When is maple syrup season in New York?

Usually from late February to early April, about 5 weeks. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.

When should I tap my trees in New York?

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 February 28. 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 New York?

In USDA records for 2011–2022, the earliest average opening was February 18 (2017) and the latest was March 17 (2015), a spread of 27 days.

New York · maple season dates

When to tap maple trees in New York

Maple season in New York usually opens late February and winds down early April. Here's the long-run pattern, the year-by-year record, and what the forecast says right now.

Too early to tapAbout 110 days until the usual opening.

Opens: Feb 28; median, USDA
Closes: Apr 5; median, USDA
Typical length: 33days
Seasons on record: 12; 2011–2022

County by county

When the sap runs across New York

Typical season dates for 53 New York counties, from 36 seasons of daily temperatures at each county seat and scaled to USDA’s reported New York dates. Hover or tap a county for its season; sort the table by any column.

New York county atlas →

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Typical opening date of the sap season, week by week across this state’s range

Feb 2–15
Feb 16–22
Feb 23–Mar 1
Mar 2–8
Mar 9–17
fewer than 5 maple farms

Typical maple season, sap days a season and taps for 53 New York counties

Westchester	Feb 2 – Mar 10	34	withheld
Dutchess	Feb 15 – Mar 24	54	22,265
Greene	Feb 16 – Mar 26	49	1,723
Columbia	Feb 17 – Mar 26	50	14,953
Orange	Feb 17 – Mar 25	49	30,255
Putnam	Feb 17 – Mar 25	48	150
Ulster	Feb 17 – Mar 26	57	13,631
Albany	Feb 19 – Mar 27	40	11,925
Rensselaer	Feb 19 – Mar 27	40	9,302
Schuyler	Feb 19 – Mar 25	39	65,678
Tompkins	Feb 19 – Mar 26	45	3,087
Chemung	Feb 20 – Mar 28	51	6,421
Livingston	Feb 20 – Mar 28	42	6,853
Monroe	Feb 20 – Mar 27	32	1,022 (2017)
Ontario	Feb 20 – Mar 28	39	23,737
Orleans	Feb 21 – Mar 28	34	2,227
Seneca	Feb 21 – Mar 26	33	1,260
Wayne	Feb 21 – Mar 28	34	5,350
Yates	Feb 21 – Mar 27	36	9,686
Cayuga	Feb 22 – Mar 31	39	52,926
Onondaga	Feb 22 – Mar 26	33	58,641
Schenectady	Feb 22 – Mar 27	38	1,375
Genesee	Feb 23 – Mar 31	38	17,318
Saratoga	Feb 23 – Mar 30	41	2,480
Broome	Feb 24 – Mar 31	47	12,730
Erie	Feb 24 – Mar 29	30	40,330
Tioga	Feb 24 – Mar 31	50	27,738
Chautauqua	Feb 25 – Apr 2	37	64,688
Madison	Feb 25 – Apr 2	35	21,893
Oneida	Feb 26 – Apr 4	36	33,770
Oswego	Feb 26 – Mar 30	26	29,530
Schoharie	Feb 26 – Apr 5	45	44,083
Steuben	Feb 26 – Apr 5	55	83,385
Wyoming	Feb 26 – Apr 4	41	320,339
Allegany	Feb 27 – Apr 6	50	57,417
Herkimer	Feb 27 – Apr 5	39	4,204
Montgomery	Feb 27 – Apr 5	40	withheld
Sullivan	Feb 27 – Apr 5	43	76,535
Chenango	Mar 1 – Apr 7	47	57,185
Cortland	Mar 1 – Apr 4	38	15,725
Otsego	Mar 1 – Apr 8	49	73,799
Washington	Mar 1 – Apr 8	41	98,989
Delaware	Mar 2 – Apr 8	55	76,806
Cattaraugus	Mar 3 – Apr 8	43	100,515
Warren	Mar 3 – Apr 9	42	12,760
Fulton	Mar 4 – Apr 9	38	44,239
Jefferson	Mar 5 – Apr 7	36	84,490
Clinton	Mar 6 – Apr 9	33	365,777
Essex	Mar 7 – Apr 12	45	56,746
St. Lawrence	Mar 8 – Apr 13	37	277,319
Franklin	Mar 10 – Apr 16	36	135,217
Lewis	Mar 10 – Apr 15	36	243,375
Hamilton	Mar 17 – Apr 22	45	5,255

