MarknRobin Making Memories: The Gulf Hagas Trail

October 3rd ~ Mark didn't sleep well last night worrying about what today would bring. We had planned to head into more of the backwoods Maine wilderness traveling on rough logging roads away from phone service, and he was concerned that our plugged tire and our spare would not be sufficient carrying 3,000 lbs of camper. He didn't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere. At first light we got up and went to Stanley's Garage hoping they could fit us in. Since they service the whole area, they were indeed very busy, but within an hour were able to squeeze us in and re-patch our tire from the inside. They said it was good to go, so we did :)

We traveled Scenic Hwy 11 from Millinocket down to Prairie and took the Katahdin Iron Works Road to Gulf Hagas. We slooooooooowly crawled 3 to 10 mph down this rough, rocky, washboard road for about 7 miles. Several people had warned us of this road's penchant for eating tires and Mark did not want to compromise a tire by going any faster. It was a pretty ride through the woods though, because the trees had begun to show their colors.

When we arrived at the Katahdin Iron Works, we found that the original furnace from the Iron Works that operated here for 25 years in the 1880's is still standing.

Katahdin Iron Works stone furnace

To continue driving from this point you must pay $12 per person for access to the privately owned portion of the logging road and pass through a gate that is opened from 7am to 9pm. The two older women who monitor the gate live in the gatehouse for a week at a time alternating weeks with another couple. We paid our $24 plus $2 for a trail map and then sloooooooowly proceeded another 7 miles to the Gulf Hagas Trail which also intersects with the Appalachian Trail. The Gulf Hagas is a Slate gorge carved by the West Branch of the Pleasant River. There are five major waterfalls and nearly vertical walls (up to 120 feet high). The eight mile loop trail is rated moderate to difficult.

One lane bridge

Cabin on private land

To access the trail you must wade 150 feet through the COLD waters of the West Branch Pleasant River which can be as high as thigh deep but was lower this year due to the drought (about mid calf at the deepest). The bottom is completely covered with stones, the larger ones quite slippery, so you must step very, very carefully as you wade across. We were glad we brought extra shoes so we could get one pair wet wading and wear a dry pair hiking.

The trail has some easier sections, but is mostly rocky and uneven, or covered with tree roots, and very steep at times. We were mostly hiking/climbing through woods, but periodically took a side trail to an overlook to view waterfalls or canyon walls. We started our hike at 1:30 and hiked for about five and a half hours. We ran into a couple people at the very beginning of our hike but after that we were completely alone. We saw two of the waterfalls and traversed what we were told was the most difficult part of the rim trail, but had to turn back before completing the length of the whole canyon because it was getting too late. We did our final leg of the trail and waded across the river in the dark. Even though we had no phone service, Mark had carried his phone. That turned out to be a HUGE blessing because we used the flashlight on the phone to help avoid stumbling over the rocks or losing the way. We would have gotten lost in the woods without it. We slowly drove the 7 miles back to the gate and arrived about 8:30pm. When we checked in with the gate-keeper ladies they were glad to see us and admitted to being concerned because it was getting late. They graciously let us park outside the gate for the night so we could drive out in the morning. Although I was exhausted after our hike, it was a very fun day and I was a little disappointed we didn't have the time (or the energy:) to hike the whole trail.