Hiking in Maine

The bulk of Sugarloaf Mountain rises above the dirt Shin Brook Falls Road (marked with a handwritten wooden sign), a left turn from the Patten area off Grand Lake Road just before the Seboeis River. Parking is available in an open area at the first hard right turn (1/3 mile) in the road, with the trail marked in the same way. These handwritten “Trail” or “To Falls” boards are the signage on this 3/4 mile total hike near Shin Pond Village (actual location is T6R7 WELS), and were vaguely reminiscent of internet memes with a sign scrawled “Candy” next to an abandoned building. A map and full description (along with many other Maine waterfall hikes) are found in the book Hiking Waterfalls Maine.

The trail down to Shin Falls was wet and flooded, and the sound of chattering red squirrels was quickly drowned out by that of rushing water, audible immediately after climbing a small rise in the trail, leading to a downhill grade. The falls are truly impressive from above, and a hike of less than half a mile will take you to the base, where you can look up at the rushing torrent. After recent late-summer storms, the falls were overflowing the banks, and the leaves of the trees left standing were bent back in the cool breeze created by falling water. The pool at the base of the falls can be a swimming hole, but was likely too swift and full of debris on this day to be safe. A small winding footpath took me back up to the trailhead, amid the sounds of chickadees and pileated woodpeckers.

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