With a short hike to a waterfall, story walk, and even an old abandoned bear cage, Cascade Falls in Saco is one of my favorite kid friendly hikes in the area!
You'll see the sign and parking lot (with plenty of parking) for Cascade Falls on Cascade Rd in Saco. You can find it by searching for "Cascade Falls Trail Parking" in Google Maps.
Right away you have the choice to start your hike by taking a left onto the Trout Pond Loop (Pink Trail) which includes a story walk, or a right towards the Ledge Trail (Green Trail) which will take you to the waterfall.
We chose to start with Trout Pond Loop (Pink Trail) so we could follow along with the story walk, courtesy of the Dyer Library.
The path passes through a mixed forest and boarders Cascade Brook for a good portion. My kids and their friends stopped at the river and had fun pretending to fish with sticks before continuing on with the story walk.
The Trout Pond Loop (Pink Trail) is the only fully accessible trail at Cascade Falls. It is a gently sloping trail with stone dust making it stroller and wheelchair friendly. This loop is relatively quick and easy to traverse and only took us about 15-20 minutes to complete, even with stopping to read and playing in the river for a bit.
The trail comes out to the top of the Green Trail, and from here you can either choose to follow the steep path down to the waterfall or head back to the parking lot. The trail down to the waterfall is steep, but totally doable for young children, though they might need a little assistance. My kids have been hiking down to this waterfall since they were young toddlers, and we have never had any trouble making it down. At the bottom of this short trail is where you will be rewarded with the beautiful sight of Cascade Falls. The waterfall was in full force since it was springtime and there had been a lot of rain, but that can vary depending on what time of year and how much rain there has been. I didn't get any closeups of the waterfall on this hike, so I'm sharing a picture I took last summer, when the falls weren't quite as full.
There used to be a bridge that crossed the river to bring you closer to the waterfall, and meets up with the blue trail that leads to an old abandoned bear cage, but that bridge has been wiped out by the river in recent years. In the summer months when the river water is low, it is fairly easy to cross the river to the other side. With it being Springtime, the river was fairly deep and not easy to cross. I'd advise that you turn back at this point and take the same trail back to the car if you have young children, or aren't up for going off the beaten path. Please use your best judgement.
Personally, our group climbed under some fallen trees that led to parts of the river that weren't quit as deep or swift (our rain boots definitely came in handy). We found a way to cross up a steep hill to meet up with the Falls View Trail (Blue) that leads to the old bear cage that had been used to entertain tourists in the 1950's.
We ventured a little further and found a beautifully done fairy house, and played a little more in the river before turning back.
I love this hike because you can easily make it a quick trip that takes less than 30 minutes. Or you can take your time, and make a whole afternoon of exploring. There's so much to take in, and in such a small area, that this makes the perfect hike for you and your kids!
