When the nights still freeze and the days climb above zero, the maple sap starts to run. It is sugaring season — “le temps des sucres” — and in Québec it is almost a national holiday. In Mauricie, the maple farms open their dining rooms from about mid-March to late April: here is how to make the most of it.
What to expect
A sugar-shack meal is a traditional feast served at long shared tables: pea soup, omelette, baked beans, ham, “oreilles de crisse” (crispy fried pork rinds), potatoes, and of course maple syrup on everything. For dessert, sugar pie and dumplings poached in syrup. After the meal, everyone heads outside for “tire sur la neige”: hot syrup poured over snow and rolled onto a stick. Some shacks also offer sleigh rides, children’s activities and traditional music.
Around Trois-Rivières
- Cabane à sucre Chez Dany: the big Trois-Rivières sugar shack, with the traditional meal and maple taffy on snow.
- Cabane à sucre Du-Bois-é, smaller and in the same family spirit.
- L’érabrière in Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel: an artisan maple producer where you buy syrup, maple butter and candies straight from the source.
Around Shawinigan and the national park
- Érablière chez Lahaie in Shawinigan, a family maple farm.
- Cabane à sucre St-Mathieu-du-Parc, at the gates of the national park: ideal after a morning of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
- Au delà de l’Érable, also in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, for artisan maple products.
In Maskinongé
- Domaine du sucrier in Saint-Boniface: sugar-shack meal, maple products and a family atmosphere.
Our tips
- Book ahead. Sugaring-season weekends sell out weeks in advance, especially around Easter.
- Come hungry. Really. And plan a walk afterwards: Héritage Carcajou Park or La Gabelle nature park are perfect.
- Dress for mud. Spring in Québec is melting snow. Boots are a must.
- Take syrup home in a can or a bottle: it keeps very well and travels without trouble.
Find all the maple farms in the Where to eat section of the guide, and the season’s activities on the Spring page.
