CVT Social: 2026 Highland County Maple Festival

When you think of real maple syrup, Vermont or Canada usually come to mind as being the epicenter. But did you know??? Out in beautiful Highland County, among the barn quilts, green pastures and rolling mountains, there is a thriving maple scene! So much so that the little hamlet of Monterey plays host to an annual multi-weekend soiree and celebration of all things Virginia maple syrup production. In addition to being able to tour several active maple sugar "camps", there is live entertainment, arts & crafts for sale, special maple offerings at local restaurants and maple EVERYTHING for sale.

Come spend a purely fun day (aka no hiking) exploring the festival. We will get an early start and enjoy the scenic drive over the mountains to Monterey. Possible activities include a sugar camp tour, eating enough maple flavored things to have it leak from our pores, enjoying a cider tasting at Big Fish Cidery, browsing the local artisans and finally...stocking up on some delicious maple glazed donuts. Spoiler alert: last time our donuts did NOT make it all the way back to Richmond.

We will meet at the Oilville Park and Ride and carpool/caravan to our destination. On the way we'll cross the Bullpasture River which is the headwaters of our mighty James River.
From Oilville the drive to Monterey is about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The drive is long but worth the effort.
I hope you can join in the fun!!
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What to bring/wear: dress comfortably for a long day with lots of standing and walking. Bring a rain jacket and sunscreen just in case. Bring snacks and water. Any $$ needed to purchase food and drinks, any purchases at the festival and $ to pay your carpool driver. Some vendors only take cash so you may want to plan for that.
Dogs allowed: No
Carpool cost: $15.00 p.p. assuming a full carload
More event information: https://www.highlandcounty.org/maple-festival/

***Festival has the potential to be extremely crowded. This could impact things like travel time, running out of things like food or drinks, long lines/waits and the chance of getting separated from the group. (We will make a plan to reconnect with lost souls!) It will be very hard to stick to a strict "agenda" for the day and there will be times we have to pivot. If the potential for these unexpected disruptions will ruin your experience, then this is probably not the event for you. ***