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Best Waterfall Hikes in Maine

The directory currently contains 6 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Maine. Their average mapped distance is 3.6 km and average recorded ascent is 64 m (210 ft); the longest route in the set is 6.3 km.

This subset represents 3% of the 224 quality-checked routes in Maine. Its average distance is 3.6 km, compared with 9.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 64 m (210 ft), versus 202 m (663 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set carries the directory’s waterfall tag. The tag identifies the recorded theme; it does not report current water flow or access. Within this set, 4 routes (67%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 1 (17%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

0.5 km

Falls Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Reversing Falls Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

1 recorded loop

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
6.2 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
1 hr 25 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
9 min
  • Waterfall
  • Coastal
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
6.3 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
189 m
Typical duration
1 hr 35 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Moderate

Maine · United States

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Waterfall
Easy

Maine · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Waterfall

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Grand Falls TrailMaine6.2 km80 m1 hr 25 minEasyApril to October
Reversing Falls TrailMaine0.7 km0 m9 minEasyApril to October
Foss and Knowlton TrailMaine6.3 km189 m1 hr 35 minModerateApril to October
Orin Falls TrailMaine4.7 km25 m1 hr 1 minEasyApril to October
Turner Falls TrailMaine3.2 km80 m47 minModerateApril to October
Falls TrailMaine0.5 km8 m7 minEasyApril to October

Grand Falls Trail, Reversing Falls Trail, Foss and Knowlton Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

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