CAMPBELLVILLE, ON – Conservation Halton is excited to welcome the sweetest time of the year with the return of Maple Season programs at Mountsberg and Crawford Lake Conservation Areas. Starting Saturday, March 2, 2024, guests can visit the 150-year-old sugarbush at Mountsberg’s Maple Town to see how sap tapped from the maple trees is transformed into maple syrup, or visitors can explore Crawford Lake to learn more about the Indigenous origins of maple sugaring. Maple Season programs are offered on weekends, holidays, and March break until Sunday, April 7, 2024.
Mountsberg’s Maple Town is a cherished family tradition. In the sugarbush, visitors can watch maple sap transform into syrup in the evaporator, warm up by a fireside lounge, or help their kids become ‘certified’ Sugar Rangers with the NEW Sugar Ranger Challenge. Satisfy sweet cravings with maple sugar and syrup samples, maple syrup drizzled pancakes at the Pancake Pavilion, and other maple products available to take home from the Country Store.
Mountsberg visitors can add a horse-drawn wagon ride or workshops like beeswax candle making and maple sugar making to their visit for a truly unforgettable experience. Maple Town visitors will learn about the history of sugar making from its Indigenous origins, to iron kettles, to today’s technology, and all about how Conservation Halton staff care for our amazing trees. The animal barn and Raptor Centre trail will be open for exploration for those who want to get in a visit with the park’s furry and feathered animal ambassadors. Those interested in learning more about Mountsberg’s resident birds of prey can add the Talons and Tailfeathers experience to their visit.
Sweet Water Season, hosted at Crawford Lake, focuses on the Indigenous heritage of maple sugaring and features the First Harvest: Celebrating Sweet Water exhibit. Visitors can step back in time — in a reconstructed 15th-century Longhouse Village — to when maple sugaring was the first harvest of the year. Sweetwater demonstrations will run throughout the day, inviting guests to gather by the fire and learn all about the history of maple sugar making in this part of Ontario. For visitors with a sweet tooth, the event offers guided syrup-tastings to explore the different colours and flavours of maple and birch syrups.
“Maple Season programs are always a huge hit in the community. Part of their popularity comes from the hands-on element of the programs and our efforts to keep them new and fresh year over year,” said Brenna Bartley, Education and Outreach Manager at Conservation Halton. “Visitors can get involved in making syrup and sampling – starting from raw sap and transforming it into syrup using traditional methods. This year, we’re also excited to introduce Maple Town’s new candle making workshop and our new Sugar Ranger Challenge for little ones to explore the park and complete six challenges to become an official Sugar Ranger.”
For tickets, pricing, and details about Maple Season, visit conservationhalton.ca/MapleSeason.