Accessible Maple Sugaring Guide

Once again, we've come around to the magical time of year that still feels like winter, but is showing signs of spring. The days are gradually lengthening, the sun is a little brighter, and the sap is already flowing! Break out of the house, take a deep breath of fresh air and visit a state park for a sweet taste of the 2013 season!

Anyone living in eastern Massachusetts can take advantage of these special weekend events offered by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation listed below. For those further away from the Boston area, scroll down to the end of this list.

March 2 - Tapping of the Trees - Middlesex Fells Reservation, Stoneham, 12 noon. Come to the Fells ‘sugar bush’ to tap maple trees at Breakheart Reservation. Meet at the Bothume House visitor center. The visitor center is located at 4 Woodland Road on Spot Pond in Middlesex Fells Reservation. This program is free. For more information please call (781) 233-0834. The Botume House is not wheelchair accessible.

March 2-3 - Maple Sugar Days -  Riverbend Farm, Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, Uxbridge 11am-2pm. Co-sponsored with the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association. Park staff and volunteers take you through the art and science of producing maple syrup. See trees being tapped, participate in gathering sap, and visit the steamy sugar house to watch syrup being made. Tours include both indoor and outdoor elements. Please dress for the weather, wear appropriate footwear for a short walk. Program is free for all ages and open to the public. Reasonable accommodations available upon request. To check on event status, please call River Bend Farm Visitor Center, located at 287 Oak Street, at 508-278-7604. Call to verify that sugarhouse is accessible if you use a wheelchair. Exhibits at Riverbend Farm are wheelchair accessible.

March 9-10 - Maple Sugar Festival - Brookwood Farm, Blue Hills Reservation, Milton, 10am-4pm.  It’s sugarin’ time in the Blue Hills! Join us as we make maple syrup in the traditional way at beautiful Brookwood Farm in Milton. Put on your boots and flannel shirt and join in the outdoor fun! Learn how to identify a sugar maple and see the sap drip into buckets from the trees. Travel along the trail of time and meet costumed characters demonstrating the changes in maple sugaring methods from Native Americans to Yankee farmers to modern day technology. Smell the wood smoke as you watch clouds of steam rise from the bubbling sap. Savor the taste of real maple syrup. Enjoy a free shuttle ride on the Maple Express Trolley. Activities are appropriate for all ages. Program admission is $6 Children under 2 are free. Maple Sugar Days is a joint program of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Massachusetts Audubon’s Trailside Museum. The program admission fee is charged to benefit the Trailside Museum. This program is wheelchair accessible. For details or more information call (617) 698-1802 or (617) 333-0690.

March 16 - Maple Sugaring - Breakheart Reservation, Saugus, 10am-2pm. Learn about the history of maple sugarin’, participate in a tree identification activity, tap a maple, watch the evaporator at work in the Sugar Shack, and best of all taste the results! A $5 admission will support the program, used directly for the equipment you will see in action ($20 per family). Takes place in and near the wheelchair accessible Christopher Dunne Visitor Center at 177 Forest Street. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.


March 17 - Pancake Breakfast - Breakheart Reservation, Saugus, 9am-12noon. Join the Friends of Breakheart Reservation at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center at Breakheart Reservation for their annual Pancake Breakfast. Visitors can eat delicious pancakes and watch DCR staff working in the Sugar Shack to see how syrup is made. There is a $5 admission fee. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

March weekdays - Krug Sugarbush Tours - Chesterfield. Join the Park Staff at the Krug Sugarbush in the eastern Berkshires weekdays during the month of March to see how maple syrup is produced. Visitors will learn first-hand how the sap is collected from maple trees and boiled down to produce pure maple syrup. Operation is based on weather, so please call one day prior to your visit. Advanced group reservations are welcome. For more information please call (413) 268-7098. This site is not wheelchair accessible.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is also offering a listing of sugarhouses where visitors can purchase maple products including maple syrup and maple candy and enjoy open houses and tours. A complete listing can be found by going to the MassGrown & Fresher website Google map and clicking on “maple”. You will need to contact sugar operations directly to find out about accessibility.

Go Get the Sweet Stuff!

DCR Maple Sugaring Programs


Tap into Nature during the Maple Sugar Days at Massachusetts State Parks!

This March, join the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and learn how maple syrup is made. Visitors will learn how the sap is collected from maple trees and boiled down to produce pure maple syrup! See below for a complete listing of programs. For all maple sugaring programs please wear sturdy footwear and warm clothing. Some fees apply as noted.

Regarding accessibility, Breakheart Reservation and Blue Hills Reservation/Brookwood Farm are   accessible sites for wheelchair users, including the visitor centers. At Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, the visitor center is wheelchair accessible and the sugar house (very short distance) varies depending on snow cover. The Botume House at Middlesex Fells is not wheelchair accessible, nor is the Krug Sugarbush. Definitely call in advance to ask about accessibility and mud conditions!!!!


Saturday, March 3rd, noon

Middlesex Fells Reservation, 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham

The Tapping of the Trees!

Come to the Fells ‘sugar bush’ to tap maple trees for the upcoming Maple Sugaring’ event at Breakheart Reservation. Meet at the Botume House Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is located at 4 Woodland Road on Spot Pond. This program is free. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

March 3 and 4th, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, 287 Oak Street, Uxbridge

Maple Sugarmakers Open House!

