Maple Syrup in the Park
Join us at our Annual Maple Syrup Festival
March 13 to 16, 22 and 23
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Experience the Canadian tradition of maple syrup production through interactive demonstrations and kids activities at Terra Cotta Conservation Area. Explore the outdoors as you take a wagon ride to the sugarbush. End your visit with a pancake breakfast with real maple syrup and a treat from the Park Store.
Things to Do
Maple Syrup in the Park offers daily family activities including:
- Sweetwater Discovery: Learn about possible ways that Indigenous Peoples may have made syrup and sugar from maple sap
- Settled into Spring: Watch historical demonstrations of how settlers created maple syrup
- The Tool Shoppe: Don’t miss this interactive demonstration of both traditional and modern tools used for making maple syrup.
- New! The Maple Hills Sugarbush: Explore the sugarbush and watch how sap is collected.
- The Sugar Shack: See we how maple syrup is made using modern techniques
- Fireside Chats: See a traditional sweat lodge (Madoodiswan) and learn how Indigenous peoples honor Mother Earth’s sacred connection to healing. Listen to traditional helpers (Oshkabewis) while a fire keeper shares stories and songs that reflect our responsibilities to the land.
- New! Solve the Maple Mystery Challenge of which of Terra Cotta’s woodland animals has been sipping all the sap in the sugarbush
- New! Enjoy a wagon ride to the sugarbush to see how sap is collected from sugar maple trees
- Go on a maple-themed storybook walk along the Wetland Trail
- Play in the Family Activities Area with giant games
- New! Make maple memories at the Photobooth and Selfie Station
- New! Get creative with the Maple Mural Colouring Activity
- New! Face painting for all ages
Ancestral Storytelling with Traditional Grandmother Kim Wheatley
Sunday, March 23
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Please join traditional Grandmother Kim Wheatley for ancestral storytelling at the outdoor Amphitheatre. Explore traditional Anishinaabe teachings through stories that are shared during this seasonal cycle of Maple Syrup harvesting.
Food Options
Enhance your experience by adding tasty treats and food items to your visit including:
- Try warm maple taffy
- Fill up at the Pancake House offering a selection of pancakes with real maple syrup and maple-themed items
- Buy maple syrup and maple products at the Park Store to try at home
See the catering menu for the Pancake House.
Food items are not included in the ticket price.
Sponsored by:
Photo Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
We encourage you to buy your tickets in advance as it guarantees entry, particularly during March break.
Walk-ins are accepted as capacity allows.
Online: Pick your date/time, then click login at the top right of the booking page to create or login to your Credit Valley Parks account. Buy your tickets online.
By Phone: Call 1-800-367-0890, press 0, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily.
In Person: At the Terra Cotta Conservation Gatehouse upon arrival between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Last admitted time is 3:30 p.m.
Most visitors spend up to three hours at Maple Syrup in the Park. Peak times for Maple Syrup in the Park are between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We recommend arriving earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.
We encourage you to arrive before 3:30 p.m. The Pancake House stops orders at 4:30 p.m. and closes at 5 p.m.
This is an outdoor event. Dress for the weather. Hats, mitts and warm coats are recommended on cold days. Expect wet or muddy areas in some areas of the park.
For the latest updates on conditions in the park, visit our Park Advisories.
Maple Syrup in the Park pricing is in effect during the event for all visitors to Terra Cotta Conservation Area.
Equipment rentals and winter activities will not be available.
Log into the account from which you purchased your Credit Valley Parks Pass. On the checkout page you will be able to enter the promo code you were emailed on February 7, 2025.
If you have recently purchased your pass online, staff will have emailed you a code within 24 hours of your purchase. if you purchased in-person, staff will have provided you with a code at that time.
Please call 1-800-367-0890, press ‘0’ if you need any assistance.
Conservation Parks memberships sold through Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, or any other type of park membership do not quality for this discount.
Redeem your discount by calling 1-800-367-0890, press 0. You must bring the card and present it to staff upon arrival. Tickets through the library program are not available online.
Walk-ins must bring the card to receive the 15 per cent discount, as capacity allows.
Credit Valley Parks Passes are available at libraries in the Credit Valley Watershed. Learn more about the Credit Valley Parks Pass program.
Please refrain from taking photos of the sacred fire.
Yes, dogs are permitted during Maple Syrup in the Park. However, they may not enter the Pancake House or Sugar Shack.
Dogs must be a leash six feet or less. Please pick up after your pet.
Yes, you are welcome to bring a group to Maple Syrup in the Park. We encourage you to purchase tickets in advance. Group discounts are not available. Please call ahead if your group will require drop-offs, have payment questions or you will be bringing a bus or large vans.
There will not be maple syrup events at Island Lake Conservation Area in 2025.
We invite everyone who has visited our maple syrup events at Island Lake in the past to visit us Maple Syrup in the Park at Terra Cotta Conservation Area, about a 30-minute drive from Orangeville.
Adult and youth tickets are available. Admission fees for persons with disabilities apply to an individual, with a disability. No documentation is required. Purchase online or request this option from staff upon arrival. One support worker can accompany the individual at no charge where necessary.
Read general frequently asked questions about visiting our parks.