🍁A Sweet Sign of Spring @ Bethel & Sunday River 🍁
Cassie Mason Szeliga
Cassie fosters long-term relationships with her clients who oftentimes turn out to become great friends...
Cassie fosters long-term relationships with her clients who oftentimes turn out to become great friends...
A Sweet Sign of Spring in the Bethel & Sunday River Area 🍁
There are certain moments in a Maine winter when you can feel the shift coming. The sun stays out a little longer, the snow softens under your boots, and the maple trees start doing their quiet magic. That’s when we know one of the sweetest traditions of the year is almost here.
The 43rd Annual Maine Maple Sunday Weekend is happening March 21–22, 2026, with the main celebration on Sunday, March 22. Across the state, more than 100 sugarhouses will open their doors for tours, syrup tastings, maple treats, and a chance to see firsthand how this incredible local staple is made.
For those of us living in or visiting the Bethel, Maine and Sunday River area, this weekend is one of the best ways to experience a true slice of western Maine culture. Whether you're here skiing at Sunday River Resort, exploring the trails around Bethel Village, or just enjoying a late winter weekend in the mountains, Maple Weekend is a perfect excuse to explore some of our local farms and sugarhouses.
There is something genuinely special about maple syrup made right here at home in the Sunday River and Bethel region. It starts as sap running through the woods, moves into the sugarhouse where it’s boiled down with patience and care, and ends up on our pancakes, ice cream, and just about everything else we can drizzle it on. Buying locally produced Maine maple syrup supports families, farms, and a tradition that’s been part of life in the Bethel area for generations.
Below are a few favorite maple stops near Bethel and Sunday River worth adding to your Maple Sunday plans.
Sap Hound Maple Company (Near Bethel & Sunday River)
One of the things that makes Maine maple syrup so special is that so many operations are family-run — and Sap Hound Maple Company is a perfect example.
Run by Nate, Corrie, and Manny, this small maple sugar business is truly a family effort. From the woods to the sugarhouse to the kitchen, everyone pitches in to make it happen. Their passion for maple syrup (and for the process itself) makes visiting their sugarhouse a fun and memorable experience.
993 East B. Hill
Andover, ME
SapHoundSyrup.com
The Farm at Rowe Hill (Greenwood, near Bethel)
Nestled on a historic property just outside Bethel in Greenwood, The Farm at Rowe Hill offers a more traditional maple experience. They collect sap the old-fashioned way using taps and buckets, and visitors can watch the process from tree to evaporator.
As if that weren’t reason enough to stop by, they’re also serving free vanilla ice cream topped with their maple syrup — which might just be the best way to celebrate maple season in western Maine.
231 Rowe Hill Road
Greenwood, ME
Cash, credit cards, and Venmo accepted.
Swain Family Farm (Right Here in Bethel)
A true third-generation farm in Bethel, Maine, Swain Family Farm taps roughly 1,000 trees, mostly on pipeline systems.
During Maple Weekend, they’ll be serving ice cream with maple syrup and offering samples of their maple candy. It’s a great chance to see how a working sugarhouse operates and taste some seriously good syrup right in the Bethel Village area.
185 West Bethel Road
Bethel, ME 04217
Ricker Hill Orchards (Worth the Drive from Bethel)
If you want to make a full morning of it, Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner offers a maple celebration that feels like a full-on festival and is a popular destination for people coming from Bethel, Sunday River, and the western Maine mountains.
Their maple weekend includes:
A hearty breakfast featuring French toast, crepes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and baked beans
Maple boiling demonstrations
Sugar on snow
Fresh maple donuts made on site
A tasting room with cider maple
Farm and sugarbush tours
Both Saturday & Sunday | 8 AM – 4 PM
295 Buckfield Road (Route 117)
Turner, ME 04282
RickerHill.com
207-225-5552
Dunham Farm – Velvet Hollow Sugar Works (Greenwood)
Just a short drive from Bethel Village and Sunday River, Dunham Farm offers one of the most complete Maple Weekend experiences in the region.
Their sugarhouse will be open both days, and they’ll be serving:
Morning (8 AM – Noon)
Blueberry pancake breakfast with bacon and eggs
Vegan option with tofu scramble
Afternoon (Noon – 4 PM)
BBQ maple turkey chili and cornbread
Vegan chili and cornbread
Everything is prepared in their dedicated gluten-free commercial kitchen, and visitors can dine in two heated spaces called The Tree House and The Nest.
They’ll also have:
Maple boiling demonstrations
2026 maple syrup for sale
Gluten-free baked goods, mixes, and granola
Snowshoeing trails through the woods
March 21–22 | 8 AM – 4 PM
29 Dunham Road
Greenwood, ME 04255
207-665-2967
One of the Sweetest Traditions in Western Maine
Maple Weekend is one of the best ways to experience the character of the Bethel and Sunday River community. It brings together local farms, families, visitors, skiers, and neighbors for a celebration that feels authentically Maine.
You’ll smell the steam rolling out of the sugarhouse, taste syrup fresh from the evaporator, and probably leave with a jug (or three) of liquid gold.
And if you ask me, locally sourced maple syrup from the Bethel area just tastes better.
Maybe it’s the cold nights and warm days that make the sap run.
Maybe it’s the wood-fired evaporators.
Or maybe it’s knowing the people who made it.
Either way, it’s one of the sweetest signs that spring is coming to the Sunday River mountains. 🍁