When to tap maple trees in Wisconsin
- Opens
- Mar 15
- median, USDA
- Closes
- Apr 9
- median, USDA
- Typical length
- 28days
- Seasons on record
- 12
- 2011–2022
County by county
When the sap runs across Wisconsin
Loading the map…
Typical opening date of the sap season, week by week across this state’s range
- Mar 3–8
- Mar 9–15
- Mar 16–22
- Mar 23–29
- fewer than 5 maple farms
53 places with an atlas page. Typical season opening, earliest: Crawford County, WI, Mar 3; Grant County, WI, Mar 5; Jefferson County, WI, Mar 5; latest: Douglas County, WI, Mar 29; Vilas County, WI, Mar 26; Forest County, WI, Mar 26. Most sap days a season: Jackson County, WI, 45; Richland County, WI, 45; Monroe County, WI, 43. Maple taps in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, on a five-step scale fitted to Wisconsin: under 950, 950–3,800, 3,800–7,500, 7,500–52,000, 52,000+; the most: Marathon County, WI (214,538), Taylor County, WI (117,898), Shawano County, WI (103,303), Dunn County, WI (97,224), Price County, WI (80,594). Maple farms in the same census, in five steps: under 8, 8–13, 13–19, 19–36, 36+; the most: Marathon County, WI (133), Clark County, WI (122), Vernon County, WI (63). Syrup made, in US gallons: Marathon County, WI (62,295 gal), Taylor County, WI (43,918 gal), Polk County, WI (40,224 gal). Tappable maples (FIA estimates of sugar maples 10 in and up on forest land, US counties only): under 450,000, 450,000–800,000, 800,000–1.1 million, 1.1–3.4 million, 3.4 million+; the most: Forest County, WI (about 12 million ± 10%), Langlade County, WI (about 6.7 million ± 15%), Vilas County, WI (about 4.8 million ± 19%). 14 counties' estimates are too uncertain to show (sampling error over 50%). 6 counties have none tallied on the inventory plots (not a zero). 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.
| Crawford | Mar 3 – Mar 30 | 39 | 181 (2017) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant | Mar 5 – Mar 31 | 34 | 1,307 |
| Jefferson | Mar 5 – Mar 30 | 36 | 147 |
| Dane | Mar 6 – Mar 31 | 38 | 949 |
| Waukesha | Mar 6 – Mar 31 | 36 | 255 |
| Columbia | Mar 7 – Apr 1 | 37 | 2,575 |
| Sauk | Mar 7 – Apr 2 | 42 | 15,084 |
| Ozaukee | Mar 8 – Apr 1 | 29 | 754 |
| Richland | Mar 8 – Apr 2 | 45 | 7,269 |
| Iowa | Mar 9 – Apr 2 | 36 | 336 |
| Juneau | Mar 9 – Apr 3 | 41 | 166 |
| Dodge | Mar 10 – Apr 3 | 34 | 536 |
| Monroe | Mar 10 – Apr 6 | 43 | 5,234 |
| Washington | Mar 10 – Apr 2 | 35 | 464 |
| Green Lake | Mar 11 – Apr 4 | 35 | 1,990 |
| Pepin | Mar 11 – Apr 6 | 37 | 57,550 |
| Jackson | Mar 12 – Apr 7 | 45 | 4,990 |
| St. Croix | Mar 12 – Apr 5 | 33 | 1,780 |
| Trempealeau | Mar 12 – Apr 6 | 41 | 1,000 |
| Vernon | Mar 12 – Apr 5 | 35 | 34,439 |
| Calumet | Mar 13 – Apr 5 | 33 | 112 |
| Outagamie | Mar 13 – Apr 6 | 32 | 1,925 |
| Waupaca | Mar 13 – Apr 8 | 37 | 3,795 |
| Waushara | Mar 13 – Apr 8 | 39 | 1,017 |
| Wood | Mar 13 – Apr 9 | 37 | 6,844 |
| Clark | Mar 14 – Apr 9 | 40 | 75,971 |
| Eau Claire | Mar 14 – Apr 6 | 34 | 7,523 |
| Brown | Mar 15 – Apr 9 | 33 | 4,154 |
| Chippewa | Mar 15 – Apr 7 | 34 | 48,153 |
| Dunn | Mar 15 – Apr 8 | 36 | 97,224 |
| Portage | Mar 15 – Apr 9 | 35 | 7,840 |
| Shawano | Mar 15 – Apr 11 | 37 | 103,303 |
| Pierce | Mar 16 – Apr 9 | 37 | 43,204 |
| Polk | Mar 16 – Apr 10 | 33 | 54,930 |
| Barron | Mar 17 – Apr 11 | 34 | 53,574 |
