Sugar Maple Tree Tapping

Looking for a Family - Friendly Spring Activity?

Early spring days, when the sun is getting stronger and the birds are returning is a fabulous time to be outside with the kids and grandkids learning a new useful skill!

Try tree tapping in Wayzata's Big Woods. This year, we are returning to an in-person gathering to collect sap and boil it down to syrup.

Join us to learn how to tap trees, collect sap and boil it down to make real maple syrup that can be taken home. The event is typically held in March, weather dependent. 

DID YOU KNOW?

  • It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.
  • Sugar Maple, Black, Red and Silver Maple are the best trees to tap, because they have the highest sugar content, but Birch, Walnut or Boxelder may also be tapped. 
  • Native Americans taught Minnesota pioneers the skill of making maple syrup, which provided sweetener when sugar was scarce.
  • The Native Americans used birch bark containers fixed with fir tree pitch glue the bark together to stop leaking.
  • Native Americans knew it was time to move to the “sugar bush” camp (the hardwood maple forests) when they saw the crows return.
  • Maple sugaring stops when the sap runs cloudy, the trees start budding, or the frogs start croaking after a thunder and lightning storm

Sign Up

Thank you for your interest in Tree Tapping. The sign-ups are now closed for 2023, as there is no longer any space left. Please watch for information on this program next winter in January of 2024. 

Download the DIY Guide & Instructions 

  1. DIY Maple Tree Tapping Instructions