Jail Falls is a 24-foot waterfall on Bear River in Oxford County, Maine, in the Northeastern Highlands region. It lies about 13 miles northwest of Bethel and roughly 71 miles northwest of Portland as the crow flies.
At 24 feet it is on the modest side for Maine, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 29 feet; it ranks 48th of 80. The tallest single drop is 16 feet. By form it is a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 2 drops.
The Northeastern Highlands are the mountains of northern New England and the Adirondacks, with spruce-fir on the summits and northern hardwood forest of maple, beech and birch below, and countless lakes and boulder-strewn brooks. Fast mountain streams drop over granite and gneiss ledges in chains of falls and pools. Bear River carries 3 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 98 feet.
Oxford County holds 34 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Paine Creek Falls, is under a mile away. Screw Auger Falls, a 43-foot tiered waterfall, is under a mile away. Mother Walker Falls, 98 feet high, is under a mile away.
Jail Falls is located at 44.5719° N, 70.9106° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.