It’s peak maple sugar season and there’s no place better to get into the thick of it than New England.

Maple trees are tapped across the region, from Rhode Island to the northern points of Maine. More than half the nation’s maple syrup hails from Vermont, and a whopping 80% comes from New England as a whole.

And while the active season is winding down, there are countless ways to head out on a sweet maple adventure. Consider these choices in the coming weeks as another maple sugar haul is born in New England and heads out into the world.

Live the Maple Tapper’s Life: It’s one thing to spot the smoke twirling out from a maple sugaring cabin in the northern woods. It’s quite another to be part of the team that makes it happen.

At The Rocks (https://www.forestsociety.org/the-rocks) in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, guests are welcome to dive deep into the magic of maple season.

Through early April, visitors are taken by horse-drawn wagon through the estate, shown how to both identify and tap a sugar maple tree, ride in a tractor with a sugar maker to learn their trade, hang out in a working sugar house and of course, taste the final products (they pair the maple with cider doughnuts, of course, but also with a sour pickle. Trust them – the combination works.)

The New Hampshire Maple Museum is on site as well, showing both historic and modern maple sugaring techniques. Tours can be group or private. Make it an overnight (or longer)  and stay at one of the Bretton Woods Vacation homes (https://www.brettonwoodsvacations.com/) and you’ll get a discount.

Side Trip: Visit Polly’s Pancake Parlor (pollyspancakeparlor.com/), located nearby on the aptly named Sugar Hill for the perfect stack for pouring syrup.

The Hills Are Alive with the scent of maple: The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont (https://www.vontrappresort.com/) has its own sugar house and they love to share it. These days, with the maple flowing from the trees, they offer a casual, easy-to-do one mile snowshoe hike to the sugar house. Along the way you’ll learn about tapping trees and harvesting sap. Once there, you’ll see that sap processed and turned into delicious syrup and treats – which you will of course be sampling. Tours run through April and require a reservation.

It’s a Family Affair: Tucked into the woodsy hills just outside of Montpelier, Vermont proper sits Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks (https://www.morsefarm.com/) a working maple sugaring spot combined with a store chock full of cool maple products (Try the maple kettle corn made on site; it’s said to be perfection). Morse Farm is operated by the same family that, back when Vermont was newly settled, learned how to tap trees and make syrup from the Native Americans.

Open daily, Morse Farm has no reservation requirement or official tour. “Just come on in and have a look around,” says owner Jake Shattuck, and he means it.

This time of year, you’ll find the team busy tapping, cooking and such – and willing to chat with you about the process as well as the product. There’s a fun 10-minute video that features a family member known better as the “Godfather of Sugar,” with lots of knowledge and that dry Vermont wit.

Morse Farm is experiencing a good maple season; the deep snowpack in Vermont this winter has helped. They should be actively sugaring through Mid April, but are open year-round. You’ll also find a tasting room where you can discover which of the four grades of syrup pleases your palate the best, Sugar on Snow, a classic northern treat that’s hard to find today, and even a few pet goats to bond with.

And of course they serve that maple treat that simply must be savored while in Vermont: the Maple Creemee, made with milk from Vermont cows, syrup from their trees and with a touch of sugar, vanilla and salt. It’s like a soft serve with a Vermont twist that has to be tried.

Said Shattuck, “You can just enjoy your Maple Creemee and forget about the bad stuff out there.” Sweet.

At Morse Farm, their “Sugar on Snow” pairs hot maple syrup with cider doughnuts, ice and  pickles. (Photo courtesy Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks)
This is the perfect time of year for a maple sugar adventure in New England, where you can see how it’s harvested and turned into delicious treats. (Photo Metro Creative Services)