| Burnett | Mar 17 – Apr 13 | 37 | 540 |
| Marathon | Mar 17 – Apr 11 | 31 | 214,538 |
| Marinette | Mar 17 – Apr 12 | 30 | 4,724 |
| Sheboygan | Mar 17 – Apr 3 | 23 | 10,136 |
| Washburn | Mar 17 – Apr 12 | 37 | 4,652 |
| Door | Mar 18 – Apr 10 | 31 | 5,851 |
| Kewaunee | Mar 18 – Apr 7 | 27 | 581 |
| Manitowoc | Mar 18 – Apr 6 | 27 | 4,402 |
| Oconto | Mar 18 – Apr 12 | 35 | 11,013 |
| Rusk | Mar 18 – Apr 13 | 39 | 10,697 |
| Lincoln | Mar 21 – Apr 15 | 37 | 52,052 |
| Taylor | Mar 21 – Apr 13 | 33 | 117,898 |
| Langlade | Mar 22 – Apr 16 | 32 | 28,695 |
| Price | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | 36 | 80,594 |
| Bayfield | Mar 24 – Apr 18 | 35 | 4,634 |
| Forest | Mar 26 – Apr 22 | 39 | 58,652 |
| Vilas | Mar 26 – Apr 23 | 40 | 2,334 |
| Douglas | Mar 29 – Apr 18 | 26 | 1,100 |
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 Wisconsin forecast →Forecast for Wausau
Updated Nov 10, 6:06 AM EST
5 sap days in the next 6
freeze thaw 32°F
- WedNov 1138° / 47°
0h below · 23h above
No refreeze forecast - ThuNov 1229° / 39°
11h below · 11h above
Sap likely - FriNov 1324° / 39°
14h below · 8h above
Sap likely - SatNov 1423° / 41°
15h below · 9h above
Classic sap day - SunNov 1525° / 43°
12h below · 12h above
Classic sap day - MonNov 1628° / 47°Classic sap day
Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.
Season history
Wisconsin maple seasons, 2011–2022
| Year | Opened | Closed | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mar 18 | Apr 20 | 33 |
| 2021 | Mar 6 | Mar 31 | 25 |
| 2020 | Mar 7 | Apr 4 | 28 |
| 2019 | Mar 21 | Apr 14 | 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 16 | Apr 21 | 36 |
| 2017 | Mar 4 | Apr 2 | 29 |
| 2016 | Mar 6 | Apr 4 | 29 |
| 2015 | Mar 14 | Apr 6 | 23 |
| 2014 | Mar 28 | Apr 19 | 22 |
| 2013 | Mar 25 | Apr 23 | 29 |
| 2012 | Mar 8 | Mar 18 | 10 |
| 2011 | Mar 15 | Apr 12 | 28 |
Timing your taps
How to know it's time in Wisconsin
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. Wisconsin has the latest median opening date of the NASS states.
Wisconsin made 504,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2026, 8.6% of the US crop (USDA NASS). See every state’s crop.
Seasons are shifting. Cornell researchers found that start dates for tapping maples in the Northeast are about a week earlier than in 1970, and projected they could arrive about a month earlier by 2100 — e.g., around Feb 1 instead of Mar 1 in Montpelier, Vermont (Skinner, DeGaetano & Chabot, Climatic Change, 2010).
Where Wisconsin's sugaring happens
- WausauMarathon County has the most taps in Wisconsin, 214,538 of 1,272,963 (16.9%; 2022 Census of Agriculture).
- MedfordTaylor County ranks second with 117,898 taps (9.3%; 2022 Census of Agriculture).
FAQ
Wisconsin tapping questions
- When is maple syrup season in Wisconsin?
- Usually from mid-March to early April, about 4 weeks. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.
- When should I tap my trees in Wisconsin?
- 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 15. 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 Wisconsin?
- In USDA records for 2011–2022, the earliest average opening was March 4 (2017) and the latest was March 28 (2014), a spread of 24 days.
LuckySap · free on iPhone & Android
Get a heads-up when Wisconsin'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.
