When to tap maple trees in Maine
- Opens
- Mar 4
- median, USDA
- Closes
- Apr 11
- median, USDA
- Typical length
- 35days
- Seasons on record
- 12
- 2011–2022
County by county
When the sap runs across Maine
Loading the map…
Typical opening date of the sap season, week by week across this state’s range
- Feb 20–22
- Feb 23–Mar 1
- Mar 2–8
- Mar 9–13
- fewer than 5 maple farms
16 places with an atlas page. Typical season opening, earliest: Cumberland County, ME, Feb 20; York County, ME, Feb 25; Knox County, ME, Mar 1; latest: Piscataquis County, ME, Mar 13; Aroostook County, ME, Mar 13; Franklin County, ME, Mar 9. Most sap days a season: York County, ME, 52; Sagadahoc County, ME, 48; Lincoln County, ME, 48. Maple taps in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, on a five-step scale fitted to Maine: under 3,200, 3,200–10,000, 10,000–19,000, 19,000–21,000, 21,000+; the most: Somerset County, ME (1,685,551), Oxford County, ME (92,452), Piscataquis County, ME (22,400), Androscoggin County, ME (21,175), Aroostook County, ME (20,469). Maple farms in the same census, in five steps: under 11, 11–19, 19–33, 33–41, 41+; the most: Somerset County, ME (102), Oxford County, ME (57), Franklin County, ME (45). Syrup made, in US gallons: Somerset County, ME (607,699 gal), Oxford County, ME (40,902 gal), Androscoggin County, ME (6,017 gal). Tappable maples (FIA estimates of sugar maples 10 in and up on forest land, US counties only): under 1 million, 1–2.5 million, 2.5–6.5 million, 6.5–10 million, 10 million+; the most: Aroostook County, ME (about 13 million ± 11%), Somerset County, ME (about 10 million ± 14%), Piscataquis County, ME (about 7.6 million ± 14%). 6 counties' estimates are too uncertain to show (sampling error over 50%). Each shaded place links to its page; every state and province page lists its places in a table.
| Cumberland | Feb 20 – Mar 30 | 37 | 18,526 |
|---|---|---|---|
| York | Feb 25 – Apr 5 | 52 | 13,598 |
| Knox | Mar 1 – Apr 8 | 40 | 3,160 |
| Sagadahoc | Mar 1 – Apr 8 | 48 | 226 |
| Kennebec | Mar 2 – Apr 5 | 39 | 10,335 |
| Lincoln | Mar 2 – Apr 8 | 48 | 3,100 |
| Androscoggin | Mar 3 – Apr 8 | 44 | 21,175 |
| Waldo | Mar 4 – Apr 10 | 45 | 20,246 |
| Hancock | Mar 5 – Apr 9 | 44 | 452 |
| Penobscot | Mar 5 – Apr 10 | 39 | 7,997 |
| Oxford | Mar 6 – Apr 13 | 42 | 92,452 |
| Washington | Mar 6 – Apr 11 | 47 | 8,720 |
| Somerset | Mar 7 – Apr 14 | 43 | 1,685,551 |
| Franklin | Mar 9 – Apr 16 | 44 | 18,235 |
| Aroostook | Mar 13 – Apr 21 | 36 | 20,469 |
| Piscataquis | Mar 13 – Apr 17 | 46 | 22,400 |
Sap-flow outlook right now
Full Maine forecast →Forecast for Jackman
Updated Nov 10, 5:44 AM EST
1 sap day in the next 6
freeze thaw 32°F
- WedNov 1132° / 37°
3h below · 20h above
No refreeze forecast - ThuNov 1226° / 38°
11h below · 11h above
Sap likely - FriNov 1327° / 35°
10h below · 12h above
Maybe a light run - SatNov 1432° / 36°
0h below · 16h above
No refreeze forecast - SunNov 1533° / 38°
0h below · 22h above
No refreeze forecast - MonNov 1630° / 37°Maybe a light run
Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.
Season history
Maine maple seasons, 2011–2022
| Year | Opened | Closed | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mar 4 | Apr 9 | 36 |
| 2021 | Mar 6 | Apr 6 | 31 |
| 2020 | Feb 29 | Apr 8 | 39 |
| 2019 | Mar 14 | Apr 14 | 31 |
| 2018 | Feb 26 | Apr 9 | 42 |
| 2017 | Mar 2 | Apr 12 | 41 |
| 2016 | Feb 26 | Apr 9 | 43 |
| 2015 | Mar 21 | Apr 17 | 27 |
| 2014 | Mar 21 | Apr 19 | 29 |
| 2013 | Mar 4 | Apr 12 | 39 |
| 2012 | Feb 28 | Mar 28 | 29 |
| 2011 | Mar 10 | Apr 13 | 34 |
Timing your taps
How to know it's time in Maine
Sap runs on a temperature swing, not a date. A night below freezing loads the tree; a day above freezing pushes sap out of the taphole. Field research treats a low under about 30°F followed by a high over about 37°F as a real freeze-thaw day, and big runs almost always come on days like that.
So watch the 10-day forecast. When you see a string of nights in the 20s and afternoons in the 40s, get your taps in a day or two ahead. South-facing slopes warm first and usually run earlier.
NASS state averages are weighted toward Somerset County in western Maine, which has 86.6% of the state's taps. UMaine Extension: freeze/thaw sap weather typically runs mid-February to early April in southern Maine and mid-March to late April in northern Maine.
Maine made 641,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2026, 10.9% of the US crop (USDA NASS). See every state’s crop.
Seasons are shifting. In New England and New York, the sugaring season now begins about 8 days earlier and ends about 11 days earlier than it did 40 years earlier, leaving it roughly 3 days (about 10%) shorter, according to UVM Proctor Maple Research Center survey records analyzed in 2007.
Where Maine's sugaring happens
- JackmanSomerset County holds 1,685,551 of Maine's 1,946,642 taps (86.6%; 2022 Census of Agriculture); Jackman is the Somerset town Cornell used as a Maine example in its maple-season climate study.
- ParisOxford County ranks second in Maine with 92,452 taps (2022 Census of Agriculture) and represents southern Maine, where UMaine says the season runs mid-February to early April.
FAQ
Maine tapping questions
- When is maple syrup season in Maine?
- Usually from early March to mid-April, about 5 weeks. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.
- When should I tap my trees in Maine?
- Tap just before the first good run: when the forecast shows nights below freezing and days climbing to around 40°F. In a typical year that's around March 4. Tapholes dry up within 6 to 10 weeks, so tapping far too early can cost you the late runs.
- What's the earliest maple season has started in Maine?
- In USDA records for 2011–2022, the earliest average opening was February 26 (2016) and the latest was March 21 (2015), a spread of 23 days.
LuckySap · free on iPhone & Android
Get a heads-up when Maine's sap will run
LuckySap checks the forecast for your trees and can ping you the night before a strong sap day, then keeps every collection and boil in one season log. Free on iPhone and Android.
