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. Leaf piles flank various parts of the track, and driving through them reveals Mushrooms and Bananas, and rarely, Stars. The course's name may be a portmanteau of the words "tree" and "."

The course reappears in Mario Kart 7, and in Mario Kart Tour as the signature course of the 2020 Halloween Tour, making it the first course from Mario Kart Wii to reappear in that game.

Despite not sharing much similarity, the music used for Maple Treeway is also used for Bowser's Castle, albeit rearranged into a slower, lower-pitched, and more sinister version. Additionally, in Paper Mario: The Origami King, a slower-paced Eastern rendition of Maple Treeway's music plays in the Tranquil Pipes Teahouse of Shogun Studios.

Description
The race takes place in an autumn setting, with orange leaves and the sun a little low in the sky. It appears to be loosely based on or a reference to Wiggler's lair in Super Mario 64 DS, which features autumn leaves bunched together to form the walls and ceiling, and a net on which the battle took place. It also resembles the Forest of Illusion overworld levels from Super Mario World, which debut Wigglers as enemies. In Maple Treeway, 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 does not 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 area, 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 Dash Panels on them. The player may also fall off both sides in this area, so the player must be careful where to use the Dash 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 Dash Panel 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 Dash Panel 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. 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

 * After the player starts the race, they will see a small opening to the right of the track. Once the player swerves into the opening, they may use a Mushroom to boost over the slow overgrowth, 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. Despite having a large off-road portion at the start, it is more optimal to take the cut without a Mushroom since that means the items they get from the subsequent boxes will be better and then they will be able to quickly take those into a high position.
 * After the net, players can swerve left or right and drive on the tree branches. There is an Item Box and a ramp with a Dash Panel at the end of the branch.

Glitches

 * An unintended glitch can be performed on the curve of the final tree branch before the finish line section. If the player falls slowly enough by repeatedly and simultaneously accelerating and braking, instead of being picked up by Lakitu, they will fall and land on the ground beneath the track and be able to explore, as most of the ground is solid.

Tournaments
TournamentNovember1.jpg 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 Course in Mario Kart 7 as the fourth and final race of the Leaf Cup.

The launch after the start/finish line now encompasses a Glide Ramp. Players cannot aim their flight and they are also no longer immune to items while in the launcher, and being hit by anything (or intentionally stowing their glider) will result in having to be rescued by Lakitu.

After the Wiggler area, the branch (which it has two Dash Panels) is now flat. The half-pipe after the branch with two Dash Panels was also removed. After the final turn of this track, instead of a waving metal net off which racers can perform tricks, a Glide Ramp allows them to cross this large gap. Additionally, the leaf piles may also now release coins and Green Shells. Despite the course being slightly shortened, it is the longest retro course in the game. It also includes a falling leaves effect.

Shortcuts

 * A glitch exists on this course that can be used by taking the path with the bridge to the cannon. By hopping on the right of the tunnel's side, the player will enter the cannon with elevated height and by aiming the glider upward the player will land on the section on top of the tree with the giant Wigglers.
 * The U-turn before the bridge can be skipped by drifting, using a Mushroom and hopping precisely.
 * Using the final Glide Ramp, time can be saved by swooping down to pick up speed, near the cliff edge ahead, and returning to a safe height before being counted out of bounds.

Mario Kart Tour
Maple Treeway reappears in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the 2020 Halloween Tour. It plays akin to its Mario Kart 7 iteration, but with only a few subtle changes, such as the removal of the Dash Panel on the bridge at the beginning, the leaves on the course are a more solid orange, and the halfpipe ramp from Mario Kart Wii was reimplemented in the same location. The track was visually overhauled, with a more fantasy-like feel and the section up to the top of the tree being redesigned to be more open, showing the landscape. The Mario Kart logo on the starting banner has also changed to the modern logo. The course is a favorite of Toad (Party Time), Daisy (Fairy), Mario (Halloween), Dixie Kong, Bowser (Santa), and Cat Peach. It can also be a favorite of Shy Guy (Gold) and King Boo (Gold) if they reach level 6. It is the first course in Mario Kart Tour to include half-pipe ramps from Mario Kart Wii.

As with other courses in the game, Maple Treeway has a R variant and a T variant, referred to as Maple Treeway R and Maple Treeway T respectively.

Halloween Tour (2020)
In the 2020 Halloween Tour, Maple Treeway served as the tour's signature course. It appeared as the first course in the King Boo Cup, the third course in the Baby Rosalina Cup, and the location of the bonus challenges in the Shy Guy Cup and the Peachette Cup. Its T variant appeared as the third course in the Birdo Cup and the second course in the Larry Cup, while its R variant appeared as the second course in the Waluigi Cup and the first course in the Ice Mario Cup.



Winter Tour (2020)
In the 2020 Winter Tour, Maple Treeway appears as the third course in the Baby Mario Cup and the location of the bonus challenges in the Birdo Cup and the Daisy Cup. Its R variant appears as the third course in the Roy Cup, while its T variant appears as the second course in the Metal Mario Cup.



Rosalina Tour
In the Rosalina Tour, Maple Treeway appeared as the third course in the Baby Mario Cup. Its T variant appeared as the second course in the Donkey Kong Cup and the location of the bonus challenge in the Birdo Cup, while its R variant appeared as the first course in the Baby Luigi Cup.



Mario Kart Wii

 * European website bio: "Wind in and out of the trees and dash across huge branches as the autumn leaves fall on this spectacular forest track."
 * Trading Card bio: "Maple Treeway is a track that offers a vast array of terrain. There are tricky turns and a plethora of pesky obstacles and baddies for you and your rivals to navigate and avoid. Watch out for the piles of leaves as they will make your race miserable if you make contact with one of them."

Mario Kart Tour

 * Mario Kart Tour Twitter:
 * "Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii is here! Be extra cautious of the big Wigglers! It's time for the Halloween Tour!"
 * "The newly added Maple Treeway will feature the reds and oranges of fall, and a bunch of jack-o'-lanterns! You'll even get points for hitting jack-o'-lantern [sic] with items!"