Enjoy maple syrup hikes at Ryerson Woods

It's maple syrup time in Lake County and a chance to learn how sap from the sugar maple tree is turned into maple syrup here in Lake County.

Families and groups can once again watch this process and get a sweet taste of the work as the Lake County Forest Preserve District offers its annual maple syrup hikes starting this weekend.

The one-hour maple syrup hikes are offered Saturdays and Sundays, March 14-29, and run every half-hour from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., at Ryerson Woods Forest Preserve. Hikes are open to all ages. The entrance to Ryerson Woods is on Riverwoods Road, south of Half Day Road and west of the Tri-State Tollway, in Riverwoods.

Attracting 2,000 to 3,000 visitors during the nearly monthlong event, the hikes events are popular attractions, said Jennifer Berlinghof, environmental educator. The forest preserve district has offered the program since 1977 and it has become a program people remember and like to join.

"We've all been trapped inside for the winter and it's the first spring program we're doing," Berlinghof said. "It's a chance to get outside and to learn about something scientific, but also the cultural heritage of our area. It's a unique thing to be able to make maple syrup."

Ryerson Woods is one of the few local areas where climate conditions are right for maple syrup production, and where trees grow to a diameter and height that allows for tapping. Syrup production happens only in late winter and early spring.

Maple syrup hikes begin indoors, where visitors get to understand what happens through each season that allows the sap to run inside the tree in the spring after it has been stored in the roots all winter, Berlinghof said. Visitors also get to taste and compare the taste of sap and syrup.

Once outside, the group will visit the sugar bush, an area featuring many sugar maple trees, the tree that has the sweetest sap. Visitors get to visit the drilling site, learn to use some of the equipment to obtain the sap and see what has been collected.

The final part of the process is watching how the sap becomes maple syrup. When collected, the sap is 98 percent water and 2 percent sugar, Berlinghof explained. That means it has to be boiled down in a large evaporator, and visitors get to see how much sap is needed to make one gallon of syrup.

"We want them to understand what is happening inside the tree and the science behind how the sap turns into the syrup. The process is simple but very special at the same time," she said.

Registration is required, and the cost is $6 per person. To register, call (847) 968-3321 or visit the website, www.lcfpd.org.

There also are sessions available that are designed for large parties or Scout groups. Call the forest preserve to inquire about openings.