Maple syrup is one of Canada’s oldest traditions, and if you’re craving the sweetest time of the year in New Brunswick, then it’s time for a visit to Dumfries Maples.
A 35 minute drive from Fredericton, Dumfries Maples is a classic NB sugarbush where you can enjoy the end of winter in the province. The family-run farm has over 6,000 tapped trees, and they offer a wonderful breakfast on Friday mornings and weekends, as well as maple taffy in the snow.
Dumfries offers tours, so you can learn how maple syrup tapping and production has changed over the last 100 years, and see how the family keeps the tradition alive.
Nathan Scott and his sister Jane Scott have been operating Dumfries Maples for over 25 years now. “They really want people to come here and have an authentic experience,” said Simon Mitchell, the farm’s tour guide, “and that’s part of the whole thing, right? To have the fire outside, to have access to the woods, to be able to tramp around the woods, go and see animal tracks, to come and talk to us.”
“We see the same families year over year… and we’re actually seeing families and kids grow up, and they’re doing science projects on how to make maple syrup and start to grill us on questions or, we’ll be halfway through our spiel and they’re like, ‘Well, then this and this happens,’ right?”
“Many of us grew up, generally speaking, with these experiences and they’re becoming harder and harder to find.”
Dumfires Maples keeps the maple tradition going, and you can visit usually in late February until mid-April, but check their website and Facebook page for the latest details. They also sell maple syrup at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market, but it’s worth driving to the farm for the whole experience.
Situated alongside the Saint John River, the view is a big part of the charm. Early in the season, when the snow is still thick on the ground, you can even snowshoe through the woods, and you may spot wildlife.
But as someone who loves pancakes, I have to say that the best part is the pancake breakfast at their Cedar Log Cookhouse. The wood cabin is warm and cozy, serving light and fluffy pancakes with their perfect maple syrup. And naturally you need to buy a bottle to take home, too.
“I suggest, when families come, folks will say, ‘Well, I can eat a couple of pancakes,’ and in all reality most people can only eat one pancake because it is the size of the plate. So if you eat two, you’ve got a hollow leg or one heck of an appetite. But I suggest that you start with one pancake and then decide from there if you can handle the second.”
New Brunswick’s maple syrup story
The Indigenous peoples were collecting maple syrup and making maple sugar long before settlers came to the region. When the French arrived in the area, they started learning how to tap trees from them, and it spread from there.
New Brunswick has always been one of the best places for maple syrup production, thanks to the number of maple trees and the length of time when the temperatures are just right.
For the best maple syrup production, temperatures need to be a little below freezing at night, and then a little above freezing during the day. Maple syrup farms collect the syrup and boil it down, with 40 litres producing a single litre of maple syrup.
While Quebec produces the most maple syrup, with 17 million gallons in 2025, New Brunswick is the next biggest producer in Canada, with nearly 1.2 million gallons.
And Canada is naturally the world’s leading producer of maple syrup, providing over 70% of the world’s supply. In 2025, the net value of Canada’s maple syrup was over $840 million.
While maple syrup producers once collected the sap in buckets attached to trees–and you can still see examples of how that was done at Dumfries Maples–large scale producers have moved to tubing systems. Taps are attached to each tree, and the lines supply the sap to a central location where the sap is boiled down and bottled.
Dumfries Maples has a large evaporator that runs on wood fuel, not only because it’s how maple syrup was originally made, but because it’s so sustainable. Everything about their operation is incredibly sustainable, since the sap is naturally replenished each year, and the forest also provides renewable wood for fuel.
Why Dumfries Maples stands out
Dumfries Maples is unique for a number of reasons, but the first is definitely the family approach. There are only a few small family-run operations in New Brunswick today, and many of them are closer to Moncton.
With good, home-made meals, it’s an authentic experience that’s welcoming and refreshing. They really care about what they do, and they’re natural storytellers, sharing the history of the process, along with their love for it.
Maple syrup season only lasts for a few weeks, but it’s a delicious opportunity to explore New Brunswick, and rediscover one of Canada’s most sustainable treats.
