Visit a sugar bush in West Quebec to see how maple syrup is made

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With Dave Phillips, senior meteorologist at Environment Canada, giving Ottawa this winter’s “gold award” for miserable temperatures and snowfall, we’re all ready for spring—and for the maple sap to flow.

Right now, maple syrup producers in Ontario and Quebec are gathering sap from their sugar maple trees. With a ratio of 40:1 of sap to final syrup, sugary products represent time-consuming labour.

These delicious day trip destinations offer lots of experiences and products to enjoy. Don’t miss the chance to make tire sur la neige (maple taffy on snow), stroll through maple forests, indulge in a full-on traditional meal with all the trimmings and, perhaps, buy some sweet delectables.

Here are my top four Outaouais maple destinations to visit.

Cabane à sucre Chez Ti-Mousse

Chez Ti-Mousse is #1 on my list of recommendations because of its owner, Ti-Mousse. He’s an engaging character, with his tales of how sap used to be gathered in the old days—plus, he’s eager to show visitors how he’s adapted the process to today’s standards.

My husband Eric and I were intrigued by the art and artefacts on the walls of his restaurant and sucrerie (sugar shack), as well as by his museum. Visitors cannot enter this little room to examine the exhibits up close. Instead, we simply peered through a doorway inside the one-room cabin to view antique paraphernalia that used to be commonplace in Quebec homesteads.

The museum is a recreation of a vintage home: There’s a kitchen and dining table (complete with chairs) and table settings. I could imagine a woman bustling at the stove and her husband whittling while sitting at the table. Some chairs have rustic woven seats, which early homesteaders might have woven themselves. There are also religious crucifixes and iconography, which likely were used daily in Catholic homes.

Ti-Mousse explained that one wooden cross belonged to the Père Blanc missionaries, who lived in Ottawa’s Vanier neighbourhood and established a sugar bush there back in 1939. It’s still operating at the Vanier Museopark. (Check out their Sugar Festival from April 2 to 7.)

We went so early in the season that Ti-Mousse wasn’t yet serving his “lumberman-style” meals, featuring some lesser-known French-Canadian specialties. For example, have you ever sampled oreilles de crisse? Ti-Mousse explained that they are deep-fried, smoked pork cheeks. These are the jowls of the pig—a treat that we’ve yet to try.

Go. Immerse yourself in the stories. And explore. As Ti-Mousse told me, “We have a team of horses and they pull a couple of wagons for us, through the bush. People love to see how the sap is collected; it’s a way to reconnect with the past.”

Address: 442 Côte St-Charles, Papineauville, Quebec

Sucrerie Alary

Sucrerie Alary is a three-generation family concern where everyone takes pride in welcoming visitors (this year, it is open from March 23 to April 14, from 11am to 4pm).

Recently, Simon Alary added picturesque little bridges along the sugar bush trail, which wends its way through their 4-hectare (10 acre) forest. Artist Kate Aley, Simon’s wife, often decorates the metal sap buckets and has put bilingual signs on trees, identifying species. When you walk through this lovely woodland at the base of the Eardley Escarpment, you can see maple trees that are over 200 years old.

Just getting to the Alarys’ from Ottawa is beautiful. Highway 148 leading west out of Aylmer offers splendid vistas: first, the grand sweep of the Ottawa River and then, paralleling it to the north, the Eardley Escarpment. Here, this ridge forms the southernmost boundary of Gatineau Park.

When I’ve visited Sucrerie Alary over the years, I’ve learned one thing: the maple syrup, butter and cones at this sugar bush are extremely popular. Families return annually, as soon as the season starts. So go early to sample and purchase their fine sweets. Hint: For sure, have the tire sur la neige, even though you may have to line up.

Another special treat to try here? “Ask for réduit, a drink that’s halfway between sap and syrup,” Kate suggests.

Address: 3242 Highway 148 West, Luskville, Quebec

Parc Omega’s Sugar Shack

Rightly renowned for its wildlife drive—where animals such as elk wander at will and approach vehicles, begging for carrots—Parc Omega also features a sugar shack. So, when spring’s in the air, why not venture here? Buy some carrots so you can feed the critters as you drive, and make the sugar bush your destination.

We particularly enjoyed this experience because, after parking at the Trapper’s Cabin, we snowshoed to the sugar shack—a short, easy jaunt of about a kilometre. With this year’s snowfall, snowshoes might be required, but if there have been a lot of visitors to pack down the trail, you may be okay just using your boots. It’s hard to tell, so ask. If needed, you can rent snowshoes at the park entrance.

Address: 399 Route 323 North, Montebello, Quebec

Fairmont Le Château Montebello

Not only is Fairmont Le Château Montebello hotel the largest log building in the world, but it also offers perhaps our entire region’s most delicious Sunday brunch buffet, in our opinion. In spring, everything maple is on offer during the maple-themed Sunday brunch (March 3 to April 28). Reservations are recommended for this smorgasbord extravaganza. Tip: Reserve a window seat, where you can view the Ottawa River as you dine.

Before returning home, visit the Château’s gift shop and purchase maple syrup and other treats.

Address: 392 Notre Dame, Montebello, Quebec

For more information

For more information on things to see and do in West Quebec, visit the Tourisme Outaouais website.

Katharine Fletcher is a freelance writer, visual artist and author of historical guides such as Capital Rambles: Exploring the National Capital Region. She invites you to like her artist page and to check out her art workshops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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