Backpacker – August 2019

No. 39

SPLASH IN GULF HAGAS BROOK.

Hundred Mile Wilderness/Appalachian Trail Corridor, ME

CHOOSING THE BEST swimming hole in a gorge full of ’em is no easy

task. Just off the AT in central Maine’s moose-filled forests, the West

Branch of the Pleasant River careens through a slate canyon, forming a

chain of water features over about 3 miles. First up: Screw Auger Falls,

a 26-footer on Gulf Hagas Brook that spills into a secluded pool (look

for the mini waterslide just downstream). Next: Buttermilk Falls, a

lacy pourover feeding a hardwood-framed pond. Then: Stairs Falls and

Head of the Gulf—and the list of coves, bowls, and toe-dipping spots

rea lly does go on.

Decide for yourself on an 8-mile, lollipop-loop dayhike tracing

the river. From the gorge’s ea stern tra ilhead, hike pa st 150-yea r-old

white pines en route to the AT. Connect to the R im Tra il a nd sta r t your

research at Screw Auger Falls at mile 2.8. Pass the others as you loop

back to the start via Pleasant River Tote Trail.

Swim season June to August Trailhead Hay Brook/Gulf

Hagas (45.4777, -69.2850) Regs $10/person entry Contact

northmainewoods.org

Keep your beer cold.

Find a mountain stream and you don’t need a

cooler that costs a paycheck. Here’s how:

1.Empty a stuffsack and put your cans

inside (never pack glass).

2. Submerge the goods in a river or strea m.
   ( Weigh down with rocks or tie off.)
   3.Wait an hour—if you can. –Z.G.

No. 40

WINDING STAIRS

Ouachita National Forest, AR

DEEP IN THE furrowed topog raphy of the Ouachita , the Wild & Scenic

Little Missouri R iver kinks back on itself a few times to form Winding

Stairs, a mile-long segment where clear, waist-deep water pools under

hulking outcroppings. The best swimming is where R avens Bra nch a nd

Viles Branch Creeks pour into the river. Make it a 20-mile out-and-back

on the Little Missouri Tra il, pa ra lleling the water under oa k, elm, a nd

old-growth pine. Camp at an established site in Winding Stairs.

Swim season June to September Trailhead Little Missouri Fa lls
PHOTOS BY (LEFT) ADAM MOWERY; CHRIS BENNETT PHOTO (34.4227, -93.9196) Regs None Contact http://www.fs.usda.gov/ouachita

Buttermilk Falls

JULY/AUGUST 2019

BACKPACKER.COM 75