Maple Madness 2026
Registration is required.
March means maple syrup at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area. Take a tractor drawn wagon ride to our sugar bush and learn how maple syrup is made in the olden days and how we make it today. Take a stroll through our interpretive trail and be sure to stop by the sugar shack for freshly made pancakes with warm maple syrup.
Dates: All weekends in March and the March Break - starting Saturday March 07
Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Entry closed at 2:30 pm as you need 1.5 hours for your visit.
Location: Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area.
Cost: $3.75 for children, $5.25 for adults, maximum fee of $18 per family (vehicle), $3.75 for military members, $0 for annual pass holders.
Online Registration Required
Online registration is required to visit Maple Madness. Please use the button at the bottom of this page to register. There is no fee to register and you will pay the entrance fee at the gatehouse when you arrive on your selected day.
If you need to cancel your registration please email odc@crca.ca. If you would like to change your registration please use the booking link to pick a new date and email odc@crca.ca and let us know the date you would like to cancel. It is up to you to register for a new date.
We are a very small team that runs Maple Madness and we see on average 13,000 visitors during the program. It make take a a bit longer to respond to your emails. Thank you for your understanding.
Activities
- Self-guided sugar bush tour. Visit our interpretive stations where staff, students, and community volunteers will teach you about the process of making maple syrup (closes at 3:30).
- Wagon rides to the sugar bush: first wagon in the morning leaves the Outdoor Centre at 9:00 am. Wagons run approx. ever 20 minutes between the Outdoor Centre at the Sugar Bush. Entry to Maple Madness closes at 2:30, at this time we do not accept new visitors to the sugar bush to make sure you have enough time to do activities and get pancakes. The last wagon to leave from the sugar bush and going back to the Outdoor Centre is 4:00 pm at closing time.
- Sugar shack (pancakes & drinks) and maple shop (syrup & candy), see prices on tab below.
- Face painting at the Outdoor Centre by donation. Supports the Not So Amateur Amateurs: Kingston Young People's Non-Profit Theatre Company.
- Maple themed crafts, activities, and displays from Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in the Outdoor Centre.
Take part in our Maple Madness photo contest and you could win a maple syrup prize package. Contest opens March 07 at 9:00 am and closes March 30 at 6:00 pm.
Check out our photo op stations in the sugar bush and on the front lawn of the Outdoor Centre.
Vote for your favourite photos!
Enter our maple recipe contest and win two free pancakes.
Visit the link below and upload your favourite recipe using maple syrup. Each week leading up to and during Maple Madness we will pick one recipe to feature on our website and on social media. If your recipe is featured you will win a voucher for two free pancakes.
Winners will be selected on Friday mornings at 9:00 am on the following dates:
- February 27
- March 07
- March 13
- March 20
- March 27
- Download our plan your day guide.
- Maple Madness runs rain or shine except in adverse weather conditions like a snow storm, freezing rain event, or very high winds. If you are unsure please check the website or call 613-546-4228 ext. 222.
- Dogs are welcome at Maple Madness and they must be on a leash at all times while in the Conservation Area.
- Please do not walk on the road by the warming huts (causeway). It is very narrow and for tractors only. Please access the walking trails at the back of the Outdoor Centre. When a wagon approaches on the road please step to the side and let it pass.
Maple Shop & Food Prices
Prices include tax.
Sugar Bush:
- Single pancake with maple syrup - $2.50
- Double stack of pancakes with maple syrup - $5.00
- Triple stack of pancakes with maple syrup - $7.50
- Coffee & Tea - $2.25
- Water, juice, pop, ice tea - $2.25
- Chocolate milk - $2.00
- Maple lollipop - $3.00
- Maple candy, 3 pack - $3.25
Pancake ingredients: wheat flour, corn flour, rice flour, dextrose, monocalcium phosphate, milk powder, baking soda, sea salt, artificial vanilla. We do not have gluten free or vegan options, you can bring your own pancakes and we will add warm maple syrup. Our facility is not allergen free.
Maple Shop - Outdoor Centre
- 2L syrup - $53.00
- 1L syrup - $27.00
- 500 ml syrup - $17.00
- 250 ml syrup - $13.00
- 50 ml leaf bottle - $5.50
- Maple butter - $13.00
- Maple lollipop - $3.00
- Maple garlic seasoning - $10.00
- Maple sugar shaker - $10.00
- Maple candy 3 pack - $3.25
- Maple candy 10 pack - $12.50
Bus to Maple Madness
Booking will open shortly, please check back.
Looking to head to Maple Madness at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area but don't have access to a vehicle? Book at ticket on the Maple Bus.
How it works: On the schedule listed below Cataraqui Conservation will have a school bus at a per-determined City of Kingston transit stop to pick you up and take you to Little Cataraqui Creek and then back to that same transit stop it picked you up at.
Tickets are required: You must book and pay for your ticket to have access to the bus. The bus is free and you are simply paying for your entrance to the event ahead of time. Cost is $3.75 for children, $5.25 for adults, $18.00 per family (min 4 people), $3.75 for members of the military, $0 for annual pass holders.
How to Get your Ticket for the Bus: Visit our ticket page here. On that page click on the 'Maple Bus tab' green highlighted dates indicate a bus is available, click on the date to start the ticket process. If a date is red that means it is sold out. We use PayPal to process tickets, you do not have to have a PayPal account click on the 'guest checkout' or 'check out with credit card'.
