About Dunn Falls
Dunn Falls seemed to be one of those waterfalls where I really had to work to see, but it richly rewarded me with a sense of peace and solitude that I didn’t get from most of my New England waterfalling experiences.
Dunn Falls actually consisted of two waterfalls – a lower and upper waterfall.
The lower waterfall featured a pair of steep drops in a narrow ravine mostly hidden from sight until I got right into the ravine itself (see photo above).
It was said to have a cumulative drop of about 80ft, and a fallen log that was stuck within the narrow gorge somehow added a bit to its character.
The upper waterfall featured a sloping and fanned out shape over a 70ft cumulative drop.
It had lighter flow than the lower waterfall, and the viewing was a bit more awkward thanks to the jumble of rocks and foliage beneath its largest tier.
However, its large plunge pool at the base of the lower drop looked very inviting for a swim on a hot day, especially if there would hardly be other people around.
Why Dunn Falls Required Effort
My pre-trip reading of our copy of the New England Waterfalls book made a real good suggestion of doing a loop hike that went straight to the pair of waterfalls first.
Then, finish the loop hike by going on the Appalachian Trail.
It said that this route was only 2 miles, but I swore that the hike was much longer than that.
It featured a lot of elevation gain and loss that was steep in many places and fairly rough (making me glad that I didn’t bring our daughter and Julie on this hike).
Some of the steep climbs and drops were even on the Appalachian Trail itself, which made me wonder just how the trailblazers would expect people with heavy packs to do this hike.
In any case, my GPS log said I had hiked at least 2.6 miles, and it took me nearly 2.5 hours to finish at a quick pace, which was tempered by numerous photo stops along the way.
As a result of Dunn Falls requiring this much effort in a seemingly remote and undeveloped forest in Maine, the excursion seemed to embody the state’s wild and off-the-beaten-path feel.
The Dunn Falls Hike – From Trailhead to Lower Falls
The trail began from an unassuming pullout besides the road (see directions below).
Then, I had to explore a bit and walk along this road for about 200ft east towards a pair of trail openings on both sides of the road.
The white hash that was marked on the road as well as an Appalachian Trail signpost and trail opening helped to assure me that I had found the right place to start the hike.
There was also north opening on the opposite side of the road leading further uphill, but that one did not lead to Dunn Falls so I didn’t pursue it.
After descending some steps, I quickly got close to a junction next to a brook.
A sign indicated that the Cascades Loop was on the left while one of the Appalachian Trail junction was on the right.
This would be the beginning and end of the looping part of the hike so per the advice of the New England Waterfalls (NEW) book, I kept left and followed the brook downstream past a series of some small cascades and rapids.
After about 0.5 miles from the Cascade Trail junction, I encountered a fairly long and rocky stream crossing.
The NEW book said this stream might be deep enough to wade across during times of higher runoff.
So I had brought hiking sandals just in case I had to do a stream crossing deep enough to ruin a good pair of hiking boots.
Fortunately, it turned out that the stream was low enough that it wasn’t necessary for the change of shoes during my visit.
Immediately following this stream crossing, the trail steeply climbed uphill towards a ridge.
The steep climb felt like a little bit like deja vu in that I had to endure some rough scrambling and paying close attention to the blue hashes to avoid getting lost (reminiscent of the Bemis Brook Trail detour to Arethusa Falls).
Once I was on the ridge, the hiking was much easier once again as the trail undulated then eventually descended back down towards the brook once again.
At the bottom of the descent, the trail turned to the right and continued amongst a flat leafy section of forest before getting to the next stream crossing – this time of the Ellis River – about 0.2 miles from the first stream crossing.
This particular crossing was also long and required me to do some rock hopping, but I could imagine how crossing it with the boots off might be required if the water level of the river was any higher than when I saw it.
Beyond this second stream crossing, the trail then took me to a fork on the trail.
There was a cluster of blue hashes, which further hinted to me of the decision to make.
Once again using the NEW book as the guide, I knew that going left at this fork would’ve continued towards the Appalachian Trail while the right fork would lead me towards the Lower Dunn Falls.
So I went right and followed this somewhat narrower and rockier trail (eroded in some spots) for another 0.2 miles until I could hear the sounds of rushing water getting louder.
