Visiting Maine covered bridges and waterfalls is among the most popular activities for travelers to southwestern Maine. At the Wolf Cove Inn, a bed and breakfast in Maine, our experts have compiled a Maine covered bridge and waterfalls guide for four different road trips to visit these popular sites. Each tour will show you different aspects of beautiful western Maine. From rushing rivers, to majestic mountains to quaint country towns all connected via some truly scenic drives, you’ll experience a side of Maine quite different from the more well known (and busy) coastal side of the state.
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For each of these tours, plan to spend at least a half day to a full day for driving, exploring and grabbing some lunch along the way.
West Mountain Falls in Carrabassett Valley
Maine Covered Bridges And Waterfalls
Included in this guide are four different touring options. One consists of visiting area covered bridges. Two consist of waterfall adventures, one to the north of the Wolf Cove Inn and the other heading northwest toward our border with New Hampshire and a fourth that gives you the best of both worlds. The trip durations range from half day adventures to full day excursions to some of the prettiest parts of Maine. In all I cover 16 covered bridges and waterfalls in this guide.
Porter-Parsonsfield Maine Covered Bridge
Three Maine Covered Bridges
This tour takes you south of the Inn to Babb’s Bridge in Standish, Maine. Then you move onto the Porter-Parsonsfield Bridge in Parsonsfield, Maine. After that you’ll hit the Hemlock Bridge in Fryeburg, Maine, right on the border of New Hampshire. There are many shops and side stops to make along the way. Furthermore, the scenery is quite pretty along the way. Read more for the details (driving directions, sights along the way) of the Maine covered bridge tour.
Poplar Stream Falls and Swimming Hole
Head North For Six Waterfalls In Maine
On this drive you can visit up to six waterfalls in a day, starting right in Auburn, Maine and finishing up in Carrabassett Valley adjacent to the Sugarloaf Ski Resort Golf Course. The ride is quite scenic for a good portion, especially north of Farmington.
Bring your hiking boots or good sneakers and bug spray. Most of these falls require some brief, fairly easy hiking.
Read more about the details of the Maine waterfalls tour. Regarding the Auburn waterfall mentioned on that tour, I only recommend a visit there during the spring when the rains and snow melt have the Androscoggin River raging. Other times, there’s not much to see. Therefore my advice is to head north to Kingfield, Maine for the first waterfall.
The Plunging Snow Falls Gorge in West Paris Maine
A Pretty Northwesterly Drive To Maine Five Waterfalls
In this set of waterfalls, you’ll find three of the five don’t require any hiking at all. At Snow Falls, Screw Auger Falls and Coos Canyon Falls, just pull into the parking area and the falls are right there. Of course, you can also walk around and see different aspects of the falls as well. One highlight of this trip is an absolutely gorgeous drive through parts of Grafton Notch State Park where Screw Auger Falls is located.
If you only plan on hitting the three easily accessible falls mentioned above, sneakers or good walking shoes are fine. If you plan to hit either of the other two falls, Angel Falls or the Cataracts, I recommend hiking boots and bug spray as well. Read more about the details for these western Maine waterfalls.
Lovejoy Covered Bridge
The Best Of Both Worlds – Maine Covered Bridges and Waterfalls!
Deciding between waterfalls and covered bridges requires some thought and choices. Well, I have a tour for you that makes it easy – no decision required. You can see both waterfalls and covered bridges on this drive. There are two waterfalls, two covered bridges and lots of beautiful scenery on this half day trip. Furthermore, you won’t have any hiking nor need for bug spray on this drive. Read more about the details for this Maine waterfall and covered bridge tour.
Sunrise on Tripp Lake at Wolf Cove Inn
Your Home Base For Exploring Maine Covered Bridges And Waterfalls
All road trips described in the above Maine waterfall and covered bridge guide originate at the Wolf Cove Inn, a Maine B&B. A stay at the Inn perfectly bookmarks a day of exploring the area’s scenic points. Each morning, start your day with a hearty Maine comfort breakfast at the Inn. Then return in the afternoon for your homemade, fresh baked cookies. If you have time and energy before dinner, grab one of our kayaks or canoes and paddle around Tripp Lake. Join us for dinner at our Tripp Lake Pizzeria if you are in the mood for pizza. Otherwise, there are many excellent Maine dining options in the area. After dinner head out to the fire pit with a kit of gourmet 1927 S’mores and enjoy the beautiful sunsets over Tripp Lake.
When your weary bones are ready to turn in for the evening, open your window and let the cool lake breezes calm you while the loons of the lake serenade you to sleep. Well, maybe not if it’s hot and humid in the middle of summer. For that, our whisper quiet AC will ensure you sleep comfortably and have you ready to go for your next day of exploring.
Wolf Cove Inn – Your Maine Covered Bridge And Waterfall Home
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