From our August 2024 issue
Accessing this cavernous rock formation in western Maine isn’t as fiendishly difficult as its name might suggest. On the most direct approach, a dirt road is driveable most of the way, until reaching a gated wooden bridge. (At that point, you are truly at the gates of . . . this short hike.) The well-worn trail follows a gorge marked by deep-blue pools and rippling falls. In the winter, the cascades freeze over, drawing plenty of snowshoers to have a look. In warmer months, when the flow is gentle, visitors are known to cool off in the pool at the bottom of the drop. From there, it’s not much farther to this chasm, which is well worth taking the time to explore, even if the rocks can get god-awful slippery.