INTO THE TREES: Take a stroll through a Lake Placid maple sugarbush

A white sign marks the start of the Maple Nature Trail and includes some fast facts about syrup and the over 200-acre forest. (News photo — Oliver Reil)

LAKE PLACID — A rock throw from the Adirondack High Peaks, sap courses through over 100 miles of tubing like blood through veins across more than 200 acres of forest. Tucked away on Bear Cub Lane, Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest is not only a core asset of Cornell University’s sugar maple program, but also a place for everyday people to get away and enjoy the peace of the woods.

Across the road from the Uihlein Sugar Maple Field Station, the trail is easy to miss. With an inch of undisturbed fresh snow on Tuesday, March 19, I drove right by it. Upon closer examination, my eyes worked out the subtle changes in the ground that told me the trail started here. Looking forward, I saw a small white sign, which told me I was right.

The sign, which is staked in front of the sap house on the right side of the road — opposite the sugarhouse on the left side of the road, where the parking is located — marks the start of the .9-mile loop trail that takes visitors through the networks of tubing and collection equipment. The trail starts on an old road — but no motor vehicles are allowed — with a slight incline. There’s very little elevation gain around the loop, so the hike is perfect for a light, early morning stroll.

There are 6,000 sugar maple taps and 600 birch taps in the forest. Right from the start, I was ducking and dodging tubing of frozen sap that crossed the trail. I stand at 6 feet, and some of the tubing was shoulder height.

The forest is administered by the Department of Natural Resources, which is part of the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. It was established in 1965, with the help of the Uihlein family. The Uihlein name is ubiquitous in Lake Placid, known for their philanthropy and land donation.

Here are the sugarhouse and visitor center at Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest on Bear Cub Lane in Lake Placid. (News photo — Oliver Reil)

I was alone on the trail that morning, with just the birds to keep me company. Around every turn of the trail, I could hear northern cardinals singing spring songs, despite the snow. The last few hikes I had done were anything but leisurely. The serenity of these woods, coupled with the ambling nature of the trail, felt good for the soul.

Near the halfway point, the red trail markers turn sharply left into the woods. Thankfully, the way is well-marked; with the fresh snow and no tracks in front of me, following through the trees would have been difficult.

The sun peaked out here and there as I went, making for several stunning moments in the stands of maple and birch trees. I thought to myself, “Do people know about this place?” I had no clue it was here until someone told me. I had no idea Cornell conducted maple research 15 minutes from my home.

According to Cornell, the acreage works as an outdoor laboratory for the study of maple syrup production, forest management, forest health and agroforestry. It is at the heart of a regional research initiative to identify and cultivate genetically improved, high sap sugar content maple trees, using state-of-the-art vacuum tubing and processing equipment to develop better techniques for sap collection and syrup processing in both maple and birch trees. Results of the research projects are shared with maple producers and scientists through publications, trainings and presentations throughout the state.

Nearing the last third of the trail, I broke out of the trees back onto the old road. Finally, I found some evidence of other people, with boot and dog tracks scattered around the snow. Still, though, I was alone. Perhaps they belonged to researchers, or maybe someone was out walking even earlier than I was that day.

Here is the sap house at Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest on Bear Cub Lane in Lake Placid where the Maple Nature Trail begins. (News photo — Oliver Reil)

About a half hour after I started, I had the start of the trail in my sights. The field station across the road was closed, since maple production is highly weather-dependent. With the mercury hovering around 20 degrees, it was far too cold for sap to flow. As soon as it warms up again, production can resume. Products from the Uihlein forest directly support the long-term research and extension efforts of the Cornell Maple Program. Maple and birch syrup, as well as maple coffee and tea, is for sale at the station or self-serve box at 157 Bear Cub Lane, and can be ordered by phone or email at 518-523-9337 or maple@cornell.edu. Specialty maple lumber can also be purchased by contacting the above number or email.

The sugarhouse here will be open for the second New York Maple Weekend of the season this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, as will the Heaven Hill Farm sugarhouse farther down the road near the end of Bear Cub Lane. Learn more at www.mapleweekend.com.