6 Best Natural Wonders To Visit In Maine This Year

One of America’s prettiest states, Maine is home to some of New England’s most impressive natural wonders. From its rugged coastline to its vast forests and more than 700 mountains, the Pine Tree State attracts millions of visitors each year to explore some of North America's most unique natural phenomena. From the Atlantic coast’s highest peak to an unusual glacial desert, Maine’s natural wonders range from the geological oddities to the kind of picture-perfect scenery you’d find on a postcard. So buckle up and join us as we take a look at six awesome natural wonders you really should visit in Maine this year.

Cadillac Mountain

Located in Acadia National Park, Cadillac Mountain’s 1,530-foot-high peak is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. Famous as the first place in the United States to witness the sunrise from fall and early spring, this pink granite summit was formed by molten magma bubbles that gradually cooled underground around 420 million years ago. The views from the top are simply stunning, extending over Frenchman Bay, the Porcupine Islands, and on clear days, Mount Katahdin, 100 miles to the north.

Don’t like long hikes? You’re in luck, as the 3-mile-long Cadillac Summit Road, open from late May through October, winds through pitch pine and scrub oak forests before reaching the exposed granite summit. It can get busy, so reservations are required (details available here). If you do want to hike to the summit, the 3.5-mile Cadillac South Ridge Trail is a moderate climb through hardwood forests and spruce. The Cadillac North Ridge Trail provides a steeper, more challenging 4.4-mile round-trip route that begins near the park's visitor center.

Best Time to Visit: October is best for fall foliage views and smaller crowds, while late June through July is ideal for wildflower blooms and the warmest summit temperatures.

Desert of Maine

One of the state’s most unusual natural wonders, the Desert of Maine needs to be seen to be believed. Consisting of 20 acres of glacial silt dunes surrounded by pine forest near the town of Freeport, this mini-desert is the result of ancient geology and poor farming practices. The site's sandy deposits originated 11,000 years ago when glaciers retreated, leaving behind a layer of mineral silt and clay that glaciologists call "glacial flour."

Farmed from 1797 until the 1850s, overgrazing and extensive clear-cutting exposed the fragile topsoil to erosion, exposing the ancient sand with its sparkly particles of mica. Winds have also had a major impact, creating 30-foot dunes that continue to shift and grow, partially burying trees and an old barn along the way. Spring-fed streams run beneath the desert, surfacing every now and then to form small oases where vegetation briefly takes hold before being overwhelmed by advancing sand.

Several walking trails wind through the dunes and into the surrounding forest, with wildlife spotting for red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures along the way. Glamping, along with cabin rentals, is also available.

Best Time to Visit: Try to visit in July and August when sand temperatures create interesting thermal effects, or September for monarch butterfly migration through the on-site gardens.

Moxie Falls

Plunging 90 feet into a slate gorge, Moxie Falls is not only Maine's tallest waterfall, it’s one of the highest in New England. Formed where Moxie Stream crosses a band of resistant slate and phyllite bedrock, this dramatic single-drop waterfall keeps flowing even during drier summer months. The gorge below the falls, carved out over thousands of years, extends for nearly 100 feet with sheer walls that amplify the sound of falling water into a constant roar that you’ll hear long before you see it.

The nearly two-mile round-trip trail begins at the parking area off Lake Moxie Road and follows an old logging road before branching onto a narrower footpath alongside Moxie Stream. In addition to wooden boardwalks and a dense forest of eastern hemlock, yellow birch, and sugar maple, you’ll find a viewing platform at the base of the falls. Here, the constant mist sustains a unique microclimate that supports mosses and ferns typically found in more northern latitudes.

Wildlife seen along the trail includes moose, which feed on aquatic vegetation in slow stream sections, white-tailed deer, and, if you’re lucky, black bears foraging for berries in late summer. Bird species include winter wrens nesting behind the falls' curtain of water, spotted sandpipers along the stream edges, and belted kingfishers diving for small fish in calmer pools.

