Maple Syrup Festival Preview

Park/ Festival Entrance

Be sure to use this entrance into the park! 1219 Burloak Drive, Oakville. Or search for Bronte Creek Provincial Park DAY-USE area.If you happen to find yourself at our campground entrance off Bronte Road you'll have to get back onto the QEW and travel toward Hamilton one more exit to Burloak Drive.Acknowledgement of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First NationWe acknowledge the the area we now call Bronte Creek Provincial Park is within the bounds of the Head of the Lake Treaty #14, and 12-mile Creek Treaty #22, agreed upon by the Mississaugas of the Credit and the British Crown in 1806 and 1820 respectively. We acknowledge that this area has been inhabited by indigenous peoples from the beginning, as this is also the traditional territory of the anishinabewaki and the Haudenosunee.As stewards of the natural and cultural history of Bronte Creek, we have the responsibility to honour and respect the four directions, land, waters, plants, animals and the ancestors that walked before us. As settlers, we are grateful for the opportunity to visit the park and would like to thank the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for sharing their territory with us.

Payment Booths

Please have payment or permit ready.You can buy your daily vehicle permit online the morning of your planned visit. BUY your Daily Vehicle permit!These online permits can only be purchased the morning of your trip.You will need an Ontario Parks account.Click Day-Use tab, pay and display parking, Bronte Creek and date. Follow on screen directions to submit information and payment. When you get to the booths STOP - show gate staff your permit (phone). They will provide you with a park map and festival brochure.If you do not obtain a permit park warden will check license plates and fine those people who have entered the park illegally.

Walkway to Playbarn

We highly recommend going to the playbarn AFTER you visit the festival.You will need 2-3 hours to see and do the activities at the festival PLUS there are kids games, musical shows and hands on activities.The festival finishes at 3pm and the playbarn is open until 4pm.The playbarn is for kids 10 years of age and younger.

Leash Free Trail

Dog owners will enjoy using this area to exercise their pets leash free.Dog owners must comply with rules and clean up after their pet (disposing of poop bags in waste bins provided).Dogs who are aggressive or do not have good recall should not use this area.

Access to Parking lot D (pancake house)

You have the option of parking in lot D and going to the pancake house without riding the wagon ride shuttle.Pancake hour 9:30-3:00.

Walkway to the Welcome Centre

Festival Greeters

Be sure to stop to talk with our festival greeters. They will be able to explain where things are located and what things you should see and do first.They will explain the Park Ranger Card challenge that will have you searching for clues to earn an official park ranger card.More Festival Information

Welcome Centre - wagon line up

Please line up and wait inside the welcome centre for the next tractor drawn wagon that will shuttle groups to (and from) the Pancake House.It is about a 10 minute wagon ride.Dogs are not permitted on the wagons. Stroller must be collapsed (no child riding in the stroller).Just wanting a wagon ride? IF it is a busy day you will be asked to unload at the pancake house and line back up with those visitors who have been waiting.

Maple Lane Tours

Guided tours depart from this location approximately every 15 minutes. Please wait for the next tour here.Alternatively, visitors can walk along the path and read interpretive panels by each stop.Be mindful of icy sections or mud.Stay on the outside of the fences found at each point of interest.Along Maple Lane you will see demonstration sites that show the different methods used by inhabitants within the Maple Sugar tree range spanning approx 1000+ years. Maple Syrup/ Sugar making has always been about using the technology/ equipment available, as new technology became available most syrup producers adopted those methods. After completing the trail you should have a greater appreciation for the work it takes to produce this much cherish resource.Honouring Land and KnowledgeWe acknowledge that this area has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning, having a rich history and modern traditions of many First Nations and Metis. We would like to acknowledge and thank the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for sharing their treaty lands and territory with us.Bronte Creek Provincial Park is located within the bounds of the Head of the Lake Treaty #14 and the 12-mile Treaty #22, agreed upon by the Mississaugas of the Credit and the British crown in 1806 and 1820 respectively.We acknowledge that the creation of maple syrup was learned from Anishinaabe people who call this land home. Ziigwan, as early spring is known in Anishinaabemowin, is a celebratory time of gratitude that aligns with the maple sap collection season.Please join us as we continue to learn, respect, and appreciate; the seasons, nature, and humans.Miigwech

What so special about Maple Trees?

All trees produce sap; so can we use any tree to make maple syrup?The Sugar Maple tree is the best maple to use because the sap from the sugar maple is the sweetest (has the highest sugar content) of all the trees. Syrup can also be produced from other trees like birch but that would be birch syrup not maple syrup.Tree leaves produce food (sugar) during the spring and summer through a process called photosynthesis. In the fall trees lose their leaves and the food gets stored in the roots over the winter when the trees are dormant. In the early spring this food is transported in watery sap from the roots up the trunk to the twigs and buds in order to produce new leaves. This is when sap is at its sweetest and right for syrup production.Sap starts to flow when the temperature is above freezing during the day and below freezing at night.Once the buds open the sap turns “buddy” or bitter and is no longer good for syrup. Maple Sap collection is a short season lasting only a few weeks.

