Gulf Hagas Trail Guide

Gulf Hagas is a fantastic hike in the 100 Mile Wilderness region of Maine that features great views from the rim of its deep, narrow canyon and many, many waterfalls!  Screw Auger Falls, on the eastern end of Gulf Hagas, is an especially nice waterfall and swimming hole.

The full loop of Gulf Hagas is 8 miles from the trailhead at Pleasant River or 10 miles from the “Head of the Gulf” trailhead.

If you just want to visit Screw Auger Falls, it’s about a 3.5 mile out-and-back hike from the trailhead at Pleasant River.

You can access Gulf Hagas from Greenville (Moosehead Lake) to the west or Brownville Junction to the east of Gulf Hagas.

Either way, you’ll drive on Katahdin Iron Works Road (a well maintained dirt road) and pay a fee at the KI-Jo Mary North Maine Woods checkpoint ($11 per person for Maine residents or $16 per person for out-of-state residents).

The directions below include both trailheads …  In Google Maps, the Pleasant River trailhead is labelled as “Gulf Hagas Lower Trailhead Parking” and the “Head of the Gulf” trailhead is simply labelled as “Gulf Hagas Trail Head”.

Both maps incorrectly have Monson, ME in the address but the GPS works.  (There’s no cell phone service in the area so start your GPS before leaving civilization!)

Directions to Gulf Hagas from Bangor

 

Directions to Gulf Hagas from Greenville

 

Hiking from Pleasant River Trailhead

This is the most popular trailhead because it gives you quickest access to the best part of Gulf Hagas, Screw Auger Falls.

After a very short walk from the parking lot through the woods, you’ll get on the Appalachian Trail and you’ll have to ford a 150 foot wide section of the Pleasant River.

When I did this hike in August, the water only came up to my shins.  However, the water is usually knee deep throughout the summer with a moderate current.

In the spring and early summer, the water is higher, the current is stronger, and it may be unsafe to cross.   Some rocks are slippery so take it slow and step carefully!  Water shoes are highly recommended.  (The “Head of Gulf” trailhead requires no river fording, described later)

After about 1.5 miles, you’ll leave the Appalachian Trail and cross Gulf Hagas Brook (easy).  Then, you’ll come to upper falls, shown below:

Shortly after the upper falls, you’ll arrive at Screw Auger Falls.

When I got there, there were brave kids jumping off the cliff into the deep pool. I thought this would be a fun way to get down to the falls, but I had my camera bag, so I followed the trail down. The trail down is steep so be careful.

Screw Auger Falls is one of Maine’s finest swimming holes … The waterfall is bigger than it appears in pictures, and the water was raging even when I went during a drought in August.

The swimming hole isn’t huge, but it’s very deep, and there’s a rock shelf that you can sit on and slide in and out of the pool. If you’ve ever been to SeaWorld, it’s like the shallow section of Shamu’s pool that the whale swims up on!

There are several smaller waterfalls in front of Screw Auger Falls, and then another big waterfall with another pool.  I didn’t see an easy way to get down to that pool but I bet people do it, somehow.

At this point you could turn around and return the way you came, or do a shorter loop using the first cut-off, but then you would be missing many more waterfalls and the views as you walk along the top of the deep canyon on the rim trail.

If you continue, it’s about 2.5 miles on the rugged, rocky and heavily rooted rim trail, with multiple viewpoints of the canyon and more waterfalls, to the junction with Pleasant River Tote Road which is an easier trail back to the trailhead.

 

Hiking from Head of the Gulf

Doing the Gulf Hagas loop from this trailhead is a bit longer, but the benefit is that you don’t have to ford the Pleasant River or any brooks, so in times of high water, this is a safer trailhead to use.

The first 2 miles are uneventful, but easy, and after about 45 minutes to an hour, you’ll reach the first set of waterfalls, Stair Falls, where Bear Brook converges with the Pleasant River.

I thought that these falls were gorgeous …  Although none of the falls here have a big drop, I was blown away by the amount of falls in one area.  Pictured above are the upper falls, and then around the bend are the lower falls.

Around the next bend are even more falls at Billings Falls and a great viewpoint from high above the canyon.

 

Next on the rim trail is Buttermilk Falls, but along the way there are several more viewpoints and more waterfalls not labelled on the map …

Buttermilk Falls are at about the halfway point of the rim trail.  There’s a pool here that can be good for swimming.

If you’re tired, you can use the cutoff trail from here and go back to the trailhead on the Pleasant River Tote Trail, which is much easier and flatter than the Rim Trail.

If you continue on the Rim Trail, you’ll pass by “The Jaws”, an especially narrow section of the canyon and the “Hammond Street Pitch” viewpoint.

Finally, you’ll reach what is the highlight of the hike for most people, Screw Auger Falls!

You can jump in for a refreshing swim and then return to the Head of the Gulf on the easier Pleasant River Tote Road.

 

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