Screw Auger Falls

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—feet tall

A tiered on Gulf Hagas Brook.

Scale12/60

Documentation20/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Tiered
Watercourse: Gulf Hagas Brook
Coordinates: 45.48368, -69.30434

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About Screw Auger Falls

Screw Auger Falls is a tiered in Maine, on Gulf Hagas Brook.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

Plungeworthy rates Screw Auger Falls 4.6/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

This is the remote sibling of the Grafton Notch falls of the same name, tucked inside Gulf Hagas — Maine's 'Grand Canyon,' a National Natural Landmark slate gorge with cliff walls up to 150 feet. Screw Auger Falls here drops roughly 15 feet into a deep, dark circular pool ringed by a bowl-shaped rock wall, making it the most photographed spot along the Rim Trail.

Reaching it means clearing a private-road gatehouse, then hiking several miles along the Appalachian Trail and Gulf Hagas Brook — a genuinely different commitment than its roadside namesake, closer in spirit to Dunn Falls or Angel Falls than to a scenic pull-off.

The punchbowl pool draws swimmers mid-hike, and the falls sits in a sequence with Stair Falls, Billings Falls, and Buttermilk Falls — one stop in a canyon full of them, not a standalone destination.

Getting there

Trailhead: West Branch Pleasant River trailhead, inside the KI-Jo Mary Multiple Use Forest
Parking: Marked lot at the Pleasant River crossing
Road: From Brownville Junction: SR 11 north ~5.5 miles, then gravel private timberland roads through the KI-Jo Mary gate system to the trailhead
Hike: 3.5 mi round trip (Moderate — the hike starts with an unbridged ford of the Pleasant River)
Heads up: 3.5 miles round trip for just this falls; longer combined with the full Rim Trail loop past Billings, Buttermilk, and Stair Falls.

When to go

KI-Jo Mary checkpoints operate daily 6am-9pm (to 10pm Friday/Saturday at the Jo-Mary gate) during the open season. Confirm current-year dates with North Maine Woods before a trip — private forest roads carry seasonal restrictions.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: North Maine Woods KI-Jo Mary day-use gate fee, roughly $10-18 depending on residency — rates vary year to year, confirm at the checkpoint
Hours: Checkpoints 6am-9pm daily (10pm Fri/Sat at Jo-Mary)
Camping: Designated North Maine Woods campsites available for an additional fee
Warnings: No bridge across the Pleasant River at the trailhead — it's a real ford. Cash or check only at the gate.

Researched from pchapin.org — Screw Auger Falls, Gulf Hagas · North Maine Woods — Checkpoints, Rates, Fees · Northeast Hikes — Gulf Hagas Hiking Guide. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Screw Auger Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

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Screw Auger Falls doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.