The Sweetest Season: Where to Source Maple Syrup This Spring

The chilly days of late winter bring a sweet reward. When the thermometer rises above freezing on those sunny afternoons and then dips back down again at night, the sugar maples begin to run. That’s when maple syrup season begins.

Across the Upper Peninsula, dedicated sugarmakers carry on a time-honored tradition: tapping trees, gathering sap and slowly boiling it down into rich, golden syrup. From late March through mid-April, operators of local “sugarbushes”, the name for a stand of productive maple trees, open their doors and invite guests  to see the process firsthand and taste fresh, 100% pure Michigan maple syrup right where it’s made.

Where to get Maple Syrup in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Mmmm! Can’t you already smell it? If you can’t make it to Michigan Maple Weekend downstate, you can still celebrate with us! Here’s where to stop in the U.P. for maple syrup.

Besteman Maple Products 

15689 S. Tilson Road, Rudyard | Website

This three-generation family has produced Michigan Maple syrup for over 25 years. 

Circle Back Farm 

40726 Red Rock Road, Lake Linden | Website
This farm acreage has been in the family since 1930, and they are making sure that long after their syrup business has closed, the ecosystem thrives. A small-batch, organic-certified maple syrup operation, Circle Back Farm not only has a commitment to their customers, but to the land, too. 

Danielson’s Sugarbush

25993 Pike Lake Road, Nisula | Website
Danielson’s is a single-source producer meaning they control their products from beginning to end. For 20 years, this family company has been collecting sap from their own sustainably-managed sugar maple trees. 

Jasper’s Sugar Bush 

W1867 Co Road, Carney | Website

This sugar bush has been providing 100% pure maple syrup since 1885, when the original Jasper family started producing maple syrup from the maple woods on their homestead. Today you can purchase pure maple syrup, cream, candy and sugar!

Mackinac Bluffs Maple Farms 

N7554 Fish Road, Pickford | Website
Producing syrup from tree to table, this maple farm sits on “the bluffs” in Mackinac County — the limestone outcroppings. With thousands of acres of sugar maples, Mackinac Bluffs is one of the largest sugar bushes in the Midwest. 

Michigan Maple Farms 

11866 W. Thompson Road, Rudyard | Website
Nearly 30 years ago, the owner of this farm borrowed 25 maple taps from his Dad to experiment with making his own pure maple syrup in his northern backwoods. Little did he know then that it would grow and become Michigan Maple Farms, which he and his wife Joyce own and operate today.

Olson Bros. Sugarbush 

596 County Road 400, Bark River | Website

Postma Brothers Maple Syrup 

15471 S. Tilson Road, Rudyard | Website

This operation started in 1901 and has passed through six generations. They have continued to hone the skill over the years, improving their craft and solely offering maple syrup.