Taps with a year in brackets are that earlier census’s count, shown where the latest was withheld; they sort after the published counts.

Sap-flow outlook right now

Full New York forecast →

Forecast for Ellenburg

Updated Nov 10, 1:37 AM EST

Off-season

New York's season opens in about 110 days

Typical opening: February 28.

What to do now

1
Hold the drill
Fall sap is low in sugar, and a November hole on buckets is spent by January.
Can you tap in fall?
2
Find and mark your trees
Easiest while the leaves are on. Tapping starts at 12 inches across, about 38 inches around.
A beginner’s season plan
3
Gather your gear
A drill with a clean 5/16-inch bit, one spout per taphole, covered food-grade buckets.
A beginner’s season plan

LuckySap can nudge you about two weeks before the season usually opens where you tap, and again on opening day. Once the sap runs, it pings you at 7 p.m. the evening before a strong sap day. Free on iPhone and Android.

Show this week’s forecast anyway

Only marginal days ahead

freeze thaw 32°F

WedNov 11
31° / 39°
3h below · 15h above
Maybe a light run
ThuNov 12
29° / 37°
13h below · 9h above
Maybe a light run
FriNov 13
27° / 33°
20h below · 1h above
Maybe a light run
SatNov 14
27° / 33°
14h below · 6h above
Maybe a light run
SunNov 15
29° / 35°
11h below · 10h above
Maybe a light run
MonNov 16
26° / 36°
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

New York maple seasons, 2011–2022

Over 12 recorded seasons, New York's season opened as early as Feb 18 (2017) and as late as Mar 17 (2015). The longest season ran 52 days (2018); the shortest, 24 (2012).

Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

New York maple season opening and closing dates by year (USDA NASS)
Year	Opened	Closed	Days
2022	Feb 28	Apr 2	33
2021	Mar 4	Apr 2	29
2020	Feb 19	Mar 28	38
2019	Mar 6	Apr 7	32
2018	Feb 18	Apr 11	52
2017	Feb 18	Apr 2	43
2016	Feb 22	Mar 29	36
2015	Mar 17	Apr 12	26
2014	Mar 13	Apr 14	32
2013	Feb 27	Apr 9	41
2012	Feb 21	Mar 16	24
2011	Mar 5	Apr 7	33

Timing your taps

How to know it's time in New York

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.

Dates are USDA NASS approximate state averages. Production is split between the North Country (Clinton, St. Lawrence, Lewis counties) and western New York (Wyoming County) (2022 Census of Agriculture).

New York made 884,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2026, 15.0% 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 New York's sugaring happens

EllenburgClinton County has the most taps in New York, 365,777 (2022 Census of Agriculture).
ArcadeWyoming County in western New York made the most syrup in the state, 115,220 gallons (2022 Census of Agriculture).
CantonSt. Lawrence County has the most maple farms in New York (106) and 277,319 taps (2022 Census of Agriculture).

FAQ

New York tapping questions

When is maple syrup season in New York?: Usually from late February to early April, about 5 weeks. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.
When should I tap my trees in New York?: 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 February 28. 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 New York?: In USDA records for 2011–2022, the earliest average opening was February 18 (2017) and the latest was March 17 (2015), a spread of 27 days.

New York

More for New York sugarmakers

Nearby

When to tap in other states

LuckySap · free on iPhone & Android

Get a heads-up when New York'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.