The start of maple sugar season is a sweet sign that spring is on the way. Don't miss the fun and tasty tradition of maple sugaring in Cleveland Metroparks on Saturdays and Sundays, March 1 - 2 and 8 - 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Maple Grove Picnic Area in Rocky River Reservation in North Olmsted.
In late February and early March, maple trees in Northeast Ohio are usually ready to be tapped signaling it's time to start making maple syrup. The maple sugaring season kicks off in Cleveland Metroparks, on Saturday, March 1 at 11 a.m. as master ice carver Dave Zajac sculpts a maple leaf out of a huge block of ice, the sugarhouse kicks into high gear and hikes begin through the maple woods of Rocky River Reservation.
Each day, park visitors can join a Cleveland Metroparks naturalist on a free �History of Maple Sugaring� hike along the Sugarbush Trail. Hikes leave the sugarhouse every 20 minutes with the last hike leaving at 3:40 p.m. See how Native Americans and pioneers collected sap and processed it into maple syrup. Hikes conclude with a visit to the sugarhouse to watch sap being boiled into maple syrup. Visitors can sample sweet, delicious maple syrup atop a mini pancake. Maple syrup is not available for purchase, but maple sugar candy is available for sale.
Sap from maple trees can be collected only under specific weather conditions. A succession of freezing nights and warm days make the sap flow. Holes are drilled into the trunks of maple trees and a spout or spile is inserted so the secreted sap can be collected. It can take as much as 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of maple syrup!
Maple Grove Picnic Area is located off Valley Parkway in Rocky River Reservation, between Cedar Point Road and Spafford Road in North Olmsted, south of Rocky River Nature Center.
For more information, call 440-734-6660 or visit clevelandmetroparks.com.
Savor nature's sweet treat of maple sugaring in Cleveland Metroparks - Discover, Enjoy, Protect!
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
SUE ALLEN - 216-635-3338, sja@clevelandmetroparks.com
HOLLY KECK -216-635-3253, hak@clevelandmetroparks.com