Join the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association and learn about the maple sugaring process. Please visit www.blackstonevalleysugaring.org for more information or call 508 278-6486.

Saturday, March 17th, 9:00 a.m.-noon

Breakheart Reservation, 177 Forest Street, Saugus

Pancake Breakfast!

Join the Friends of Breakheart Reservation at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center at Breakheart Reservation for their annual Pancake Breakfast. Visitors can eat delicious pancakes and watch DCR staff working in the Sugar Shack to see how syrup is made. There is a $5 admission fee. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

Sunday, March 18th, 10:00 a.m.-2:00p.m.

Breakheart Reservation, 177 Forest Street, Saugus

Maple Sugaring!

Learn about the history of maple sugaring, participate in a tree identification activity, tap a maple, watch the evaporator at work in the Sugar Shack, and best of all taste the results! A $4 admission will support the program, used directly for the equipment you will see in action. For more information please call (781) 233-0834.

Saturday, March 10 & Sunday, March 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Brookwood Farm in the DCR Blue Hills Reservation in Milton

Maple Sugar Days!

It’s sugaring time in the Blue Hills! Join us as we make maple syrup in the traditional way at beautiful Brookwood Farm in Milton. Put on your boots and flannel shirt and join in the outdoor fun! Learn how to identify a sugar maple and see the sap drip into buckets from the trees. Travel along the trail of time and meet costumed characters demonstrating the changes in maple sugaring methods from Native Americans to Yankee farmers to modern day technology. Smell the wood smoke as you watch clouds of steam rise from the bubbling sap. Savor the taste of real maple syrup. Enjoy a free shuttle ride on the Maple Express Trolley. Activities are appropriate for all ages. Program admission is $6.00. Children under 2 are free. Maple Sugar Days is a joint program of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Massachusetts Audubon’s Trailside Museum. The program admission fee is charged to benefit the Trailside Museum. This program is wheelchair accessible. For details or more information call (617) 698-1802 or (617)333-0690

Weekdays during March

Krug Sugarbush, Chesterfield

Maple Sugar Tours!

Join the Park Staff at the Krug Sugarbush weekdays during the month of March to see how maple syrup is produced. Visitors will learn first-hand how the sap is collected from maple trees and boiled down to produce pure maple syrup. Operation is based on weather, so please call one day prior to your visit. Advanced group reservations are welcome. For more information please call (413) 268-7098. (D.A.R. State Forest)

All events, programs and activities are subject to change. Please take a moment to call ahead to confirm and check on accessibility.

Wheelchair Accessible Maple Sugaring!

Tired of winter? Time to jump start spring and get your taste of a New England Tradition! Sample the syrup as it is being made this month at the following locations and events near Boston.

March 12 and 13  10am - 4pm  Maple Sugar Days at the Blue Hill Reservation in Milton, MA - This annual event is wheelchair accessible! Admission is $6 per person, ages 2 and younger are free. Enjoy the smell of sap cooking down, the taste of the latest batch, a free shuttle ride, and activities for all ages at beautiful Brookwood Farm. DCR and Mass Audubon jointly host this highly popular program. Nearby at Trailside Museum, visit outdoor wildlife exhibits. For more information, please call 617-698-1802 or 617-333-0690.

It's Maple Sugar Time! Break out of the house and get a taste!

March is here and the sap is flowing! There is nothing like the taste of warm maple syrup just collected from the evaporator in a "sugar shack"! If cabin fever is getting to you, now is the time to check out our local maple syrup and taste the sweetness of an otherwise often dreary and moody time of year. Learning about the sugaring process through direct experience is lots of fun.

There are maple sugaring events this month at three state parks in Massachusetts near Boston. Access for people with disabilities is generally good in each location, but somewhat dependent upon snow and mud conditions, so I recommend you call the park of interest and get an update.

In Uxbridge at Riverbend Farm (part of Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park), you'll find a completely wheelchair accessible visitor center with heated bathrooms and exhibits on local history, as well as a petite little sugar shack across the street. Even if you can't get into it, you can usually get a good peek in with your tasty sample. The park has been working to make its shack more accessible, so call 508-278-7604 for the latest info. Free Tours will be offered to the general public on a first come-first serve basis during the first three weekends in March, from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm when the last tour starts. Tours last one and a half to 2 hours, with both indoor and outdoor elements. Visit http://www.blackstonevalleysugaring.org/ for more info and click here for directions.

DCR and Mass Audubon are co-hosting Maple Sugar Days March 13 and 14 in the Blue Hills in Milton south of Boston. The event starts at Trailside Museum, where you can see maple trees being tapped, meet costumed characters, and learn about the history of maple sugaring. This event has a $5 admission fee for adults, $3 for kids ages 3-12. A trolley will take sugar enthusiasts over to Brookwood Farm, where the sugaring operation is based and other fun activities will be offered. Trolley rides depart from each location every 15 minutes or so and one trolley is wheelchair accessible. Brookwood Farm is on level terrain. The entire event is billed wheelchair accessible. If you have more specific questions about accommodations for people with disabilities, call (617) 698-1802 or (617) 333-0690.

At Breakheart Reservation in Saugus (north of Boston), you'll find a beautiful accessible visitors center, with sugaring demonstrations and a sugar shack just outside. Public sugar demonstrations will take place March 20 and 21 from 10am to 2pm. Call 781-233-0834 for more info.