Step Falls is a 150-foot cascade on Wight Brook in Newry, Oxford County, Maine, where the brook slides down a long staircase of granite ledges and pools inside the Mahoosuc Land Trust's Step Falls Preserve. A short trail from Route 26 follows the water up the falls, and the pools draw swimmers in summer.
The falls
The World Waterfall Database, which surveyed the falls in person, describes a steep sliding cascade: a smooth series of slides and cascades more than 800 feet long, with no single section much over 40 feet. It puts the total height at 150 feet. The brook runs over open ledges of granite and pegmatite that the land trust dates to the Devonian, about 385 million years old, and ice and water have split the rock into potholes and deep plunge pools.
Getting there
The preserve is at 1619 Bear River Road (Route 26) in Newry, 13.7 miles up Route 26 from its junction with US 2 east of Bethel. The land trust describes the trail as about three-quarters of a mile long and steep toward the top; AllTrails logs it at 1.0 mile round trip with 180 feet of gain and rates it easy. Parking is in the preserve lot only; parking on the road or in neighbors' driveways is not allowed, and an attendant may close the lot for a while when it fills on hot weekends. Land trust properties are open dawn to dusk, with no overnight use.
When to go
The falls look best during the spring freshet or after heavy rain; in summer the flow drops considerably. Maine by Foot expects crowds on hot summer days.
On site
The trail climbs alongside the cascades over roots and some steep pitches and is not wheelchair accessible. The land trust notes pools suitable for wading, swimming and sunning. Dogs are allowed on a leash or under voice control. The top of the falls is on private land: the trail ends at a fence, and the land trust warns that trespassers can be fined by the Maine Warden Service.
History and name
The Nature Conservancy transferred Step Falls to the Mahoosuc Land Trust in October 2012, and the trust rebuilt the parking lot and trail the following summer. The falls are also known as Wight Brook Falls.
Nearby
Screw Auger Falls is about 1.8 miles away, Jail Falls about 2.2 miles and Mother Walker Falls about 2.8 miles, all on the Bear River.
Distances are straight-line.