Showing posts with label Hikes – Grafton Notch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hikes – Grafton Notch. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Grafton Notch Sightseeing

Grafton Notch is located in western Maine, near the border with New Hampshire.  For those people not familiar with the upper Appalachian Mountain chain, “notches” are thin valleys between mountains.  Roads have been built through them, but the notches were never turned into farmland.  What the notches do have in abundance are scenic views.

Grafton Notch spans the towns of Upton, Grafton Township, and Newry.  Grafton Notch State Park is located in the notch.  There is also a Preserve located about a mile south of the park.  Sunday River Ski Area and Golf Club are on mountains at the southern end of the notch.  The Appalachian Trail also passes over the mountains on either side of the notch.  Finally, there is a 35 mile long loop trail that passes over all the major mountains that surround the notch.

There are many sights to see.  The best known is Screw Auger Falls.  This is a waterfall that turns almost like a screw.  Other things to see in the state park are Mother Walker Falls, Moose Cave, and the view from Table Rock.  In the Preserve is Step Falls, perhaps the most spectacular waterfall in the state.

Of these five sights, only Table Rock is a true hike.  Step Falls requires maybe a half mile of walking, sometimes uphill over roots.  The other three are very near the road and require little walking.  No hiking trails connect them; you drive short distances from one to the next.

If you are coming from the south: take Route 2 north out of Bethel, Maine.  About five miles from town Route 26 will separate off to the left.  Take it.  In about six miles you reach the state park.

If you are coming from the east: take Route 2 southwest out of Rumford, Maine.  About 10 miles out of town Route 26 will separate off to the right.  Take it.  In about six miles you reach the state park.

If you are coming from the west (except northern New Hampshire): take Route 2 east out of Gorham, New Hampshire, cross into Maine, and drive to Bethel.  Stay on Route 2 north out of Bethel.  About five miles from town Route 26 will separate off to the left.  Take it.  In about six miles you reach the state park.

If you are coming from northern New Hampshire: take Route 26 southeast out of Errol, New Hampshire, cross into Maine, and in about 5 miles you reach the state park.  Note: Since most visitors will be coming north up Route 26 the order of the posts is from south to north as they would encounter them.  You would encounter them in the reverse order.

Here are posts that go into these five sights in more detail, including photos and videos:


On to the hikes…

Hike – Step Falls

Step Falls
Step Falls is located in a Preserve just south of Grafton Notch State Park in Newry, Maine.  While it technically is not the highest waterfall in the state because it does not have a single unbroken drop, the cumulative drop is well over one hundred feet, with a good volume of water.

Hike – Screw Auger Falls

Screw Auger Falls
Screw Auger Falls is located in Grafton Notch State Park in Grafton Township, Maine.  It is a popular tourist attraction.  It features two waterfall drops that each turn away from the other, almost like a screw does.  There are good viewing areas and you can get right on top of the falls, too.

Hike – Mother Walker Falls

Mother Walker Falls
Mother Walker Falls is located in Grafton Notch State Park in Grafton Township, Maine.  It is a popular tourist attraction.  It features a gorge and a chute that force water downstream.  The falls themselves are now somewhat obscured by trees that have grown up in front of the viewing area.  It is still worth stopping if you are in the park, though.

Hike – Moose Cave

Moose Cave is located in Grafton Notch State Park in Grafton Township, Maine.  It is a popular tourist attraction.  It features a set of walkways that lead you to massive granite boulders that have broken off the cliff side, forming a “cave” and a chute of water.  It gets its name from a moose that fell into the water here.

Hike – Table Rock

Looking south from Table Rock
Table Rock is located in Grafton Notch State Park in Grafton Township, Maine.  It is a popular hiking attraction.  It is a flat rock that extends out off a cliff and features more than 180 degree views of the notch.  The following post describes a loop hike up the Appalachian Trail, then over to Table Rock, then down the Table Rock trail.