Howe Falls
Piscataquis County, Maine
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Piscataquis County, Maine
- Access status
- Park trail route documented; park fees and rules apply
- The walk
- About 1.2 miles one way to the lower falls; 3 miles one way to the end of the trail
- Ground & access
- Blue-blazed valley trail with about 700 feet of elevation gain. Brook crossings. Use caution where the main trail climbs steeply above the ravine.
Start on the Pogy Notch Trail at the east end of South Branch Pond Campground and follow the pond shore for 1 mile. Turn left on the blue-blazed Howe Brook Trail. After 0.2 mile the first smooth chutes, deep pools and potholes begin, with falls continuing for about half a mile. At 1.8 miles an unmarked side trail leads right to falls in a deep ravine, and at 2.0 miles the trail ends at a 20-foot sheer waterfall. The mapped point is near the lower part of the brook, so it most likely marks the lower falls and pools.
Plan your visit
South Branch Pond Campground, Baxter State Park, by the Pogy Notch Trail to the Howe Brook Trail
Maine Trail Finder: 1 mile on the Pogy Notch Trail to the Howe Brook Trail junction, then 0.2 mile to the first chutes and pools. The Howe Brook Trail ends at 2.0 miles at a 20-foot waterfall; the full hike is 6 miles return from the campground.
Blue-blazed valley trail with about 700 feet of elevation gain. Brook crossings. Use caution where the main trail climbs steeply above the ravine.
Where to start
South Branch Pond Campground general parking area. Maine by Foot says it is reached by driving almost 6 miles from Matagamon Gate, then 2.3 miles in on the campground road.
Timing & water
Park road access is seasonal; check Baxter State Park for current gate dates. The 6-mile hike can be shortened by canoeing across the pond to the Pogy Notch Trail.
Before you go
Baxter State Park entrance and camping fees apply; Maine Trail Finder notes no entrance fee for Maine residents. Everyone must register at a gatehouse or self-registration station. Pets are not allowed in the park.
Visitor informationMore waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- South Branch FallsFirsthand route and designated parking documented; state park rules applyPiscataquis County, ME2.0 miNW
- Haskell Rock PitchOfficial monument route with published distancePenobscot County, ME6.1 miE
- Wassataquoik Grand FallsPiscataquis County, ME6.2 miS
- Norway FallsPiscataquis County, ME6.6 miS
- Green FallsPiscataquis County, ME6.6 miSW
- Pond PitchNational monument trail route and trailhead documentedPenobscot County, ME6.7 miE
- Ledge FallsPiscataquis County, ME7.2 miS
- Grand PitchPublished trail route in a national monumentPenobscot County, ME7.3 miE
- The Hulling MachinePenobscot County, ME7.9 miSE