Whither Angel Falls?

[Raymond]

Last week whilst in Maine we looked for Angel Falls, supposedly the highest waterfall in the state, but I couldn't figure out where it is. I visited it in 1990, and the way I remember it, there was a road on the west side of Route 17, well south of the height-of-land, that led a short distance into a gravel pit, and the trail to the waterfall led southwest from the gravel pit.

Last week I saw a few private roads in the approximate area as I recall it, which I didn't investigate, but the most likely public candidate crossed a narrow wood bridge then passed some houses and headed off to the northeast, rapidly deteriorating past the point I wanted to drive on it. There was no gravel pit anywhere in sight anyway.

I hope it hasn't disappeared from public access. Can anyone provide me with directions?

 

[el-bagr]

Sounds like you found the Bemis track again -- that sounds like the right road. It was passable to my Taurus earlier this summer. Cross the Swift river at the Houghton intervale, then head NW (by car!) up Berdeen Stream. Shortly before you get to "Ten Degree" (the big bend in the railroad grade), there's a gravel pit downhill on your left. Several years ago I drove down the short spur, but there's no need. Leave your car out of the way on the Bemis Track, then hike briefly downhill through the pit. There's a trail heading generally SE out of the SW corner of the pit.

Best of luck. It can be tough to find, but if it's flowing big, it's worth it. A fine XC ski, btw.

 

[Fitz]

Follow the crowd..

I was in there Labor Day weekend and there was a huge crowd. Lots of cars were parked on the old railroad bed above the gravel pit. I usually hit the old rail bed from the North end near Mooselookmeguntic. It is a left turn off RT 17 going north at an old school house on the left.

Here is the location of the falls:

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=19&n=4960262&e=364744&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

When facing the south end of the pit, take the tote road/trail to the left. A fair amount of ATV traffic was in there too.

 

[roadtripper]

Angel Falls certainly is one of the trickier falls to find....

Trail Information:
For the first 0.2 mile of the hike to the falls, the trail follows an old dirt road that stems from Bemis Rd. It is currently only distinguishable from other roads by a sign prohibiting kindling fires in the area. Follow this dirt road as it descends past a gravel pit on the left and a large dirt lot on the right. You should soon see two obvious trails. Take the left red-blazed trail.
About 0.5 mile from the parking pull offs, cross Berden Stream, which, on our visits, was completed with minimal effort. We have heard of some difficulties of crossing this stream during periods of high water. After crossing the stream, continue for 0.3 mile further, following the red-markers as the trail skips back and forth across the brook before reaching the base of the falls.

Directions:
From the junction of US 2 and ME 17 in Mexico, take ME 17 north. Continue traveling on ME 17 north for 11.9 miles past the road that leads to you ME 120 (Frye Crossover Rd). Take a left onto Houghton Rd. Houghton Rd is 1.5 mile south of the “Township E Town Line” sign. Follow Houghton Rd for 0.25 mile and take a right onto Bemis Rd. Follow Bemis Rd for 3.4 miles and several parking pull offs will be on your left. To get to Mexico, take ME 17 north from Augusta or US 2 east from Bethel.

Hope this helps, and good luck if you give it a second shot!

-Greg

 

[marty]

The road and trail directions posted previously are excellent. As I use this road a lot, there are a couple of other suggestions I can give:
1. The turn off to Houghton Road is just past two small red barns on the right, which are across from a single house with a large field. Just past the field is the left turn on to Houghton Road.
2. The Bemis Road in this area is commonly known to the local folks as the "Bemis Track."

When I was last on this road a couple of weeks ago, it was quite rough but passable south of Angel Falls. The road is a bit better to the north. One of these days Mead Paper will fix up the road, hopefully soon.

Good luck,
Marty

 

[Raymond]

Thanks for all the info. I guess I had the right place, all right, I just didn't remember having to drive all that far before starting to hike. Next year!