Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival at Kortright Centre for Conservation

Great place to go to learn about how maple syrup is made. Delicious pancakes served for reasonable cost. Save on parking by buying tickets online.

Enjoyed the stations to learn how maple syrup is made. Not the best activity to take a toddler to - not engaging for them.

A really good place to bring kids. They have a gift shop for buying maple syrup goodies and they have a canteen that serves coffee and pancakes. The tour is self-guided with very informational demonstrations at key locations in the trail. Expect to spend 30-60 minutes. It seems to be really popular during the spring break. Make sure to check available dates before coming. Recommend buying tickets only to avoid paying for parking.

The wife took us to the sugarbush last week and I have to say, the 2019 festival was a little better than the 2022. To start out, there were two girls at the front gate, one of them wearing pyjama /sweatpants and no Kortright clothes- seemed very uninterested in us when she waved us through to the other girl, I don't even know if she worked there or if she was just helping her friend. Then we have the girl who talked a little too fast. She was very friendly and knowledgable- happy to help us. However, my wife thought we pre paid the $5 parking fee, but the lady said it wasn't, so she said she would "charge the card on file", not sure which file she's talking about because its been a few days and still no charges- lucky me! The signage could use a little work, we were given a very basic map but some extra staff would be helpful. We started by waiting in a long lineup for pancakes- which were delicious by the way. While waiting for our food, my wife spent a fortune in their General Store, where the lady in charge told us a little about the syrup sold in the gift shop. She was very informative and handled the crowd of people very well. We were disappointed to hear no horse and carriage this year. My wife loved the horses who are actors on the TV show "Murdoch Mysteries". Sugar shop staff seemed busy. Wife already spent all of our money at the gift shop though so we just passed by. Steep hill to the demonstrations, feels even more steep going back up- hold the stroller tight. We enjoyed seeing how maple syrup is made modern times vs how it was made back in pioneer times. My kids are a little too young for it but my wife and I enjoyed it. A little stingy on the samples. I like to ask silly questions and most of the staff were awesome. Also be aware that the syrup in the general store is not the syrup from the sugarbush- but you can sample it while there. We did not bring our dog this time, but good to note they are dog friendly but no dogs in the visitor centre. Overall, it was a nice half day activity. We will definitely come again.

We came here the last weekend of the Maple Festival and it was much better experience as it was not as cold. You follow a path with different signs giving you facts on maple trees and the production of the sap. The path leads you to different demonstrations. The first one was how native tribes made the syrup, then the farmers back in the 1900s and then how they currently make it. It was very informative and the demonstrations were a nice added touch. A highlight for us was the maple products you could purchase at the end. We ordered a great maple squash soup, pancakes and maple poutine. Shout out to the caterers! We also got some maple candy to go.

Visited last weekend with my friend, niece, and nephew. This was a fun-filled day for kids and adults! The demonstrations were fun and informative.The grounds easy to walk with small kids & fun for them to safely explore.

The Sugarbush maple fest is a one of a kind experience. It is a great activity for all ages, kids, teens, adults and seniors alike. The visitor center has a nice cafetaria that serves a variety of pancakes, hot and cool drinks. The prices are very good. The gift shop has some really nice things. The prices are a bit on the higher side but for few things its really worth it. The quality is great. Maple syrup demonstrations on the maple trail are quite an experience. It is interesting to see and know how much work goes in making maple syrup. The staff is quite knowledgable and answers the questions asked by visitors quite well. It is a great half a day outing. There are picnic areas for taking a break. Ample parking spots are there. Needless to say, wear comfortable boots. Rubber boots are recommended because the rains and/or melted snow makes the trail slushy.

We made it on the last day of the maple syrup festival at the Kortright Centre on Sunday, April 10, 2022. We made a great time! There were tree and maple syrup facts posted on the trees that were easy and fun to read. The trail was nice (wear comfy shoes!) and there were stations with people talking about the history and the process of making maple syrup. Along the trail were buckets that you can check to see where the syrup comes out but because we were at the end of the season, we only found a little bit in a few buckets. We followed the maple syrup trail and the length it is was perfect for us. At the end, there's a play area for the kids to enjoy. There's a shop where you can buy all things maple (the lollipops are a hit!) and kitchen to order pancakes as well. We really enjoyed our time here!