3/13/2010 @ 11:00

3/13/2010

Postal code 44139, US
Solon, OH 44139

We're going to shake things up. Let's go on a hike and learn how maple sugar is made. Afterward we can go grab a bite to eat at Sweet Melissa's in Rocky River. Approximately half way through the winter season, OhioÂÂ's maple trees are typically ready to be tapped for maple sap, including the maple trees in Maple Grove Picnic Area in Rocky River Reservation. On weekends, visitors can walk through time along the Sugarbush Trail from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to see the sap-collecting methods and syrup-making processes used by Native Americans, pioneers and modern sugar farmers. The ÂÂ"History of Maple SugaringÂÂ" hikes will lead to the Sugarhouse, where guests can watch sap being boiled into delicious, 100-percent pure maple syrup. Guided public hikes leave the Sugarhouse every 20 minutes (the last hikes leaves at 3:40 p.m.). Northeast Ohio is a major commercial producer of maple sugar due to its prime weather conditions. Most commercial sugaring operations collect sap through interconnected plastic tubing attached to the maple trees, and the maple-sugaring season typically lasts four to six weeks. Schools and groups can be accommodated for the ÂÂ"History of Maple SugaringÂÂ" programs during weekdays by appointment only. Maple Grove Picnic Area is located off Valley Parkway in Rocky River Reservation, between Cedar Point Road and Spafford Road in Brook Park. For more information, call [masked].