Reed Brook Falls Trail (Kingfield, ME)

Reed Brook Falls Trail (Kingfield, ME)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 1.07 miles

Elevation: 177 feet

My Time: 31 minutes

Book Time: 37 minutes

Parking: Parking for 3-4 cars at trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike 

[DISCLAIMER: Per tradition, I fell violently behind on my hike journaling this summer. It is currently August 24th, 2026 at 10:59am, my car is in the shop, and it's time to get caught up!]

It's finally summer vacation! As I always do, I celebrated the last day of school and blasted off for some MUCH needed time in the mountains. The goal of this trip is to hike all of the non-Baxter State Park Maine 4000-Footers. I will be staying at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort in the Sugartree Condos. I woke up a little hungover from the last day celebrations, but made it on the road before 8:00am. The weather was going to be raining all day, so I found a couple waterfall hikes in the Carrabassett Valley area to explore to get things started. I started listening to the "Love Trapped" podcast which kept me 100% locked in during my drive. 

I made it to the Reed Brook Falls trailhead at 11:45am, threw on my [formerly] waterproof boots and got to hiking. It was a chilly 62 degrees out, but it felt lovely. On Google the trailhead was listed as "Jericho Steps Trailhead," so I had "Joshua fit the battle of Jericho" stuck in my head... There were abundant signs and flowers at the trailhead, including the white-and-pink sweet william and the budding purple large-leaved lupine. At 150' feet, I passed a "Release the Hounds" sign.

I entered the woods and wound through a young, dark forest. The nearby road was loud, but slowly the sounds of water overtook that of automobiles. I had recently fixed my broken hipbelt, but it turned out that I had fixed it incorrectly and put one on backwards... ugh. Thankfully, I soon got over my woes becuase I turned to join the rushing water, which was just beautiful. The trail got a little confusing here, especially with some blue blazes across the stream (which in hindsight may have just been property markings), but the trail never crossed the stream. 

The path was nice and soft as it gently gained elevation along the brook, crossing smaller streams along the way. There were some "this way" signs and more cute mushrooms. Later, the trail split. On the left were the stone steps and the right was the high water/icy bypass - I took the stairs, which were not as exciting as the sign led them to believe. 

Soon, I could see the falls through the trees, and as I came up to them I went "oh... OH!" because they were absolutely spectacular! I was stunned at how impressive these falls were, especially for such an easy hike. The trail came to a clear end at the base of the falls - this was an insane effort:reward ratio. It took my 19 minutes to get there - time to head back!

Naturally, I slipped on a root and smashed my knee into a rock soon after starting my return trip, also while on the easiest hike of my trip. About halfway back, I crossed paths with an older woman and her dog that were both super friendly, and right where the trail turns into the woods I passed a group of ~7 teens followed by two more VERY friendly hikers who were SHOUTING "hello!" Soon enough, I was back at my car. This was an EXCELLENT start to vacation!

[EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: It looks like the access trail is relatively new, and there used to be a bridged crossing of Reed Brook! https://mainebyfoot.com/reed-falls-carrabassett-valley/]

Step-by-Step

- Park at Trailhead.

- Start hike on Reed Brook Falls Trail.

- At Reed Brook Falls, turn around.

- Return to car.

Photo Album