Best Waterfalls in Maine | Waterfall Guides and Swimming Holes

Moxie Falls

The Forks, moosehead

One of the tallest waterfalls in New England at over 90 feet, reached by a flat one-mile trail ending at a boardwalk overlook above the gorge.

easy 1 mi moosehead

FALLS Featured

Screw Auger Falls

Newry, western-mountains

A roadside gorge waterfall in Grafton Notch State Park with carved potholes, swimming holes, and an easy 0.1-mile path to the viewing area.

easy 0.2 mi western-mountains

Swimming Holes State Park Gorge

FALLS

Angel Falls

Houghton, western-mountains

A 90-foot ribbon waterfall tucked into the woods of Township D, reached by a short but rugged 1.1-mile trail with multiple stream crossings.

moderate 0.55 mi western-mountains

Ribbon Falls Stream Crossings Remote

Bemis Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Bemis Falls

Oquossoc, western-mountains

Cascade on Bemis Stream near Mooselookmeguntic Lake, accessed via the Appalachian Trail or Bemis Stream Trail in the Rangeley Lakes region.

moderate 5.5 mi western-mountains

Appalachian Trail Rangeley

Buttermilk Falls aroostook-katahdin

FALLS

Buttermilk Falls

Houlton, aroostook-katahdin

A 30-foot falls on Cochrane Brook in remote Aroostook County, surrounded by deep northern Maine forest with few visitors and genuine backcountry solitude.

moderate 0.6 mi aroostook-katahdin

Remote Northern Maine

Cascade Falls (Saco) southern-maine

FALLS

Cascade Falls (Saco)

Saco, southern-maine

A 25-foot urban waterfall on Cascade Brook (near the Saco River) in Saco's historic mill district, with easy walkway access and views of 19th-century brick mill buildings.

easy 0.1 mi southern-maine

Urban Historic Mills Saco River

FALLS

Coos Canyon

Rumford, western-mountains

A dramatic river gorge on the Swift River with carved rock formations, deep swimming holes, and one of the few places in Maine where you can pan for gold.

easy 0.2 mi western-mountains

Swimming Hole Gold Panning Gorge

Dingley Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Dingley Falls

Rangeley, western-mountains

A small, accessible cascade near downtown Rangeley, tucked into a town park along the outlet stream in the heart of the Lakes Region.

easy 0.2 mi western-mountains

Easy Access Town Park Rangeley

Dunn Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Dunn Falls

Andover, western-mountains

A pair of dramatic waterfalls on the West Branch of the Ellis River, with an 80-foot lower falls and a 70-foot upper falls reached by a 2.5-mile loop on the Appalachian Trail.

moderate 1.9 mi western-mountains

Appalachian Trail old Growth Forest Swimming Holes

Ellis Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Ellis Falls

Andover, western-mountains

A 22-foot two-tier cascade on the Ellis River near Andover, one of the easiest waterfalls to access in western Maine with roadside parking.

easy 0.1 mi western-mountains

Roadside Easy Access Oxford County

Frenchman's Hole western-mountains

FALLS

Frenchman's Hole

Bethel, western-mountains

A cascading waterfall dropping into a deep swimming hole on Bull Branch Stream, named one of the top swimming holes in the world.

easy 0.2 mi western-mountains

Swimming Hole Cliff Jumping Bull Branch Stream

Grand Falls aroostook-katahdin

FALLS

Grand Falls

The Forks, aroostook-katahdin

A remote 40-foot horseshoe waterfall spanning over 100 feet on the Dead River, one of Maine's most impressive falls in a wild, roadless setting.

easy 0.6 mi aroostook-katahdin

Remote Dead River Horseshoe Falls

FALLS

Gulf Hagas Falls

Brownville Junction, moosehead

Multiple named waterfalls along a 3-mile slate gorge called the Grand Canyon of Maine, reached by an 8-mile loop trail through deep wilderness.

hard 8 mi moosehead

Gorge Grand Canyon of Maine Screw Auger Falls

Hay Brook Falls moosehead

FALLS

Hay Brook Falls

Brownville Junction, moosehead

A 25-foot plunge waterfall inside KI Jo-Mary Forest, on the trail approach to Gulf Hagas in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness.

moderate 0.3 mi moosehead

Gulf Hagas 100 Mile Wilderness ki jo Mary

Houston Brook Falls moosehead

FALLS

Houston Brook Falls

Bingham, moosehead

A 30-foot waterfall near Bingham with a swimming hole at the base, reached by a short and easy walk through the forest off Pleasant Ridge Road.

easy 0.4 mi moosehead

Swimming Hole Easy Hike Bingham

Jewel Falls greater-portland

FALLS

Jewel Falls

Portland, greater-portland

Portland's only natural waterfall, a 25-foot cascade in the 85-acre Fore River Sanctuary reached by a short walk from the Rowe Avenue trailhead.

easy 0.5 mi greater-portland

Urban Hike Portland Easy Access

FALLS

Katahdin Stream Falls

Millinocket, aroostook-katahdin

A 50-foot waterfall on the Hunt Trail in Baxter State Park, about one mile from Katahdin Stream Campground on the Appalachian Trail approach to Katahdin.

easy 1.2 mi aroostook-katahdin

Baxter State Park Appalachian Trail Hunt Trail

Kees Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Kees Falls

Bethel, western-mountains

A backcountry waterfall on Morrison Brook in the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness, reached via the Caribou Trail in the Evans Notch area of western Maine.

hard 2.1 mi western-mountains

Remote Evans Notch

Kezar Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Kezar Falls

Lovell, western-mountains

A hidden waterfall and gorge swimming hole on the Kezar River in Lovell, with natural potholes carved into bedrock and a short walk from an unmarked parking area.

easy 0.1 mi western-mountains

Swimming Hole Hidden gem Gorge

Mad River Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Mad River Falls

Bethel, western-mountains

A dramatic 70-foot cascade in the Evans Notch area of the White Mountain National Forest, reached by a 1.6-mile hike on the Royce Trail.

moderate 3.2 mi western-mountains

Evans Notch Cascade

Mosher Hill Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Mosher Hill Falls

Farmington, western-mountains

A 45-foot waterfall reached by an easy 0.3-mile trail near Farmington, tucked into the Sandy River watershed with a peaceful forest setting.

easy 0.3 mi western-mountains

Easy Hike Quick Stop Franklin County

FALLS

Mother Walker Falls

Bethel, western-mountains

A V-shaped gorge 40 feet deep and nearly 1,000 feet long on the Bear River, carved by glacial meltwater, with an easy boardwalk walk to the overlook.

easy 0.25 mi western-mountains

Gorge Grafton Notch Easy Hike

Moxie Stream Falls moosehead

FALLS

Moxie Stream Falls

The Forks, moosehead

A quieter cascade downstream of the famous Moxie Falls, tucked into the gorge on Moxie Stream about a kilometer above the Kennebec River.

moderate 1.5 mi moosehead

Less Visited Gorge

Otter Falls aroostook-katahdin

FALLS

Otter Falls

Millinocket, aroostook-katahdin

Remote 15-foot cascade on Otter Brook near the Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness, best suited for adventurous hikers seeking backcountry solitude.

hard 2.5 mi aroostook-katahdin

Remote Piscataquis

Poplar Stream Falls western-mountains

FALLS

Poplar Stream Falls

Carrabassett Valley, western-mountains

A 24-foot cascade in the Carrabassett Valley, reached by an approximately 2-mile trail from the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center via Warren's Trail through mixed forest.

easy 4 mi western-mountains

Sugarloaf Carrabassett Valley Easy Hike

Rattlesnake Flume & Pool western-mountains

FALLS