WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A WATERFALL? For us, it was last weekend: this is a picture of the waterfall on the Scopan Mountain Trail not too far as the crow flies from Wood Prairie Family Farm.
All that rain Maine has had this Summer – 21″ and counting since the tail end of May – has made for lush conditions. Enjoying the excessive moisture, the woods were peppered with over a half dozen different kinds of Mushrooms. As one might imagine, there was some wet ground across the beginning lowlands, but soon the trail began to rise in elevation and the mud was left behind. This trail is an actual hike and not a rock scramble.
Another positive feature from getting so much rain is that area rivers and streams have been running full all Summer. That full-flow caused the twenty-foot high waterfall in this shot to be pretty magnificent.
So last Sunday, on a sunny day in the high 60s, Amy (stooped over and checking the water temperature at left: it was colder than our spring-fed ‘Small Pond’), Megan (right) and Jim hiked the 4-mile-loop up and down Scopan Mountain (Elev 1460′), east of Scopan Lake. The waterfall was at the tail end of our counter-clockwise looping hike.
The trail is located fully within ‘Scopan Maine Public Reserved Land’. The trail doesn’t get much use and there were only few other hikers. The access road (take off with West Chapman Road out of Mapleton) had a couple of wet holes so you’ll want to use a high-clearance vehicle to get to the logging road trailhead.
Being late Summer our hike was a mild and pleasant bug-free experience. Sugar Maples are the dominant trees towards the top. The forested mountaintop does limit vista potential but you appreciate all the more what you can view. Midway up the mountain, some of the towering Hemlock trees we hiked past, were an impressive 24-30” DBH (Diameter at Breast Height).
Scopan Mountain is a beautiful, quiet hike away from the crowds! Caleb, Megan & Jim
