sWhen hiking in the Upper Kennebec Valley, visiting beautiful waterfalls is one of the best activities, no matter the season. From spring run-off to autumn colors to icy ledges, the waterfalls are mesmerizing.
Our Favorite Waterfalls
Moxie Falls
Kennebec & Moose River Region – Moxie Gore TWP
Trail length: 1-mile
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
North on Rt 201 from Skowhegan approx 50 miles to The Forks, then right onto the Lake Moxie Road just before the Kennebec Bridge. Continue 2 miles and watch for a brown sign indicating Moxie Falls Scenic Area on the left. Trailhead begins at the parking area. Moxie Falls is Maine’s highest waterfall with a 92-foot vertical drop and falls into a great pool, leading to smaller falls, plunge pools, and then continues downstream to meet the Kennebec River. A well-maintained trail meanders through a beautiful area with mixed hardwoods and eventually to stairways and boardwalks to viewing platforms above the falls. A great place to explore. Don’t step on the trillium growing trailside! Experience a true Maine wilderness setting!
Grand Falls
Upper Kennebec Region
Grand Falls while off the beaten path is a great way to spend a day and worth the trip. Grand Falls is one of Maine’s largest waterfalls and offers solitude & beauty, as well as great fly fishing opportunities. Rainbow and brook trout, as well as landlocked salmon, are plentiful in the water below the falls. The cascading water drops into deep, cold pools that are great for swimming or canoeing. Travel US-201N to The Forks where the Kennebec and Dead Rivers meet. Continue on US-201 N over the bridge into West Forks and proceed about 3 miles to The Lower Enchanted Road on the left; it’s a graveled logging road. Set your odometer to 15 miles to travel the dirt road that will take you to a parking area on the banks of the Dead River. Alternatively, you can park at the Maine Huts & Trails trailhead in West Forks and hike 14 miles in to where the Grand Falls Hut is located.
Houston Brook Falls
Upper Kennebec Region – Pleasant Ridge & Bingham Height: 32-foot total drop
This is a beautiful cascade fall hidden in Pleasant Ridge, ME. The falls are wild and rugged, with a few good swimming spots. The brook terminates at Wyman Lake, home of Wyman Dam in Bingham. The lake is visible from the falls and is a very scenic area.
Take US-201 N in Bingham take ME-16 W over the Kennebec River and turn right onto Pleasant Ridge Road. Proceed to the Pleasant Ridge Transfer Station and park to the left of the gate. The trail to the falls is on the left and is about 0.8 miles.
Cold Stream Falls
Upper Kennebec Region – West Forks Plantation Trail Distance: 1.6 miles
Cold Stream Falls is a delightful little waterfall of about 30 feet that splashes down ledges into a small pool deep enough to swim in. It is a cool, quiet, refreshing place to be on a hot day. Hike above the falls to see a 200-foot wall of rock on the west side of the stream and below the falls to see the remains of the crib work of an old drop point for logs. It’s a family-friendly trail that’s well-marked.
Follow US- 201 N from the bridge in The Forks and continue north for approximately 7.8 miles. Turn right onto Capital Road, a dirt road, and proceed past the gated area of the Marshall Yard. Continue for 1 mile, where you will cross the Cold Stream Bridge and then turn left. At approx 1.2 miles there is a small pull-out on the left; park here. There’s also a sign indicating the trailhead. Proceed along the trail following the blue blaze marks leading you down to Cold Stream and along the streamside. As you approach the falls the stream will get louder and you will see the falls through the trees before arriving at the pool.
Wyman Dam
Upper Kennebec Region – Pleasant Ridge, Moscow & Bingham Height: 155 foot total drop
Wyman Dam is a hydroelectric dam built in 1930. It connects the southwest corner of the town of Moscow with the southeast corner of Pleasant Ridge Plantation. Wyman Dam is named in honor of Walter Wyman, an electrical engineer and the president of the original Central Maine Power Company. The dam is partly earthen and partly concrete, with a height of 155 feet and 3054 feet long at its crest. The dam’s power plant houses three 24 MW turbine generators.
Wyman Lake, the riverine reservoir formed by the dam, contains 194,016 acre-feet, among the largest lakes in Maine.
What beautiful waterfalls will become your favorites in the Upper Kennebec Valley?