Pumpkin spice and everything nice… The air is crisp, the trees are changing, blue skies are dwindling. Here are 5 awesome reasons to get outside and check out the Chilliwack Corn Maze before the month is over!
1. The Corn Maze (duh?)
I have been visiting the Chilliwack Corn Maze since I was young. Every October, my family and I would pack up for the hour drive it took to get out to the farm, and spend the afternoon running around the maze. I remember the corn stalks towering over me, and a slight fear that I would never find my way out.
The maze is stretched out across 12 acres; this year the maze is split into two – a short maze (15 minutes or so to complete) and a long maze (45 minutes to an hour to complete).
The a-MAZE-ing (sorry) thing about the corn maze is that every year, the maze isn’t just a maze – the trails are created to draw out a giant 12-acre picture that you can only see from the sky. In past years, the maze has been dedicated to the Run for Water, the Terry Fox Run, UFV’s 40th anniversary, and even shaped into a Mountie on a horse for the RCMP’s 140th anniversary.
The unfortunate thing about this year is that the Corn Maze suffered from a rootworm bug infestation. Rootworms actually target the roots of corn stalks and end up stunting their growth – so some of the corn in the maze only grew 4, 5, or 6 feet high when normally the farm sees their corn to a 12-foot high standard. As a result, there was no aerial shot of the corn maze, so we’re left guessing what the “big picture” was meant to be!
Regardless of the short stalks, the maze is still super fun. If I weren’t waddling around 34 weeks pregnant, I definitely would have been running through the corn trying to solve the maze as fast as I could.
2. Tractor Rides To The Pumpkin Patch
What visit to a pumpkin patch is complete without a tractor ride? Every half an hour, the tractor pulls up to the entrance to the corn maze and loads people onto the trailer for a bumpy muddy ride around the corn maze and down to the pumpkin patch.
When you get to the patch, the tractor driver parks to let everyone out to pick out a pumpkin to bring home. Everyone hauls their finds back onto the trailer, and the tractor bumps along back to the corn maze.
Growing up in the city, a tractor ride was always super exciting for me. No seatbelts?! Fresh air, and I’m allowed to jump into that muddy pumpkin patch and get back on?! Tractor rides are always one of the best parts of the trip.
3. ALL The Fun Activities For Your Little Ones!
I can’t even believe how many attractions the corn maze offers. No wonder my parents drove so far to bring us every year! As if the corn maze and pumpkin patch weren’t enough, the farm boasts numerous activities for kids of all ages to enjoy:
- A HUGE bouncy air pad where you take your shoes off and jump for as long as you like!
- All sorts of farm animals to visit and pet
- Pedal carts for the older kids to drive around on a little track
- “Duck races” in water troughs where you pump water fast enough for your duckie to win a race
- A playground with swings and slides and a giant “spider web”
- The biggest sandpit I’ve ever seen with all sorts of diggers and dumptrucks
- Basketball and football throwing games where you need to shoot the ball into the target
I’m pretty sure that once we arrived at the corn maze, we were so distracted by all these other activities that we didn’t even end up in the maze or the pumpkin patch until an hour or so after we got there!
4. Fire Pits And A Picnic Area
Fresh mini donuts? YES PLEASE. There are several fire pits in the picnic area where you can roast marshmallows or just sit in front of the fire and enjoy some refreshments from the snack bar. Of course I had to indulge in fresh mini donuts. Who could say no to that?
5. It’s Such A Beautiful Farm
It really is. Nestled in the Valley, sitting against the horizon filled with mountains, it’s such a beautiful farm. Behind all the activities, there is a very gorgeous area set up for events such as weddings or reunions. In fact, I was so struck with how pretty it was while I was there; I started thinking that perhaps I should have a fall wedding!
So even though the days are getting wetter, cooler, and shorter, throw on some wellies, get muddy, pick a pumpkin, and get lost in the maze. Fall activities really make this the best time of year.
