1 km

The most popular of our trails, this offers a short hike through the sugar bush. The boardwalk from the Maple Heritage Museum leads to a forest amphitheater where you can learn about the seasons and photosynthesis. As you walk up the hill, the old growth maple forest surrounds you.  Cattle pastured this area for quite a few years in the mid 1900’s. The cattle would eat all of the seedlings, preventing young trees from growing, resulting in a stand of mature maples with very few younger trees.  It wasn’t until the Ice Storm of 1998 that the canopy was opened up significantly, allowing other growth.  As you go up around the corner there are coniferous (evergreen) trees that contribute to wild life habitat and plant diversity in the maple forest.  The trail then enters a newer part of the sugar bush that has been managed for maple production since 1975.  This section is a good example of a healthy sugar bush because there are a variety of ages present to ensure continuous availability of mature maple trees to tap.  The trail finishes at the barn.

1.4 km

This trail is on a gravel road that goes straight past the barn and into the sugar bush, ending in a circular loop.  You will pass by a sap ladder and a pump house along the loop portion at the end of the trail before continuing back to the pancake house on the same trail that you came in on.  This trail is easy walking, stroller accessible, maintained all year, and has just one gradual hill.  

3.5 km

Best sample of the variety that the sugar bush has to offer.  The trail starts out on the same trail as the Ridge Trail, continuing from the boardwalk just past the maple museum.  After passing through a mature section of the sugar bush and alongside a small stand of conifers, continue straight ahead to stay on Woksis, where the Ridge Trail branches off to the left.  You will continue to see stands of maple trees with networks of tubing as you hike along.  You will pass by some swampy areas, sheltered areas of evergreens where deer like to bed down at night, and a variety of tree species.  Keep an eye out for glacial erratics, which are large rocks that may appear out of place because they were dropped by the 2 km thick glacier that retreated from this area 11,000 years ago.  You will pass by an active beaver pond and a boardwalk made of railroad ties will take you along the edge of a large beaver flooded area.  After the railroad ties, Woksis meets up with the Pump House Loop Trail.  Continue straight ahead to complete Woksis on the last half kilometer of the Pump House Loop Trail.  Otherwise, turn left, crossing the footbridge over the maple pipelines to come out at the start of the Pump House Loop Trail at the Barn. 

0.5 km

The Short Cut Pass is a short section of trail that joins the Woksis Run Trail and the Sugar Bush Lane through a mature stand of maples.  It connects Woksis to the Horse Loop Trail at about the halfway point of Woksis.

4.5 km

Our longest trail offering varied views of our sugarbush.  Starts with the Ridge Trail but branches off to the right to go deeeper into the maple forest.