When to tap maple trees in Vermont
- Opens
- Mar 2
- median, USDA
- Closes
- Apr 12
- median, USDA
- Typical length
- 37days
- Seasons on record
- 12
- 2011–2022
County by county
When the sap runs across Vermont
Loading the map…
Typical opening date of the sap season, week by week across this state’s range
- Feb 19–22
- Feb 23–Mar 1
- Mar 2–8
- fewer than 5 maple farms
13 places with an atlas page. Typical season opening, earliest: Bennington County, VT, Feb 19; Addison County, VT, Feb 24; Chittenden County, VT, Feb 25; latest: Essex County, VT, Mar 8; Orleans County, VT, Mar 7; Orange County, VT, Mar 6. Most sap days a season: Windsor County, VT, 50; Windham County, VT, 48; Essex County, VT, 47. Maple taps in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, on a five-step scale fitted to Vermont: under 240,000, 240,000–380,000, 380,000–730,000, 730,000–910,000, 910,000+; the most: Franklin County, VT (2,436,351), Lamoille County, VT (1,113,960), Orleans County, VT (911,598), Chittenden County, VT (746,287), Addison County, VT (728,236). Maple farms in the same census, in five steps: under 10, 10–20, 20–50, 50–100, 100+; the most: Franklin County, VT (275), Orleans County, VT (148), Chittenden County, VT (134). Syrup made, in US gallons: Franklin County, VT (913,802 gal), Lamoille County, VT (465,629 gal), Orleans County, VT (330,350 gal). Tappable maples (FIA estimates of sugar maples 10 in and up on forest land, US counties only): under 4.1 million, 4.1–5.1 million, 5.1–5.7 million, 5.7–6.3 million, 6.3 million+; the most: Windsor County, VT (about 9.3 million ± 17%), Rutland County, VT (about 7.9 million ± 15%), Orleans County, VT (about 6.3 million ± 22%). 1 place shows an earlier census figure (dotted) because the latest was withheld; those figures don’t set the bins. Each shaded place links to its page; every state and province page lists its places in a table.
| Bennington | Feb 19 – Apr 2 | 43 | 244,548 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addison | Feb 24 – Apr 6 | 41 | 728,236 |
| Chittenden | Feb 25 – Apr 4 | 33 | 746,287 |
| Rutland | Feb 26 – Apr 7 | 44 | 375,147 |
| Windham | Feb 27 – Apr 9 | 48 | 196,234 |
| Franklin | Mar 2 – Apr 9 | 34 | 2,436,351 |
| Windsor | Mar 3 – Apr 14 | 50 | 243,850 |
| Lamoille | Mar 4 – Apr 15 | 39 | 1,113,960 |
| Washington | Mar 4 – Apr 14 | 42 | 219,249 (2017) |
| Caledonia | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | 39 | 330,819 |
| Orange | Mar 6 – Apr 15 | 41 | 440,188 |
| Orleans | Mar 7 – Apr 15 | 36 | 911,598 |
| Essex | Mar 8 – Apr 18 | 47 | 586,750 |
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 Vermont forecast →Forecast for St. Albans
Updated Nov 10, 1:37 AM EST
Off-season
Vermont's season opens in about 112 days
Typical opening: March 2.
What to do now
- 1
Hold the drill
Fall sap is low in sugar, and a November hole on buckets is spent by January.
- 2
Find and mark your trees
Easiest while the leaves are on. Tapping starts at 12 inches across, about 38 inches around.
- 3
Gather your gear
A drill with a clean 5/16-inch bit, one spout per taphole, covered food-grade buckets.
Show this week’s forecast anywayHide the forecast
Only marginal days ahead
freeze thaw 32°F
- WedNov 1138° / 45°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - ThuNov 1235° / 45°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - FriNov 1335° / 42°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - SatNov 1431° / 41°
5h below · 17h above
Maybe a light run - SunNov 1534° / 43°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - MonNov 1632° / 43°No refreeze forecast
Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.
Season history
Vermont maple seasons, 2011–2022
| Year | Opened | Closed | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Feb 28 | Apr 9 | 40 |
| 2021 | Mar 8 | Apr 5 | 28 |
| 2020 | Feb 28 | Apr 6 | 38 |
| 2019 | Mar 12 | Apr 15 | 34 |
| 2018 | Feb 23 | Apr 16 | 52 |
| 2017 | Feb 23 | Apr 10 | 46 |
| 2016 | Feb 24 | Apr 8 | 44 |
| 2015 | Mar 22 | Apr 17 | 26 |
| 2014 | Mar 20 | Apr 17 | 28 |
| 2013 | Mar 3 | Apr 13 | 41 |
| 2012 | Feb 25 | Mar 22 | 26 |
| 2011 | Mar 9 | Apr 14 | 36 |
Timing your taps
How to know it's time in Vermont
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.
Vermont made 3,091,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2026, 52.6% 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 Vermont's sugaring happens
- St. AlbansFranklin County has 2.44 million of Vermont's 8.50 million taps (28.7%), the most of any county (2022 Census of Agriculture).
- MorristownLamoille County ranks second with 1.11 million taps (13.1%; 2022 Census of Agriculture).
- NewportOrleans County in the Northeast Kingdom ranks third with 911,598 taps (10.7%; 2022 Census of Agriculture).
FAQ
Vermont tapping questions
- When is maple syrup season in Vermont?
- 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 Vermont?
- 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 2. 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 Vermont?
- In USDA records for 2011–2022, the earliest average opening was February 23 (2017) and the latest was March 22 (2015), a spread of 27 days.
LuckySap · free on iPhone & Android
Get a heads-up when Vermont'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.
