Local Gem: The Cataracts
Trail Name: The Cataracts (or The Flume)
Location: Andover West Surplus Township
Distance: 0.9 miles (out and back)
Elevation gain: 170 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pets: Allowed
About five miles west of Maine’s cutest small town (wink,wink), you will find a beautiful, serene, family-friendly day hike. This trail is a local favorite, and it’s easy to see why. In the summer, it features waterfalls, swimming holes, and gorges. It is so darn picturesque that I daresay it is my favorite Maine waterfall(s) trail.
My favorite thing about this trail is how it changes with the seasons. My least favorite thing about this trail is the amount of mosquitos that bebop around it in the summertime. This trail is very damp (i.e. perfect breeding ground for winged-insects) so plan to bring and use a significant amount of insect spray. I’m Maine born and raised, so i’m not usually one to complain about insects—but just trust me on this one.
In the summer, you will find a lower falls, which features a twelve-foot drop through a tight slot near the end of the deep gorge. Past that, you will come to the middle falls, known as the Cataract, which is a narrow seventy-foot falls that glides down rocks into a pothole. The last falls, known as the flume, is the widest and most picture-friendly. It also the busiest falls, due to its refreshing swimming holes.
Although most would consider this a summer destination, I prefer to save it for the Winter, when there are no mosquitos in sight. The trail is usually packed down by local snowshoers, so using winter hiking boots or snowshoes will do just fine. It typically takes about twenty minutes to get to the flume in the winter, that is, if you’re not stopping at every photo op. I feel like I should also add a disclaimer that the only views on this trail are of the waterfalls and gorges (although i’m not quite sure how someone could be disappointed by those?)
