Three Ways to Celebrate Maple Syrup
Maple syrup season is a great time to get outside and have some fun! Explore nature, learn about maple syrup and sample the iconic Canadian treat at our conservation areas.
We have three events to choose from at Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville and Terra Cotta Conservation Area in Halton Hills from March 11 to April 2.
Dates vary by location. Reservations are required.
Terra Cotta Conservation Area
Tap into the sweet taste of spring and enjoy pancakes with real maple syrup, taste maple taffy and take home maple sweets and treats, available for purchase from our Park Store!
Tour maple syrup demonstrations, take a walk through Tales on the Trail, learn from Indigenous partners and more!
This is a family-friendly event. Reservations are required.
Event dates:
March 11 to 19, 25 and 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Daily Programming:
- Interpretive tour: Sweetwater Discovery, Settled into Spring, The Tool Shoppe, The Sugar Shack and Changing Seasons
- Scavenger hunt
- Family activities
- Tales on the Trail
- Taffy (additional cost)
- Pancake House (additional cost)
Special Programming:
- Blacksmith demonstration, March 13 to 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Indigenous Teaching:
- Opening ceremony with Elder Gary Sault, March 11 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, March 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation is part of the Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) Nation and is a thriving and vibrant community, bursting with people reaching for their roots as well as the future as they prepare to teach the next 7 generations its history and culture. mncfn.ca/
- Grandmother’s Voice, March 18, 19, 25 and 26 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Grandmother’s Voice is an Indigenous Women-Lead organization unifying Indigenous voices while welcoming all people from the four directions. The universal wisdom of Grandmothers Voices has been the heart and healing of communities since creation. grandmothersvoice.com
Admission:
Children under 6 are free
Youth (6 to 14) $6.50 plus HST
Adults (15 to 64) $12 plus HST
Senior (over 65) $8 plus HST
Credit Valley Parks Passholders are free
Conservation Rewards:
Bring your own dishes for your maple syrup meal and enjoy a five per cent reward for your conservation efforts. The reward discount will be applied on site when purchasing a meal.
Enjoy an interpretive wagon ride through the forest to an illuminated sugarbush. Conversation, good company, a campfire, maple themed food samplers and your choice of one signature maple themed mocktail or cocktail served in a souvenir glass to follow.
Learn about maple syrup production throughout history, sample warm maple syrup, taste maple taffy and learn how to tap a tree.
Advanced reservations required as space is limited. This event is for visitors 19 years of age and older.
Event dates:
April 14 and 15
Tour times:
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost:
$65
Do you want to learn how maple syrup is made? Join us for an intimate, hands-on experience in the Sugar Shack. Learn how to tap trees, collect sap and use an evaporator to produce and bottle maple syrup. Take home a bottle of liquid gold.
Advanced reservations required. This experience is for visitors 18 years of age or older.
Event dates:
April 1 and 2
Tour times:
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost:
$40
Terra Cotta Conservation Area Gallery








Island Lake Conservation Area
Tap into the sweet taste of spring and enjoy pancakes with real maple syrup, taste maple taffy and take home maple sweets and treats, available for purchase at the Maple Shop!
Tour maple syrup demonstrations, take a walk through Tales on the Trail, learn from Indigenous partners, and more!
This is a family-friendly event. Reservations are required.
Event dates:
March 16 to 19, 25 and 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Daily Programming:
- Interpretive tour: Tree Tapping and Measuring, Signs of Spring, Sweetwater Discovery, Settled into Spring, Changing Seasons and the Sugar Shack
- Scavenger hunt
- Family activities
- Tales on the Trail
- Taffy (additional cost)
- Pancake House (additional cost)
Special Programming:
- Storytime with Orangeville Public Library, March 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Indigenous Teaching:
- Opening ceremony with Elder Gary Sault, March 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Moccasin Identifier Project, March 18 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.The Moccasin Identifier Project has been developed by Carolyn King in partnership with Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and the Ontario Green Belt, to promote public awareness of significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Metis and Indigenous Communities. moccasinidentifier.com/
- Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, March 26 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation is part of the Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) Nation and is a thriving and vibrant community, bursting with people reaching for their roots as well as the future as they prepare to teach the next 7 generations its history and culture. mncfn.ca/
Admission:
- Children under 6 are free
- Youth (6 to 14) $6.50 plus HST
- Adults (15 to 64) $12 plus HST
- Senior (over 65) $8 plus HST
- Credit Valley Parks Passholders are free
Conservation Rewards:
Bring your own dishes for your maple syrup meal and enjoy a five per cent reward for your conservation efforts. The reward discount will be applied on site when purchasing a meal.
Come after hours and enjoy an evening tour guided by lamplight through the story of the maple sugarbush. End the tour outside the Sugar Shack where you can warm up and sample some maple goodness.
Your reservation includes a one-hour Maple Discovery Tour in the sugarbush where you will learn how maple syrup was made throughout history.
After the tour, enjoy a campfire, taste maple taffy and maple themed food samplers. Your choice of one signature maple themed mocktail or cocktail served in a souvenir glass. Additional drinks are available for a fee.
Don’t forget to visit the Maple Shop before you leave.
Advanced reservations required as space is limited. This event is for visitors 19 years of age and older.
Event Dates:
April 14 and 15
Tour times:
8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Cost:
$65
Island Lake Conservation Area Gallery