Best Time to Visit: May is perfect for peak water flow from snowmelt, while early October sees spectacular fall colors frame the falls. During the winter months, ice climbers enjoy tackling the frozen fall and its ice columns and curtains that last into early April.

Katahdin Woods And Waters National Monument

Encompassing 87,500 acres of Maine's North Woods, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument preserves a stunning landscape of mountains, streams, and forests that includes the East Branch of the Penobscot River and views of Mount Katahdin. Established in 2016, the site protects land that shows evidence of human use dating back 11,000 years, including ancient Native American campsites and travel routes along the Penobscot River system.

The Katahdin Loop Road, a 17-mile scenic drive open May to October, follows old logging roads through recovering forests and includes Lunksoos Mountain, Deasey Mountain, and Barnard Mountain, with hiking routes ranging from short nature walks to challenging summit climbs. The International Appalachian Trail also passes through the monument, continuing the footpath beyond Mount Katahdin toward Canada and eventually to Belle Isle, Newfoundland.

The Penobscot River's East Branch, which forms the monument's northern boundary, provides 38 miles of paddling fun, ranging from calm flatwater to thrilling Class II rapids. The river corridor supports one of Maine's densest moose populations, too, with early morning and evening sightings common along Messer Pond and the Seboeis River.

Best Time to Visit: September is when to arrive for fall foliage, excellent moose viewing, and cool hiking temperatures. January to February is for winter activities, including cross-country skiing and fat-tire biking.

Thunder Hole

Another Acadia National Park attraction, the aptly named Thunder Hole, is one of the most impressive sightseeing experiences on Maine’s Atlantic coast. Here, incoming waves compress air in a partially submerged cavern to create explosive sounds reaching 110 decibels. At the same time, huge water spouts shoot 40 feet in the air. The cave's shape, roughly resembling a barrel on its side with a narrow opening at the top, amplifies both sound and water pressure when waves enter at the correct angle and tide level.

The phenomenon is most impressive when seas run three-to-six feet with 12-15 seconds between swells, usually two hours before high tide during storm systems. A viewing platform is available, but be warned: the geyser-like spray can drench you when at its maximum strength. Access is via a stairway from the parking area, connecting to the Ocean Path running from Sand Beach to Otter Cliff.

Best Time to Visit: For the strongest wave action, shoot to arrive from October through March. The adjacent waters serve as a corridor for humpback, finback, and minke whales during spring and fall migrations.

Allagash Wilderness Waterway

Flowing 92 miles through northern Maine from Telos Lake to its confluence with the St. John River, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is one of America's best canoe routes. Traversing the same wilderness that Henry David Thoreau explored in 1857 and now designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the waterway protects a 500-foot corridor on each bank, encompassing lakes, ponds, streams, and surrounding forest. It also includes Allagash Lake, reaching depths of up to 78 feet, and Chamberlain Lake.

The waterway contains 81 designated campsites accessible only by water along a route known to have been favored by Native Americans as a transportation corridor between the Penobscot and St. Lawrence watersheds. Allagash Falls, nine miles from the river's end, drops 40 feet and requires the waterway's only mandatory portage along a trail once used by loggers in the 1800s. Other evidence of the logging includes old railroad locomotives abandoned in 1933 and now preserved as historical artifacts along portage trails.

During summer paddles, wildlife sightings average two or three moose a day, with the stretch between Umsaskis Lake and Long Lake particularly productive. The waterway also supports breeding loons on most lakes and provides habitat for pine martens, river otters, and the occasional woodland caribou wandering south from Quebec.

Best Time to Visit: Late June through July are popular for warm water temperatures and the longest daylight hours, while mid-September is best for fall colors and fewer pesky biting insects.

The Final Word

These natural wonders in Maine provide curious travelers so much more than just pretty views: they also provide unique opportunities to experience some of the most interesting, rare natural phenomena in New England, if not the USA. So whether you’re seeking a challenging backcountry adventure or a family-friendly natural attraction, these six natural wonders in Maine deliver some of the region’s best outdoor experiences.