Coos Canyon is a 10-foot waterfall on the Swift River in the town of Byron, Oxford County, Maine, where the river pours through a narrow bedrock gorge beside Route 17. The canyon is right in the center of Byron, and it is a popular spot for swimming, picnics and panning for gold.
The falls
A single steep cascade about 10 feet high and 20 feet wide, the upper of a pair of small falls where the river makes a sharp left-hand bend, surveyed in person. Above it are three more drops of under 3 feet each. The Swift River drains about 70 square miles above the canyon, so the falls run all year. Earlier surveys listed 23 feet; another guide gives a 15-foot total drop.
Getting there
The falls sit beside the Coos Canyon Rest Area on Route 17 in Byron. Parking is on the west side of the road, and the viewing rocks are about 100 feet from the car. The Town of Byron and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands have worked together on protected public access to the river here.
When to go
April to November is the recommended season. The World Waterfall Database notes that the river runs at its highest for about two months of the year, and that spring backwater partly drowns the small upper drops, which stand out more clearly in drier months.
On site
The canyon and falls are visible from the roadside, which counts as wheelchair-accessible viewing, and dogs are allowed. The parking area has picnic tables and charcoal grills. The Swift River is known as one of Maine's prime places to pan for gold, and a rock and gift shop stands across the street. In June 2016 a hiker was seriously injured in a fall at the canyon; stay back from the gorge edges, check the pools before swimming and don't jump from the rocks.
History and name
Byron was incorporated in 1833 and named for the British poet Lord Byron.
Nearby
Swift River Falls, on the same river, is about 5.8 miles away. Angel Falls is about 5.7 miles away, Silver Ripple Cascade about 5.8 miles and Ellis Falls about 6.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.