Top things to do near Rangeley, Maine: A hiking heaven, a cute small town, and good times!

 

Smalls Falls, Rangeley, Maine

The state of Maine was one of the two New England states that my wife and I hadn’t visited, even after living on the East Coast of the United States all these years.  Maine just seemed so far away from New York City, at around 8 hours drive time.  

Of course we had heard so much about Maine from friends and family, who extolled the virtues of the state on many occasions.  We longed to eat some fresh lobster and fresh seafood, visit the famous Acadia National Park, see a moose, and immerse ourselves with the “Pine Tree State.”

While searching for a suitable place to stay for the summer months, we were ecstatic when a cute mountain cabin in the town of Stratton (Maine) was available via AirBnB.  We booked the cabin for June and July, then went to work exploring the area near where we were staying.

The town of Rangeley, is a great little town in the northwest part of the state of Maine.  We first heard of the town from a friendly clerk at a Maine visitor center, who recommended the town.  She mentioned the town is known for great hikes, excellent restaurants, and scenic views, which we love (and who doesn’t???).

The driving time of around 30 minutes from Stratton to Rangeley didn’t hurt either.  In fact, we ended up visiting Rangeley several times during our 2 months long stay.  We loved driving via Route 27 to Route 16, cutting through some of the most pristine forests and mountains along the way.

The crisp, alpine mountain air, the fragrant pine trees, and crystal clear/brightest blue skies we had ever seen on the East Coast, really made the drive enjoyable.  These observations are also true on just about every sunny day during those two months.  With less pollution resulting in excellent air quality, everything looked so beautiful…

During evenings, we got to see the most intense, twinkling of stars up in the sky.  The first time I had turned off all the interior lights then opened the window drapes, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.  Stars looked so close, with each seeming to send out beams of light so bright, I thought I was looking at a flashlight shone from outer space…

Two months long stay turned out to be an awesome introduction to the state of Maine, and we’re glad we got to experience various places.  Rangeley turned out to be, indeed, the best place to do hikes as all the places we enjoyed visiting, are within a 15 minute driving distance from the town center.

And with that introduction, these are our top things to do near Rangeley, Maine!

• Smalls Falls

Smalls Falls, in the town of West Central Franklin, is located on Maine Route 4.  The source of the water is the Sandy River, and it boasts a 54 foot total drop, which may not be much when compared to famous waterfalls like the Niagara Falls, but it certainly isn’t anything to laugh at.

Sometimes, size isn’t everything, and here’s why:  Smalls Falls has a unique New England waterfall traits like crystal clear waters, incredible rock formations, and colorful gorges.  We loved the falls so much we ended up going there on multiple occasions.

We found out this place is known as “Smalls Falls Rest Area and Trailhead” when searching using Google Maps.  We were surprised that the falls was located inside a rest area when researching the place, but we understood when we got there.

After driving about 15 minutes past the town of Rangeley, we turned right after seeing an unassuming sign for a Rest Area.  We drove in, and saw that it is indeed a rest area with picnic tables and restrooms. 

After parking our car near the restroom/picnic tables by the entrance, we started to walk to the rear of the rest area to start our exploration of the falls.  We found a short staircase leading down to the falls, and within the first 1 minute of our hike, we saw the first of 4 Smalls Falls drops.

Crystal clear waters of Smalls Falls

Staircase leading down to the falls

We absolutely loved it!  We loved seeing the incredibly vibrant, earthy colors of the rocks and we loved the beautiful gorge.  We walked down near the falls to get a closer look at the falls, and found several huge boulders we could stand on.   Up close, the views were mesmerizing!

We wanted to see more of the falls, so we started the hike again, heading towards the steel fence.  Terrain got steeper all of a sudden, but we were used to hiking after summiting several mountains during our trip to the Adirondacks, in the month of April.

Steel fencing next to the falls

We knew the hike up to the top of the falls was under a mile, so we weren’t overly concerned with the hike itself.  With clearly marked trails and the continued use of steel fencing next to the falls, we couldn’t possibly have gotten lost.

