There’s something sweeter than spring skiing to make your family trip to the White Mountains in March and April an unforgettable experience. Think maple syrup!
After a long, cold winter, sugarmakers start collecting maple sap as soon as the days are warm enough for the sap to flow. Many sugar shacks like Bisson’s Sugar House in Berlin, NH are small family-run businesses that welcome visitors into the sugar house, and guests can experience the traditional syrup-making process. Larger operations like Fuller’s Sugarhouse are a sight to see with large evaporators and reverse osmosis equipment to process large volumes of sap quickly.
Traditionally, maple trees were individually tapped with metal spouts and pails that collected the sap on warm spring days. Men and women on snowshoes would then traverse the sugarbush, the forest of maple trees that are tapped, carrying the pails back to the sugar house or to the horse-drawn sleigh with tanks. The process involved a lot of physical labor to tap the trees, carry the sap, stoke the wood fires, and monitor the evaporation to get a quality product.
Now, miles of tube lines stretched throughout the sugarbush and vacuums draw the sap to the collection tanks. This eliminates a lot of manual labor.
However, some sugar houses still use traditional methods. The Rock Estate in Bethlehem, NH gives a traditional maple experience with horse-drawn sleigh rides during the season, perfect for young children.
Maple products include syrup, crystalized candy, taffy, maple butter, and maple donuts. Each sugar house specializes in maple products of their own.
Local businesses also feature this sweet treat year round, including the world famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH. Here you can enjoy breakfast with the family and then stop by the gift shop for maple treats and other locally-made gifts.
Sugar houses near Bray Hill that welcome guests:
Fuller’s Sugarhouse: Est 1973, Lancaster, NH
Lost Nation Sugar House: Est. 2000, Groveton, NH
Mount Cabot Maple: Est. 2005, Lancaster, NH
The Rocks Estate: Est. 1882, Bethlehem, NH
Where to get a great pancake breakfast with locally made pure maple syrup:
Polly’s Pancake Parlor, Sugar Hill, NH
Grandma’s Kitchen, Whitefield, NH
The Waterwheel Breakfast, Jefferson, NH
Munroe's Family Restaurant, Twin Mountain, NH
Gift shops with local Maple Products:
Fuller’s Sugarhouse & Gift Shop, Lancaster, NH
The Waterwheel Breakfast & Gift House, Jefferson, NH
Polly’s Pancake Parlor, Sugar Hill, NH
Harman’s Cheese & Country Store, Sugar Hill, NH
New Hampshire Maple Producers Association provides resources to help you get the most out of the maple sugar season in the Great North Woods with all the latest information updated each season.