Tap the tree demonstration

Now we know what sap is and how it is used, but how do we get it for ourselves?Tapping a tree does no permanent damage to the maple tree if done properly. A properly managed sugar bush can sustain production for hundreds of years. One of the most important considerations to ensure the tree is not harmed is making sure it is old enough (about 40 years old) to afford losing sap.How do we know if a tree is old enough to tap?It’s not how tall the tree is but how wide the tree is. The tree has to be at least 25 cm (10”) for one spile and bucket. Early settlers did not have battery powered drills so they would use a brace and bit. The hole does not need to be very deep. Drill just past the bark, no more than 3 inches on a slightly upward angle. The hole should be on an upward angle to help the sap drip down the spile.Once we have a hole drilled the spile should be tapped in with a hammer. Hammer until it is snug.Next a bucket is hung on the hook. Now you have completed tapping the tree!Each bucket must be checked several times a day.Each tap can fill one bucket each day when the weather is right.At the end of the season the spile is removed and the tree will naturally heal the hole. A spile remover is used to pry the spile out.

Maple with sap bucket

Have a look in this sap bucket.If it is freezing cold out there might not be anything in the bucket because it has not been warm enough to have the sap start to flow or run.If is has been sunny and slightly above freezing then you should see some sap in the bucket. Sap looks like water, but it is really sap from the tree…it is mostly water with a little bit of sugar.It takes 40 litres of sap to produce one litre of syrup. 40:1 ratioEach tap can produce 30 to 40 litres of sap per season, or around 1 litre of syrup.This is worth repeating. The Maple Sap season last only a few weeks and one tap can produce 40L of sap which turns into 1L of syrup.

First Nations Sap cooking method

People who have made the area of Bronte Creek Provincial Park and most of southern Ontario home have been producing Maple Syrup for hundreds if not thousands of years. The First Nations were the first to learn of the maple trees sweet sap and european settlers learned from them. Technology may have helped to make the collection and cooking methods more efficient but as you will see the process is the same.When the Europeans settled in Eastern Canada around 400 years ago, they discovered that the First Nations were making an unrefined, dark sugar from the sap of the maple trees. Our recorded knowledge of maple syrup production starts at this time, although production started much earlier, an exact date has not been determined.A slanted groove was cut into the tree and a shingle or spout was placed in the groove helping to direct the sap into birch bark vessels located at the base of the tree. The sap would then be poured into a hollowed-out log, clay pot or animal skin-lined vessel.The sap then had to be boiled. One method used was by heating rocks in a fire then placing the hot rocks into the sap to evaporate the water. The First Nations are credited with making the first maple syrup/sugar.

3 kettle method

When European explorers arrived on this continent the First Nations were already managing maple groves and producing sugar and syrup. Pioneers learned about sap collection and syrup production from the First Nation and eventually made use of tools they were familiar with. Augers to bore holes in trees and carved wooden spiles and wooden sap buckets. The sap would be boiled in cast iron kettles over a large open fire. Having one large kettle over the hot fire was an improvement. Why do you think 3 kettles were eventually used?What are the drawbacks of difficulties with this method?

Flat Pan Method

By the early 1900’s large flat-bottomed pans made out of thin rolled steel were being used. This increased the surface area that was in contact with the fire; thus, allowing evaporation to occur more quickly.Further improvements: the fire is now contained by the rocks and a smoke stack to carry smoke away from faces and the product. This method was much safer for the syrup makers. With the enclosed fire they could get closer to the product without having to worry that their clothing may catch on fire.Next improvement:A shack would be built to enclose the area. Keeping the area around the pan warm would speed up the evaporation process. The shack also provided a place for cooks to sleep when cooking around the clock.

Modern Evaporator

Modern evaporators use a similar flat pan technology (flue pan) with the addition of short walls of metal extend up into the sap creating a maze of channels that would conducted heat from the bottom increasing the surface area allowing the sap to be heated even faster.From placing hot rocks in the sap to a round kettle over a fire and then a flat pan and flue pan the process is the same we have just made improvements to be more efficient.

Candy Shanty

First Nation people and early settlers would turn their syrup into sugar to store it. They would then ration it throughout the year. This was a great option for food and a good source of energy during times when there wasn’t as much food. First Nations called sugaring off time “maple moon” or “sugar moon”. Maple sugar was the first kind of sugar produced in North America. It was the standard sweetener in Canada until approximately 1880 when white sugar become cheaper than maple sugar.The early settlers would have sugaring off parties to turn their syrup into sugar. Imported refined sugar was unavailable or very expensive. Watch as a fresh batch of sugar is made. There's only one ingredient Maple Syrup.Buy one leaf or buy a dozen!

Maple Gift Shop

Browse and shop everything maple! Maple spread, jelly, chocolates and cookies. If it have maple in it ...we likely have it.Maple scented candles. Maple popcorn and Maple almonds. There are home decor items, kids toys and snacks to share on the ride home.We accept visa, mastercard, cash and debit (we have tap). Bring your own re-useable shopping bag!

