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Sugarbush safari

Spring arrives early in the maple forest.

Even if it looks like winter outside, you can count on maple trees to know otherwise.

In late February, their sap starts to run, and that's "the sweet good-bye of winter,'' writes naturalist John Burroughs.

In the awkward time between winter and spring, the promise of maple syrup also gives people a good reason to get outdoors and into the woods.

Festivals across the region offer tours of the sugarbush, nature walks and, often, music and games in addition to tapping tutorials and pancake breakfasts with syrup.

In Minnesota, five state parks offer make-your-own programs. Here are some of the best events in 2010.

Indigenous people were first to tap trees, inserting hollow reeds, letting the sap drip into troughs and boiling it down over a wood fire. The process isn't much different today, except most people use metal taps, plastic tubing and buckets to catch the sap.

It's still a lot of work; it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. But most people think real maple syrup is worth the effort.

Make your own in Minnesota state parks. In the Twin Cities, Fort Snelling's "Maple Syruping in your Backyard'' programs are very popular; they're March 7, 14, 20-21 and 27-28.

Sibley State Park near New London has programs March 13, 20 and 27; call 320-354-2055. Whitewater State Park near St. Charles also has programs March 13, 20 and 27; call 507-932-3007. Lake Maria near Monticello has demonstrations March 27-28.

At Wild River State Park near Taylors Falls, participants receive a share of syrup in return for three visits to the park, once to tap a tree, once to collect sap and once to cook the sap into near-syrup that can be taken home.

Tapping is March 13 and 20. Collecting is up to the shareholder, and cooking is on April 3 and 10; call 651-583-2925. People also can sit in on a session to learn about the history and process.

Register in advance at Whitewater, Sibley and Wild River; many days fill quickly.

Festivals

Many festivals start early in the day. Costs are $5-$8, including breakfast.

March 6, Sweet, Sweet Spring at Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center near Westby, Wis. The festival at this heritage farmstead in the picturesque coulees near La Crosse includes hikes into the woods to collect maple sap, nature walks, horse-drawn wagon rides, harp music and children's crafts.

There are also demonstrations of spinning, weaving, blacksmithing and folk medicine by the Driftless Folk School. There are snowshoes to rent, too. 608-452-3424.

March 6-7, Maple Syrup Festival at Hartman Reserve Nature Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. There's a pancake breakfast and visits to the sugar shack. 319-277-2187.

March 13, Maple Sugar Festival at Big Hill Park in Beloit, Wis. Welty Environmental Center is holding its festival at Big Hill Park, with tours of maple trees, demonstrations and brunch. 608-361-1377.

March 13 and 20, Pancake Breakfast and Open House near Viroqua, Wis. In lovely Vernon County, southeast of La Crosse, Kickapoo Gold maple-syrup producer is holding two benefit events, with a sugarbush tour and horse-drawn wagon rides. Call 608-634-4896.

March 20, Maple Syrup Magic Open House at Riveredge Nature Center near Newburg, Wis.: This center just west of Port Washington includes demonstrations, interpretive talks about American Indians and pioneers, crafts and games. A Pancake Breakfast is March 28. 800-287-8098.

March 20, Maple Syrup Saturday at Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve in Appleton, Wis. Pancake breakfast and tours of the sugar bush. 920-731-6041.

March 20, Maple Syrup Festival in Byron, Ill., near Rockford. The Byron Forest Preserve District provide a pancake breakfast, hayrides and demonstrations of tapping and boiling. 815-234-8535.

March 20, Maple Syrup Breakfast at Fallen Timbers Environmental Center near Green Bay. This center near Seymour offers sugarbush tours, an ecology hike and breakfast. Tapping kits will be for sale. 920-984-3700. 

March 27, Maple Syruping Day at Audubon Center of the North Woods near Sandstone, Minn. Have a pancake brunch, learn how to tap maple trees and turn sap into syrup at this center just off Interstate 35 in eastern Minnesota. 320-245-2648.

March 27-28, Pancake Brunch & Maple Syrup Tours at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen, Minn.  The arboretum in this southwest suburb of Minneapolis will hold sugarbush tours and a breakfast, and admission is included. 952-443-1400.

March 28, Maple Syrup Fest at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in the Madison suburb of Monona, Wis. A family-friendly event with tapping and syrup-making demonstrations. 608-221-4038.

March 28, Maple Syrup Sunday at Ledge View Nature Center near Chilton, Wis. At this center near Lake Winnebago, guests help find the maple tree, tap it, and collect sap. 920-849-7094.

April 3, Maple Syrup Festival at MacKenzie Environmental Education Center near Poynette, Wis. This center between the Wisconsin Dells and Madison includes a pancake breakfast, guided tours of the sugarbush, demonstrations of tapping and syrup-making, intrepretive talks about how Indians and pioneers made syrup, old-time music and horse-drawn wagon rides. 608-635-8100.

This area is a hot spot for Wisconsin naturalists. Not far away, you'll find John Muir's childhood home, Aldo Leopold's shack and the International Crane Foundation. For details, see Pilgrimage to the Baraboo Hills.

Last updated on April 20, 2010