October 10, 1999

Fall is the time for waterfalls

By ROBERTA SCRUGGS, Staff Writer

Copyright © 2000 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Oak, maple, hemlock and beech trees surround this cascade at Lower Bickford Slides in the White Mountain National Forest. Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski

GRAFTON NOTCH — I could see the breeze blowing through the tops of the trees, but there was no rustle of leaves. My boots hit the trail with the same thud as always, but the noise never reached my ears. One sound obliterated all the others — the rush of huge amounts of water pouring down Step Falls, rock by rock, ledge by ledge.

If there's a better place to enjoy autumn than on top of a waterfall in Maine's western mountains, I've never found it. In the past week, I visited five of my favorite spots. While every one has its own appeal, there are a few benefits common to all.

Fall hiking is cool and nearly bug-free. Although I love the new green of spring, there are no colors more glorious than those in the fall foliage. Even the ground is beautiful once the leaves start to line the trails in gold, yellow, brown and red.

Although some waterfall aficionados may prefer the high-volume flows of spring, there's plenty of water cascading down mountains each fall — especially this year, with rainfall already two inches above normal.

In the fall, even at the most beautiful spots, it's rare to see even one person, much less a crowd. Visiting waterfalls is a solitary kind of experience anyway. When there are other people around, they move in silence, their conversations lost in the soothing sound of the waterfalls themselves.

There are lots of waterfalls in Maine and New Hampshire, and lots of ways to find them. The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer lists 43, and a book by Bruce and Doreen Bolnick, "Waterfalls of the White Mountains," directs hikers to 100. Here are a handful I recommend because, for a relatively small physical investment, they provide a wonderful return.

Grafton Notch

As the sign out front says, this gorge (like most waterfalls) owes its existence to the glacier that moved through here more than 10,000 years ago. The first thing you'll see is a granite plateau, with holes scooped out in various formations. In summer, when the water is low, it's fun to splash around in this area, but now the Bear River is running cold and fast, and the rocks are slippery. Past this plateau, the river drops about 50 feet in all, and there are good spots to watch the water twist and turn through the gorge. Setting off the waterfall perfectly is a beautiful backdrop of colorful fall foliage.

As the leaves begin to turn to the rich colors of autumn, Nick Lucey of Georgia and his parents, Bill and Jeannine Lucey of Hilton Head, S.C., enjoy Screw Auger Falls in Grafton Notch State Park near Newry. Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski

One disadvantage is that the road is so close you can hear trucks grinding up the hills, but the sound of the falls drowns out much of the road noise. There are picnic tables and sunny ledges where you could spend a pleasant morning or afternoon here with little effort.

Just a little farther north on Route 26, but still in the park, you'll see the sign for Mother Walker Falls. There's not nearly as much to see here, but there's a lot less traffic. You just walk down a set of steps to a lookout over a deep ravine. Here, the sign tells you that the river gradually drops a total of 98 feet, while the gorge itself is nearly 43 feet deep and 1,000 feet long. At the north end of the parking area, I climbed over and under some rocks to see a thin curtain of water pouring off the hill and down some twisted rock formations. Mother Walker Falls is a quiet place to spend a little time. There's also a picnic table where you could have a quiet lunch.

My favorite waterfall here, though, is just south of the park boundary. As you're approaching Grafton Notch park from the south on Route 26, there's a bridge and a sign for Wight Brook (about eight miles from the junction of Route 2). The turnoff to the Step Falls parking area is just before that bridge, on a grassy road to the right. Don't bring your dog, because pets are not allowed.

Reaching Step Falls takes about 20 minutes, but the 0.6-mile walk is easy and beautiful. Just as the trail begins, there's a box for visitors to sign in and get a pamphlet about the history and geology of Step Falls.

