Maple Syrup Programs On Tap in Lake County

Educators and volunteers at the Lake County Forest Preserves will lead popular Maple Syrup Hikes through the Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods Saturdays and Sundays every half-hour from noon to 2 p.m. from March 5 through 20. Families, school groups and scout troops learn about the process of converting sap from the preserve’s towering sugar maple trees into sweet syrup.

Director of Education Nan Buckardt says, “We are looking forward to offering both in-person and virtual programs this spring. This year all public program hikes will be held entirely outdoors.”

Changing temperatures and increases in daylight hours cause the sap to surge upward from the roots toward the branches, where it helps the leaves grow and the buds bloom. Then in the summer, the leaves will produce more sap, which will settle back down in the roots next winter. All registered participants can have a taste.

Cost: $6/person. Children 3 and under, free. For more information, call 847-968-3321. Register at lcfpd.org/calendar/?F_c=8.