Wii Maple Treeway

Maple Treeway is the third race course in the Star Cup in Mario Kart Wii. It takes place in a large forest during autumn. The track consists of racing on tree branches, on the treetops and even within the trees themselves. Wigglers make their home on the treetops, and driving into them will hinder any racer. Piles of leaves flank various parts of the track, and driving through them reveals Mushrooms and Bananas, and rarely, Stars.

Description
The race takes place in an autumn setting, with orange leaves and the sun a little low in the sky. The players race on gigantic trees. Interesting elements of this track are the Barrel Cannon at the beginning, the thin branches during the middle of the course, and the bouncy netting towards the end. Wigglers act as the only obstacles, unless one counts the bananas that get released from leaf piles. It is very easy to fall off when racing on the branches if the players drift incorrectly, either too tightly or too loosely, or doesn't drift at all.

Course layout
The course starts out with a slight downhill curve with the very first set of item boxes. After the set of item boxes, there is a curve to the left which leads to a Barrel Cannon, that will blast the player into an incoming treetop, directly through the leaves and branches of the tree.

After the player lands, the player turns right and through some leaf piles, which may reveal a simple banana flying from it, but it could be possible that a mushroom or a star flies from the scattered leaf pile. The player will then exit the insides of the tree and see a large branch, making a left U-turn toward a large circular arena with two Wigglers on it. The turn on the branch is very tight and the player can fall off both sides if they happen to drift incorrectly.

In the large circular arena, there are two Wigglers who trot about on their own and some more leaf piles for the player to drive through. The Wiggler will bounce back the player if the player touches the Wigglers, but no other effect will take place.

After the Wiggler area, there is a slight dropping right turn on a branch, which has two Boost Pads on them. The player may also fall off both sides in this area, so the player must be careful where to use the boost panels. Also, if the player is very slow, they will fall off before the curve with a half-pipe ramp, since there is a small gap in between the boost pad sections and the section with half-pipe ramp in it. In the section with the half-pipe ramp in it, there is a curve that leads right with a small crevice that it is possible to fall into. On the ramp are item boxes that the player can use. After that area the track is very straight, with some more leaf piles in it. After the player drives for a very little bit, the player will drive across a narrow bridge, which makes it easy for heavier players to knock lighter players off.

After the bridge is a ramp with a boost pad on it. The player may do a trick on that ramp and land on one more thick branch. After a very slight turn to the left, there is a wavy bridge (actually a net), where the player may perform tricks on. In Mario Kart 7, the net has been taken out, to use the glider feature more. The A.I. tends to fall off in this area of the course and the wavy bridge may also throw the player off course when performing stunts and into the land far below the bridge. After the bridge is a very straight path, with two tree roots obscuring the path. The player may perform a trick if they manage to drive off them like a ramp. After the roots is nothing more than the finish line to start to the course again on lap two.

Shortcuts
In Maple Treeway, there is a shortcut that will both speed the player up and get them an Item Box. After speeding off the net described above, the player has to swerve to the far right or left of the track. The player should see a large ramp carved into the trees on either side, then they have to go up this ramp to get an Item Box, and then a Dash Panel.

There is also another shortcut, although it requires a Mushroom so that the racer won't be slowed down. After the player starts the race, they will see a small opening to the right (or to the left, if they are playing Mirror Mode) of the track. Once the player swerves into the opening, they will need to use a Mushroom to boost over the slow mud, and then they will drive across a small wooden bridge. On the bridge is a Dash Panel and two item boxes. After they exit the bridge, the driver will be a short distance away from the large cannon.

Tournaments
The first tournament of November 2008 took place at Maple Treeway. Players had to collect all fifteen coins that were hidden in the leaves in the least time possible. Four Wigglers were roaming around the area as well. The tournament was later repeated as the first tournament of November 2010 and later the first tournament of March 2012. It was also repeated as the second tournament of May 2013, but with a "karts only" restriction.

Mario Kart 7
Maple Treeway returns as a Retro Track in Mario Kart 7 as the fourth and final race of the Leaf Cup. The Barrel Cannon after turn 3 now encompasses a gliding pad, but just like Waluigi Pinball and Airship Fortress, racers are unable to turn left or right while being launched.

Racers are now vulnerable to some other items, especially lightning. Players may fall to the lake, if they cancel the glider or if they are hit by the item at the glider pad or during the launch. If players do fall down, they will get picked up by Lakitu and brought back to the inside of the treetop or the ramp that was very close to the beginning of the launch.

The branch leading up to the treetop of this track can be tricked off, giving racers a small boost. As before, driving through the leaf piles can produce items, but this is not present in Time Trial Mode.

After the Wiggler area, the branch (which it has 2 boost pads) is now flat. After the final turn of this track, instead of a waving metal net off which racers can perform tricks, a gliding pad allows them to cross this large gap. Despite the course being slightly shortened, it is the longest track with 3 laps in the game.

Official descriptions

 * Official European website: "Wind in and out of the trees and dash across huge branches as the autumn leaves fall on this spectacular forest track."