Maple Syrup Hikes offered at Ryerson Conservation Area

Register now for Maple Syrup Hikes and see how sap from sugar maple trees becomes sweet maple syrup.

Hikes are offered Saturdays and Sundays, March 5-20, at Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods. Led by Lake County Forest Preserve nature educators, these one-hour hikes run every half-hour from noon to 2 p.m. and are open to all ages.

Participants hike into the woods to view the sap collection in progress and then head over to the evaporator to learn how the sap becomes syrup. Everyone on the tour gets a taste of the final product.

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

Registration for Maple Syrup Hikes is required. Space is limited. Cost is $6 per person; free for kids younger than 3. Register online at www.LCFPD.org or call (847) 968-3321. Special sessions designed for Scout troops or other large groups are also available; to register a group, call (847) 968-3321.

Ryerson Woods is on Riverwoods Road, between Half Day Road and Deerfield Road, just west of the Interstate 94 Tollway.

For more information on this or other Lake County Forest Preserve programs, view the online calendar at www.LCFPD.org or call (847) 367-6640 and request a free copy of the Horizons quarterly newsletter.