Around the turn of the century, there was a nature camp here. In 1961, the land was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1961 by Fred Wight, whose family had long owned the property. When I hiked the trail Oct. 1, the register had been signed by 21 parties — individuals, couples or groups — since Sept. 15. They came from as close as Bethel and as far away as Washington State, Utah, England and Australia. But that Friday morning, I had the falls to myself for an hour or so. The hike was more of a walk until the last few hundred yards, when there was a bit of an uphill grade. Hiking guides list the vertical rise as from 300 to 1,200 feet, but it didn't feel like much of a climb.

There were so many beautiful cascades and pools on the walk out that I kept having to make myself go on. In the end, I was glad I did. The best view is the last one before the Nature Conservancy boundary, where signs politely ask you to stop because the abutting property is private. Stopping was no hardship, though, because sitting on a flat rock beside the falls was so pleasant. The day was sunny and warm, and the views of the falls, the valley and the ring of mountains were spectacular.

Luckily, I had brought along the one thing needed to make the experience perfect — a chocolate bar. If I hadn't eventually run out of chocolate I might be there still. That's how peaceful and beautiful Step Falls can be.

Evans Notch

Fallen leaves line the Lower Bickford Slide on the Bickford Brook in the White Mountain National Forest. The Blueberry Ridge Trail runs over this spot and diverts into the Upper Slides trail. Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski.

To reach Bickford Slides, you travel on Route 113 along the New Hampshire border, to Brickett Place, an old brick cape located roughly midway between Hastings and Stow. Be sure to get a parking permit ahead of time or put your $3 daily fee in the envelope and box provided where the trail begins.

The 20-minute (one way) trip to the Lower Slides is an easy 0.7-mile walk. It starts with a 200-foot uphill trail that joins a wide Forest Service trail. At 0.6 mile, take the Blueberry Ridge Trail to the right and down a steep grade to Bickford Brook. The Lower Slides are not so much a waterfall as a series of water chutes. In warm weather, it's fun to play in the water, but now it's too chilly.

Major and I plopped down on a sunny rock beside the water and spent an hour or so eating lunch and reading — at least I read — a less-than-intellectually challenging novel. But it was an enjoyable hour. Yellow and red leaves dropped one by one into the water and then bobbed and slid past us through the ripples. As the clouds blew over, the sun came and went, lighting first one spot and then another. We didn't see or hear another person on the trail or at the slides.

Moxie Falls

At approximately 90 feet high Moxie Falls is one of the highest and most spectacular in the state. A boardwalk with lookouts provides wonderful views of the falls. Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski

In the end, who cares? Moxie is tall, gorgeous and easier to reach. By car, the best way to get there is to drive to the Forks, on Route 201, and turn east at the bridge over the Kennebec, onto Lake Moxie Road. About three miles on the left, you'll see a sign for Moxie Falls and a small parking area. With a reliable four-wheel drive vehicle, it's also possible — though bone-jarring — to drive over from the Greenville area, as I did last week.

Turn west off Routes 15 and 6, onto the Upper Shirley Corner Road, and then just go straight until you reach civilization again at Lake Moxie. But be warned: You'll be driving up stream beds, across culverts and places where you wish there were a culvert, and into tire-swamping mud holes. The views were wonderful, though, and I saw a big, beautiful doe standing in the road, probably wondering who was dumb enough to be driving in those conditions.

The hike to the falls is really more of a nice 0.6-mile stroll. At the falls, there's a boardwalk with lookouts so you get good views from several angles. Be careful, though: The spray coats everything with water and when it's cold, as it was Tuesday morning, the walkway and rocks are slippery with ice. The best views of the falls are from two side-by-side lookouts at the end of the trail. But when I first arrived at that point, I could hear the falls and even feel their vibration through the wooden lookout, but I couldn't see them because there was fog, mist, maybe a low cloud, hiding them.

Then, as the sun rose, the falls emerged but with an odd twist: The huge cascade of water was roaring down, but on each side of it was a column of vapor rising. It was disconcerting but beautiful, especially with yellows leaves all around, shining with drops of water and bits of sunlight. At approximately 90 feet high Moxie Falls is one of the highest and most spactactular in the state. A boardwalk with lookouts provide wonderful views of the falls.

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