Moxie Falls is a 71-foot tiered waterfall on Moxie Stream in Somerset County, Maine, dropping into a deep pool in the woods above the stream's meeting with the Kennebec River. An easy trail off Moxie Pond Road near The Forks leads to wooden viewing platforms above the main plunge.
The falls
The World Waterfall Database surveyed the falls in October 2023 and describes three tiered plunges of 46, 16 and 9 feet, 71 feet in all. The main 46-foot drop lands in a large basin with a pool about 17 feet deep; the stream averages about 20 feet wide, up to 45 feet. The long-published figure is 90 feet. Moxie Stream drains Moxie Pond, about 5 miles upstream.
Getting there
The trail is managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. From US 201 at The Forks, about 50 miles north of Skowhegan, turn onto Moxie Pond Road; the trailhead is on the left about 2.3 miles along, with parking and no fee. The walk is 2 miles round trip, rated easy to moderate. The first half mile, on gravel and compacted forest floor, is accessible; a woods-road crossing at about the halfway point makes a turnaround for wheeled mobility devices. Beyond it the trail continues on wooden stairs and boardwalks to the falls.
When to go
A dam at the outlet of Moxie Pond helps regulate the flow, estimated at about 50 cfs for seven months of the year and 15 cfs for the other five. The trail is busy, especially on weekends between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The foot trail isn't maintained in winter and snowshoes are recommended.
On site
Several wooden observation platforms overlook the main drop; the two lower tiers can't be seen from them. Leashed dogs are permitted, and camping is not allowed at the falls. Swimming below the falls is allowed with caution. The wood, rocks and roots near the falls are slippery when wet: in April 2020 an 18-year-old slipped about 30 feet down an embankment to the stream and had to be rescued and flown out by helicopter. Use caution on the approach to the falls.
History and name
The 90-foot figure for the falls dates to at least the 1870s, but how it was first measured is unknown.
Nearby
Carry Brook Falls is about 4.4 miles away, Cold Stream Falls about 8.5 miles and Grand Falls, on the Dead River, about 14.5 miles. Greenville is the nearest town, about 18.1 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.