Bethel, Maine fall foliage

Bethel sits in the Androscoggin River valley in Maine’s western mountains, and some of the area’s best color is a short drive north in Grafton Notch State Park, along Route 26. There, the Bear River drops 23 feet at Screw Auger Falls, twisting through a narrow granite gorge, and a little farther up the road is Mother Walker Falls, a long, V-shaped gorge. Moose Cave, a 200-foot-long gorge, is reached by a short loop trail, and from the road near Mother Walker Falls there’s a good view up to the cliffs of Table Rock, with Old Speck Mountain, at 4,180 feet, rising above the notch. Closer to town, between Bethel and Newry, the Sunday River Bridge, known as the Artist’s Covered Bridge, crosses the Sunday River.

The Grafton Notch Scenic Byway follows Route 26 for about 21 miles from Newry, along the Bear River and through the notch to Upton, near the New Hampshire line, with the falls and gorges of the state park beside the road. For a longer loop, continue into New Hampshire to Errol, follow Route 16 south along the Androscoggin River to Gorham, and return east on US 2 through the river valley to Bethel. From Gorham, Route 16 also leads south through Pinkham Notch to Jackson.