We did, however, prepare two bottles of water and lunch just in case, and we planned to eat our lunch while relaxing by the falls.  At the second of the four drops, we found huge boulders right next to the falls, and sat down to replenish our bodies after an arduous journey (just kidding, we barely walked 15 minutes by then…)

I always found listening to waterfalls very soothing and relaxing.  It’s not unlike watching a campfire, or a fireplace and just tuning out…It put both of us in a very relaxed, trance-like state…

After several minutes of doing absolutely nothing but listening and watching the falls, we dug in to eat our lunch.  We savored our granola bars, bananas, and water while enjoying the scenery!

Enjoying a banana by the falls!

After lunch, we continued our ascent yet again.  The waterfall drops got more impressive the higher we went.  The scenery was certainly unique, very different than what we were used to seeing.  The tall pine trees with their refreshing fragrance, added to the experience.

Looking back down the falls

Loved this area with the fallen tree

Made it to the top of the falls!

In no time, we made it to the top of the falls.  We crossed a road at the end of the trail, which unofficially marked the end of the trail.  We considered walking up beyond the road to the other side, but decided not to, as we didn’t see any cleared marked trails that way.

We were incredibly satisfied with Smalls Falls.  It’s a perfect short hike that can be done by most people (not wheelchair accessible though), and it ended up being our favorite thing to do in Rangeley.

• Bald Mountain 

Bald Mountain is located in the town of Oquossoc, and it boasts an elevation of 2,443 feet.  The hike is 1.3 miles each way, and is rated as a moderate hike.  

We headed out for Bald Mountain on a clear sunny day in June, with weather forecast remaining sunny the rest of the day.  We turned left for Bald Mountain Road from Maine Route 4 past the town of Oquossoc, but realized our Google Maps led us to the Bald Mountain Camps Resort and not the trailhead!

We U-turned out of the Bald Mountain Camps Resort, then turned right to head up the Bald Mountain Road.  Luckily, my hunch proved right, as we saw the trailhead/parking to our left within a minute or so.  

After parking our car, we sprayed ourselves with our homemade bug spray made out of cedarwood oil/alcohol/water, then proceeded to the trail.  The weather looked foreboding all of a sudden, so we decided to bring our windbreakers and an umbrella.

Beginning of the trail

At the parking lot/trailhead 

We started our hike fully aware that the weather had turned dramatically for the worse.  Our drive to Bald Mountain started out nice and sunny, but that really changed in a hurry at the mountain!

Wind picked up and the sun was gone, trying to break out of the clouds here and there but not really succeeding.  The forest looked forbidden and primordial, but we pushed on, just thanking the weather gods that at least it wasn’t raining yet.

The first 2/3 of the hike was relatively easy, in terms of height and elevation gained.  The wet, muddy forest floor didn’t help with our ascent though.  We slipped few times on our way up, so we took extra time getting a good, solid footing before moving on up.

The higher we went, rocks, pebbles, and boulders replaced the dirt/root/forest floor.  At the last 1/3 of the trail, terrain got really rocky with gigantic boulders.  We got a heck of a workout making our ascent from that point on.

Near the summit, brief periods of rain came then was gone just as fast, replaced by sunny skies.  We saw rain with sunny skies, rain with cloudy skies, and rain with mixture of the two!  It was definitely not boring!

We navigated our way up through the large boulder fields, making slow progress, yet enjoying the hike nonetheless.  We loved the crisp, alpine air the higher we went.  We loved the views of the lakes way down below peeking through the trees.

Just when we felt the trail was no longer ascending, we realized we had made it to the summit!  Yes!

We immediately headed towards the fire tower, which was unmistakably prominent, beckoning us to check it out.  We saw fellow hikers (a mother, and a daughter-in-law) coming down from the fire tower, so we waited our turn.  We chatted with them for awhile, talking about our travels and of Maine.  They were so nice and friendly that had we not decided to climb the fire tower after few minutes, we may have talked for 30 minutes!

