Best waterfalls in Maine

Maine’s falls run remote and woodsy — the long ledges of Step Falls, Grafton Notch’s roadside Screw Auger, and the slate gorge of Gulf Hagas, the "Grand Canyon of Maine." Spring melt is biggest; summer adds swimming holes. The best ones often take a real walk into the western mountains.

Step Falls250 ftShort walk · Newry · 1 mia long ledge-and-pool cascade near Grafton Notch.Angel Falls (ME)90 ftModerate hike · Township D · 1.6 mione of Maine’s tallest, in the remote western mountains.Moxie Falls90 ftShort walk · The Forks · 1.4 mione of New England’s tallest, in Maine’s rafting country.Dunn Falls80 ftModerate hike · Andover · 1.6 mia pair of dramatic falls along the Appalachian Trail.Smalls Falls54 ftShort walk · Rangeley · 0.3 mia multi-tier fall with swimming holes, a roadside picnic favorite.Houston Brook Falls40 ftShort walk · Pleasant Ridge · 0.4 mia pretty plunge near the Kennebec, a quick roadside-ish stop.Gulf Hagas Falls26 ftStrenuous hike · Brownville · 8 mia slate-walled gorge of waterfalls, the "Grand Canyon of Maine".Screw Auger Falls23 ftRoadside · Newrya gorge-carving fall right off the road in Grafton Notch.

Flows change with the season and recent rain — many falls roar at spring snowmelt and slow by late summer. Check conditions and any permit or reservation rules before you go.