See tree syrups made, sample the products, and support West Virginia’s independent forest farmers.
The sap is running! Temperatures have been cold at night and above freezing during the day, ideal conditions for sap collection, says the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. If you like pouring real maple syrup over your pancakes and walking in the spring-awakening West Virginia woods—and especially if you’d like to learn about the surprising variety of West Virginia tree syrups—make time for Mountain State Maple Days this Saturday, February 17, or next month on March 16.
Both Saturdays, you can enjoy a brunch of buckwheat cakes or French toast with Authentic Appalachia maple syrup 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at The F.A.R.M. in Granville, along with a tasting of various maple and other tree syrups.
For a fun and easy day trip from Morgantown on February 17:
- Grab lunch at Screech Owl Brewing—it opens at noon—and be sure to try its “nearly famous” Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce and a pastry with Cream Cheese Maple Icing.
- Complete your trip at Heasley Homestead Maple at Bruceton Mills between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a tour of the sugar bush and sugar house. See syrup production in process, sample the maple candy, and score some real West Virginia maple syrup for yourself.
The two-stop drive comes to about an hour and a half of drive time, mainly on easy Interstate 68 with some pretty backroads driving near your destinations.
If you celebrate Maple Days on March 16, you can do the same trek with the addition of a third stop:
- March 16 only: Take the pretty drive to the historic New Deal community of Arthurdale between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for an outdoor syrup-rendering demo and maple products.
- Head over to Screech Owl Brewing for lunch after it opens at noon.
- Finish your day at Heasley Homestead Maple, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The March 16 drive to all three stops is about two hours, much of it on scenic country roads.
For a longer excursion—one that holds the promise of less common tree syrups, like sycamore and walnut, as well as some maple-infused libations—head to slightly more distant counties. Most of our itineraries in Brooke, Grant, Lincoln, Pendleton, Preston, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Wayne counties work best as overnight adventures.
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