Family Activity Centre

Old time toys and games that use gravity, string and a bit of inginuity.Kids of all ages will have fun with these flipping, rolling and tossing games - and not a battery or plug in sight!This is also the same location for the Musical Show.

Farm animals

Cattle supplied both milk and meat to families like the Breckons who first farmed this area from 1870's - 1950's.Henry Breckon was a prosperous fruit farmer known for his strawberries and apples. He also kept 10 head of cattle and few head of sheep.Believe it or not, ice cream began to be a dietary staple around the turn of the last century!

Farm Animals

Have a peek inside or look around back in the outdoor runs you may find animals including cows, goats, or maybe a pig!Kids will love seeing these farm animals up close. It's like their storybook have come to life!We have the farm animals on site as part of our Discovery Program. Visitors can learn about life on a Victorian era farm for instance - sheep are very important for an early settler. Can you guess why?Visit Spring Time on the Farm event on the May long weekend to find out!

Empty coop - due to Avian Flu

A new strain of avian influenza has been identified in wild and domestic birds in Canada.It is important to avoid any interactions with wild and domestic birds when visiting our park.Our poultry barns and outside runs have been closed in accordance with Canadian Food Inspection Agency direction.Please report sick, injured, or dead wildlife you encounter during your visit.For More Information

Story Trail - John's Sugar Bush

Walk along trail # 5 and follow the story cards to discovery how John helped his family during Maple Syrup time.Books are for sale with proceeds going to the Friends of Bronte Creek Park.

Maple Taffy

Maple taffy would have been made traditionally at the end of the maple season. It was a sweet treat for the children who would have helped all season long. The sap needs to be boiled just a bit longer than if you were making syrup. (To the soft ball candy stage) The boiling hot sticky syrup is then poured onto snow or in our case ice. The rapid cooling makes it form into a taffy / toffee or caramel.

Spruce Lane Farm House

Visiting Spruce Lane Farmhouse is like taking a step back in time. Beautifully restored, the Farmhouse offers visitors a glimpse into the life of a local fruit farmer at the turn of the century. While the house is fully furnished and decorated in the late Victorian style, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff and volunteers bring history to life through a wide variety of demonstrations and hands-on activities at different times in the year. Original barns and a variety of animals in the farmyard means the adventure continues outside as well.During the Hands-On Heritage summer programs visitors get to participate in interactive heritage skills such as spinning, jam making, weaving and typical Victorian games, not to mention helping to care for the various farmyard animals in the popular Farm Hand programs. Spruce Lane Farmhouse also hosts several special events throughout the year such as the lavishly decorated Victorian Christmas Festival, the sweet Maple Syrup Festival in March and visitor-favourite Ghost Walks in August. Check the events calendar for more information about family-friendly heritage programs.

Pony Rides

An attraction brought to you by the Friends of Bronte Creek Park. Proceeds help support project right here in the park.Hours of operation during the festival days 10:30am -3:00pm weathter permitting.

Maple Express shop

New for 2023 we have added maple express shopping.If you just need to pick up maple syrup you can get your bottles and jugs here. Visit the Maple Gift Shop if you wish to buy other maple gift items.

Public Washrooms

For your convenience please use these washrooms or the ones located near the pancake house.Both the Male and Female washrooms are equipped with a handicapped washroom stall and infant change table.

Walkway to Pancake House

If you drive to parking lot D please use this pathway that will lead you to the pancake house (or park store).If you are just starting your festival experience you do not need to come back to your vehicle to access the main festival area. You can take the wagon ride shuttle but just remember to be on the return wagon ride before 2:45pm.

Pathway to Pancake House entrance

Please walk up the paved ramp to the right side of the building to access the entrance or line up area.

entrance to pancake house

Please enter here to order your pancake meals. If possible have one person from your group order and gather the food items while other adults in your group find a place to sit in the outdoor courtyard or indoor eating areas located to the right of the this door/ building.We accept cash, visa, mastercard and debit. We have tap.Meals are prepared "Family Style" and carried on plastic trays by you to your group. You can then serve the food items to your group.

indoor eating area

Families can choose to eat indoors.Please clear your table when finished. Recycling and garbage bins labelled.

Outdoor eating courtyard

On warmer days sitting outside enjoying the sunshine a pancake meal is the best.Alternatively there is a small area for indoor dinning.Please clear your table ready for the next family. You will find recycling and garbage bins and areas to return trays.

washrooms

For your convenience please find washroom facilities here at the pancake house area as well as the Main Festival area.

wagon ride line up area

Now that you are all full of yummy pancakes and syrup you can hop on to the tractor drawn wagon that will shuttle you to the main festival area. Please wait in line and only proceed to board a wagon when park staff direct you to do so.Parents please keep kids behind the chain away from the area where the tractor will drive.The wagon rides are free.

Red Tractor

One of 2 red tractors you might find in the park. Everyone will enjoy climbing onto the seat and driving the tractor. Makes for a great family photo.