Step Falls
Description
The twenty-four-acre Step Falls Preserve includes land on both sides of Wight Brook in Newry, Maine. The brook flows over open ledges and potholes creating numerous pools suitable for wading, swimming, and sunning. The ¾ mile trail provides access to the Falls and becomes steep towards the top.
Special Features
The bedrock exposures at Step Falls are comprised of igneous rocks - granite and pegmatite that formed during the Devonian Period. More specifically, samples taken from an area near Step Falls indicate that these rocks are about 385 million years old.
The brook trail follows a section of Wight Brook that is classified as a braided stream. The water froths and foams as it flows around the rocks, creating an ideal environment for brook trout. Further up, there are deep plunge pools formed by the action of ice and water splitting the underlying granite. After the brook trail rejoins the right fork, the forest becomes dominated by hardwoods and softwoods: white birch, beech, hemlock, white oak, fir, and spruce. Hobblebush, painted trilliums, gold thread, bunchberry, club moss, and wood sorrel grow in the understory. As you approach the upper limit of the preserve, you will enter a small grove of red pine trees.
Lorem Ipsum Heading
Step Falls is a very popular destination often appearing on Top 10 Waterfall Lists. As a result, our small parking lot fills quickly on hot weekends. Our parking lot attendant may need to temporarily close the lot until spaces free up. No parking is permitted on the road or in neighbors driveways.
Signage at boundaries must be respected, and trespassers on neighboring lands risk fines and/or prosecution by the Maine Warden Service. Please respect our neighbors.
How This Place Became Open To the Public
In October 2012, The Nature Conservancy transferred the title of Step Falls to the Mahoosuc Land Trust. In the summer of 2013, the Land Trust rebuilt the parking lot and the trail to the falls to improve the visitor experience.
