sap into syrup, you’ll get a firsthand look at how Michigan’s “liquid gold” is made.

Many farms offer tours, tastings, and even recipes to take home.

If you’re looking for fun and festivities with a dash of syrup-making, the maple syrup festivals are where it’s at—think pancakes and parades!

2024 Maple Weekends

Michigan Maple Weekends span from mid-March through early April.

The weekends coincide with the syrup production season around the state.

• Southern Lower Peninsula (March 23-24): The perfect start to the syrup season, featuring farms south of US10 where the sap starts flowing early.
• Northern Lower Peninsula (March 30-31): Continue the adventure north of US10, where the chill lingers just a bit longer, making for a unique syrup-making experience.
• Upper Peninsula (April 6-7): Cap off the season in the UP, including a special stop at the Michigan State University Forestry Innovation Center in Escanaba.

Maple Syrup Festivals & Maple Weekends around Michigan