When I realized that the Lower Dunn Falls was hidden out of sight in a ravine, I scrambled on the boulders that were in the way to get closer.
Being very careful not to slip and fall on the scramble, I eventually situated myself right in front of the impressive Lower Falls right beneath the fallen log spanning its narrow ravine.
Since I didn’t bring a tripod with me, I had to get creative and use the boulders to steady the camera for that pleasing shot you see at the top of this web page.
The Dunn Falls Hike – From the Lower Falls to the Upper Falls
The Lower Dunn Falls could’ve made me content to just see this one waterfall and go back to the trailhead.
However, I knew there was another waterfall to see so I backtracked on the rough spur trail to get back to the Cascades Trail.
Then, I followed the other fork uphill which eventually brought me up towards the top of Lower Dunn Falls.
There was yet another trail junction (this time I saw white blazes indicating the Appalachian Trail) so I turned right at this junction to cross the West Branch of the Ellis River above the Lower Falls.
Making sure I was sure-footed so I wouldn’t fall over the waterfall below me, I then encountered another trail junction on the other side of the river.
This trail junction had a sign telling me that the trail to the Upper Falls was on the left while the trail back to connect with the Appalachian Trail was on the right.
There was a gorgeous view of the forest and the Autumn colors beyond the ravine containing the Lower Dunn Falls, which I used as sort of a short rest break to assess where I was as well as where I was going next and all the while taking pictures of the panorama.
Afterwards, I took the trail on the left to pursue the Upper Dunn Falls.
The trail was much flatter and fairly easy to follow, and I once again had to follow blue-colored hashes to ensure that I wouldn’t lose the trail.
The path pretty much followed the West Branch of the Ellis River in the upstream direction the whole way so I never lost my sense of direction here.
After about 0.3 miles (with a minor rock climb along the way), I eventually got to the large and pleasing plunge pool fronting a small waterfall.
At first I thought this was the Upper Dunn Falls, but then I saw that there were more somewhat concealed tiers of the waterfall further upstream from this sun-drenched lower tier.
So I continued to get closer to those hidden upper tiers, which involved scrambling up a steep embankment that went up and around the smaller waterfall.
Then, I found myself next to the sloping upper tiers of the Upper Dunn Falls.
I had to scramble a bit more on some fallen logs in order to get right into the middle of the stream so I could finally get a frontal look at the cascade before me.
However, the close proximity of the viewing spot with the 70ft slooping falls made the viewing a bit awkward.
Thus, there was no way I could capture the Upper Dunn Falls in a single still without stitching.
Anyways, compared with the Lower Dunn Falls, the Upper Dunn Falls was a bit of an anticlimax.
However, it was still a pleasant reward for the trouble to get here.
Besides, I’m sure at a warmer time of the year, I probably could’ve gone for a dip back at that large plunge pool below.
The Dunn Falls Hike – Returning along the Appalachian Trail
When I had my fill of the Upper Dunn Falls, I backtracked the 0.3 miles to the signposted trail junction at the top of the Lower Dunn Falls.
Then, I went steeply uphill to the left (making sure I didn’t re-cross the river above the Lower Falls) where I was once again following white blazes to keep me from getting lost.
I kept telling myself that this seemingly long and steep climb to regain the Appalachian Trail would be the end of the hardest part of the hike.
But little did I know that the remainder of the hike after this climb would still undulate up and down along a ridge for the next 0.7 miles.
Only after that undulating stretch did the hike finally descend back towards the brook crossing next to the original trail junction at the very start of the hike.
After crossing the brook, I just had to go back up the steps and follow the road back to the parked car.
So as you can see from the rather lengthy trail description, this wasn’t an easy hike despite its modest trail length, but it was rewarding.
I didn’t even encounter another person the whole time I was on this trail.
Therefore, I’d imagine that if you want nice waterfalls without a crowd, going through the effort to see the Dunn Falls ensemble would be just what the doctor ordered.
Authorities
Dunn Falls resides near Andover North Surplus in Oxford County, Maine. To my knowledge, it is not administered by an official governmental entity. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try to visit their website.
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