MAINE, USA — If you’re looking for remote locations, we’ve found it in the 100 mile wilderness. We tagged along with guide Baileigh Studer from the New England Outdoor Center to explore Gulf Hagas.
“If anybody’s looking to get out of Baxter State Park and kind of go see some different areas and different places in the Millinocket region, this is just out of the way, and it’s a lot of different terrains that you wouldn’t see anywhere else,” Studer said.
You lose cell service miles before the entrance, a reason why it’s one of Baileigh’s favorite hikes.
“I come here because I can bring my dog," Studer laughed. "And there are way fewer people out here, so you kind of get the sense of really being out in the wilderness and on your own.”
Which are all good reasons for tackling this 8+ mile hike with a guide. While you can make a look out of it, the Rim Trail takes significantly more time as you scale boulders and carefully follow the edge of the canyon.
“The terrain makes it so difficult that if anything were to happen, you would want somebody there that kind of knows the area and knows how to handle that situation,” Studer said.
It’s the terrain, not elevation gains, that makes the hike more lengthy and technical.
“You’re kind of up and down the entire way. You go up, and you come down, which gives you a lot of different perspectives of the viewpoints," Studer said. "The gorge, the rocks, the river, so you get a lot of different viewpoints from that. Very rocky, very rooty, and there are a lot of parts where it just drops off at one side, so you have to make sure you definitely have your footing. Be very careful.”
The hike begins with a river crossing, in which a walking stick and water shoes are necessary. You also may run into those tackling the Appalachian Trail, as there's overlap with Gulf Hagas. A second water crossing requires one more shoe change. The views and tranquility of the trek certainly make it worth all the effort. There are numerous outlooks and overlooks to take in the scenery.
“I’ve done a lot of hiking all over the state, and this is just completely unlike anything else," Studer said. "I’m sure you can see in the background. The canyons, the waterfalls, you’ll see several waterfalls on this hike which is just amazing.”
The water is higher in the spring with the snow melt, which makes the waterfalls more dramatic, but can also lead to stronger currents in the water crossings. Late summer into fall is a perfect time to visit.
“The fall is also another really good time. [There are] blueberries you can pick and eat right on the edge of the trail," Studer said. "Foliage is amazing, and you also start to get some of that fall rain, so the water does rise a little bit in the fall.”
Baileigh’s love for hiking developed out west, but it wasn’t until she came back east to work at the New England Outdoor Center that she was exposed to guiding and considered it as the next step.
“When I started hiking by myself out in the Smokeys, I was like, 'Man, I really love to be outside.' And then when I came back up to Maine and started living here again, I think it was one of my first hikes up Katahdin I'm like, 'This is really cool.' And I never really considered it, you know, Katahdin. You have a lot of time to think on Katahdin,” Studer said. “Now that I’m a guide, I love it, and I love being able to take people out here and show them the places that I like.”
It's a perfect way to wrap up the final episode of the Outside Edge summer season.