Thurman Maple Days 2026 Returns With Three Weekends of Sweet Adirondack Tradition
Enjoy wagon rides at Toad Hill Maple Farm during Thurman Maple Days.
Every March, just as the Adirondacks teeter between winter’s last stand and the inevitable slide into mud season, something magical happens in Thurman.
The sap runs.
And when it does, the town proudly known as the “Maple Capital of New York” throws open its sugarhouse doors for three glorious weekends of maple-infused celebration.
Thurman Maple Days 2026 returns March 14–15, March 21–22, and March 28–29, inviting visitors to experience what real, 100% pure Adirondack maple syrup tastes like — not the artificially flavored corn syrup many grew up squeezing from a plastic bottle.
This is the real thing. And once you taste it, there’s no going back.
What makes Thurman the Maple Capital of New York?
We buy only 100% pure NY maple syrup.
Thurman sits in the southeastern foothills of the Adirondacks in Warren County, surrounded by hardwood forests that explode in color each fall — and drip with sweetness each spring.
While many regions across New York produce maple syrup, Thurman leans all the way in. The town actively brands itself as the Maple Capital of New York State, and for good reason. Its network of family-run sugarhouses keeps traditions alive while embracing modern techniques that ensure exceptional quality.
Visitors don’t just buy syrup here. They witness its birth.
At participating farms, guests step inside working sugarhouses, watch sap transform into liquid gold, and learn the difference between a wood-fired evaporator and today’s high-efficiency systems. The scent alone — warm, caramelized, slightly smoky — is worth the drive.
The difference between real maple and the supermarket stuff.
Let’s be honest. Many Americans grew up on artificially flavored “pancake syrup” made primarily from high-fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring.
A classic sign of spring, sap buckets hanging on maple trees.
Thurman Maple Days offers a gentle but firm correction.
Pure maple syrup contains one ingredient: maple sap, boiled down until it reaches perfection. No additives. No corn syrup. No mystery ingredients.
It carries subtle flavor notes — vanilla, toasted sugar, even hints of butterscotch or coffee, depending on the grade. The darker the syrup, the more robust the flavor.
Once visitors sample fresh syrup straight from the evaporator at places like Toad Hill Maple Farm or Valley Road Maple Farm, the grocery store aisle feels… underwhelming.
Sugarhouses, tours and maple-fueled feasts.
Thurman Maple Days isn’t a single festival site. It’s a self-guided maple trail spread across town.
Stops include:
Candy Mountain Maple – Known for small-batch syrup and warm hospitality.
Hidden Hollow Maple Farm – Offering tours that show every step of the sugaring process.
Toad Hill Maple Farm – A perennial favorite with demonstrations and tastings.
Valley Road Maple Farm – Celebrated for its high-quality syrup and scenic farm setting.
Martin’s Lumber – Showcasing local craftsmanship alongside maple products.
The Kemp Animal Sanctuary at Nettle Meadow – Pair maple stops with farm animal encounters.
Maple Craft Fair at Thurman Town Hall – Featuring vendors, artisans, and handcrafted Adirondack goods.
Visitors can expect wood-fired evaporator demos, hay rides, farm tours, maple samples, and hands-on activities for kids. Many farms serve pancake breakfasts, maple donuts, maple chili, and other sweet-and-savory creations.
It’s part tasting tour, part educational field trip, part old-fashioned Adirondack hospitality.
The technology may have changed, but it still produces 100% pure Adirondack maple syrup.
A perfect mud season escape.
March in the Adirondacks can feel unpredictable. Ski season lingers, hiking trails turn soft, and many travelers wonder what to do between winter carnivals and summer lake days.
Thurman Maple Days fills that gap beautifully.
The rolling foothills surrounding Thurman provide scenic country drives without the complications of High Peaks snowpack. Families can spend the day farm-hopping without committing to a full-day backcountry adventure.
It’s low-key, welcoming, and deeply rooted in local culture — the kind of event that reminds visitors why small Adirondack towns matter.
See maple magic in action.
Watch this short video experience the sights and sounds of sugaring season:
The steam rising from the evaporator alone is enough to make you crave pancakes.
Plan your visit.
Thurman Maple Days runs:
March 14 & 15, 2026
March 21 & 22, 2026
March 28 & 29, 2026
Most sugarhouses operate from late morning through the afternoon, though visitors should confirm specific times with individual farms.
For maps, participating farm details, and updated schedules, visit the event website and follow Thurman Maple Days on Facebook for real-time updates.
Indigenous peoples in northeastern North America, including the Algonquin and Iroquois, invented maple syrup long before European settlers arrived.
Indigenous roots of the maple tradition.
Long before roadside sugarhouses and pancake breakfasts became Adirondack spring traditions, Indigenous peoples of the Northeast were the first to discover the sweetness hidden inside maple trees.
Oral histories from Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) communities tell of warriors or hunters finding sap dripping from a tree, collecting it in birch-bark containers, and learning that when boiled, it transformed into a rich syrup or crystallized sugar.
Indigenous peoples of the Northeast were the first to discover the sweetness hidden inside maple trees.
Tribes, including the Mohawk and other members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, refined techniques for tapping trees with hand-carved spiles and hollow reeds, then concentrating sap over open fires.
Maple sugar became a vital seasonal food source—portable, storable, and deeply connected to ceremony and renewal. When European settlers arrived in the Northeast, they adopted and adapted these Indigenous methods, laying the foundation for the maple industry that still defines places like Thurman each spring.
Why it matters.
Maple syrup isn’t just a condiment in Thurman. It’s heritage. It’s forestry. It’s family businesses that survive by boiling sap for long, steamy days each March.
In an era of mass-produced everything, Thurman Maple Days reminds visitors that some of the best things still come from trees, time, and tradition.
Bring the kids. Bring your sweet tooth. Bring a cooler for syrup to take home.
Just don’t call it pancake syrup.
Places to stay, shop, eat, and things to do near Thurman
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