After saying our goodbyes, we made our trek up to the fire tower.  We took careful steps up, as the staircase was really narrow and steep.  We felt and heard the howling winds picking up speed and intensity, but we had made it to the top!

What an incredible view!  We could see miles out into the distance.  We saw nearby lakes, mountains, and clouds so low, we could almost touch them.  Wow…

After enjoying that view for several minutes, we headed back down the fire tower, then back down the same way we had come.  On our way down, rain came back, drenching the forest, and drenching us!

My wife took out her windbreaker while I took out my umbrella to shield ourselves from the heavier rain. We started hugging each other under an umbrella, waiting out the rain for about 5 minutes.  It was rather romantic and fun, able to enjoy some rainfall during our hike.  Like I always say, it’s always the little things that we must learn to enjoy…

Heavy rain passed us by after few minutes so we continued our hike back to the parking lot.  The hike back always seems shorter and more enjoyable than the hike up, most likely due to the terrain.  Coming down the mountain is infinitely easier than going up!  There’s always that sense of accomplishment and euphoria after making it to the top, which probably adds to the feeling as well…

Bald Mountain was a great hike with awesome views, and it’s not to be missed!  For those of you interested in seeing how much we walked, see below.

• Lakeside Park

Lakeside Park is a great little park tucked away inside the town of Rangeley.  We saw it on our way towards Smalls Falls, and we knew we had to stop by to check it out.  Located adjacent to Rangeley Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce building, it is a great spot for a quick picnic, a walk, and to use the clean public restroom.  

We stopped by on our way back from Smalls Falls, parked our car in the large parking lot, then proceeded to explore this park.  Probably due to it being a Saturday afternoon, there were plenty of people enjoying the park by the time we arrived.

There were families with kids playing in the playground, dogs merrily playing with their pet parents, and people like us just taking our time enjoying the scenery.  We couldn’t take our eyes off of a playful German shepherd who was begging his mom to throw the stick into the lake so he can retrieve it.  It was such an idyllic scene on a beautiful, sunny, and peaceful day…

We walked towards the right, where a small peninsula was located, and sat down at a bench.  What a sight!  We loved the lake views and the low hanging clouds right above us.  With a slight breeze cooling us just right, we were in heaven…

After sitting for few minutes, I had to check out the boat launch to our left.  We walked out on the boat launch to take some photos.  While doing that, I saw a seaplane landing directly in front of us.  It was pretty cool, as we never saw one landing on a lake before!

Boat launch

Seaplane landing!

We thoroughly enjoyed Lakeside Park.  It is a great little park to spend several minutes to relax, and to enjoy the lovely scenery.

Honorable mention:

We couldn’t write this post without mentioning a local hotspot, Sarge’s Sports Pub and Grill.  The restaurant was recommended to us by a local named Gary, who we met in the town of Rangeley.  He mentioned it’s his favorite place to eat in town.  

This restaurant is a favorite place for locals and visitors alike, thanks to its tasty foods, reasonable prices, and its fame, as it was originally designed by Bing Russell, the father of actor, Kurt Russell.  

We couldn’t resist going there to eat!  

The decor was typical bar affair, with plenty of sports memorabilia, tables for dining, and a large bar area.  We were greeted by a very friendly waitress who made us feel right at home.  We ordered a haddock sandwich and a veggie burger.  Portions were huge and prices reasonable.  The bill was $44 with soft drinks and tips, which in Maine is considered very reasonable.  Both were so tasty we gulped them down, all of them with no leftovers(!)

It was a very satisfying meal and a memorable meal experience thanks to our friendly waitress!

In conclusion:

We loved Rangeley area for it has so much going for it.  It is a great place to use as a base camp for exploring various hiking trails and waterfalls.  The town center is also incredibly nice with neat streets that contain plenty of shops and restaurants to idle away your day.

Rangeley turned out to be our favorite place near where we were staying, thanks to all those attributes and thanks to its close proximity.  We highly recommend this place when visiting Maine!

Thank you all for reading and happy trails!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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