Well-known in paddling circles for its Class III–V creeking, the Cathance River in Topsham is one of the more popular and challenging whitewater rivers in Maine. The Cathance River Trails provide a stimulating hiking alternative.

The Cathance River Trails are located in the Cathance River Nature Preserve and Head of Tide Park. Developed and managed by Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust in concert with the Town of Topsham and Highland Green Retirement Community, over 9 miles of trails weave along the river and through the surrounding area.

A collection of small ponds and streams in rural Bowdoin and Topsham are the source of the Cathance River, which then winds circuitously to Merrymeeting Bay in Bowdoinham. Both the trails and whitewater are secreted away in a wilderness area between Interstate 295 and Cathance Road in Topsham. The trails offer a unique opportunity for hikers to visit the habitat of many varieties of birds and wildlife while exploring several scenic waterfalls.

Back-to-back December rainstorms provided a rare chance to hike the trails while high water was cascading over the falls. My wife, Nancy, our long-time friend, Bob Rowe, and I decided to take advantage of the unusual occurrence.

The three of us met in a parking lot at Head of Tide Park on Cathance Road on a cool, breezy, partly sunny day. Our objective was to complete a traverse from the western end of the trail complex to the park. We left a shuttle vehicle and drove Topsham roads to a trailhead next to a small parking area in Highland Green.

Senior citizens, we were all coping with physical ailments that ensured a modest hiking pace. The trek began on Vernal Pool Trail, a short route that connects with Highland Trail. We turned left onto Highland Trail and proceeded generally downhill in a mixed hardwood and conifer forest to Cathance River Trail.

The river was raging when we began hiking east along the shore. I had checked the river gauge at the boat landing next to Interstate 295 in advance of the hike. The level was on the high side of what is safely runnable in a canoe or kayak. A fallen tree blocked the entire bottom of the first rapid, a potential hazard I mentally filed away for my initial spring kayak descent.

Short portions of the trail were flooded as we progressed downriver. Large waves tumbled through a narrow gorge next to where Barnes Leap Trail turns right and returns to Highland Green. We continued on Cathance River Trail past a long complex rapid called Z-Turn.

Light snow unexpectedly started to fall as we progressed past First Drop, a feisty cataract that takes a hard left turn over a ledge and crashes into a constricted chute below. Around the next bend, we arrived at Second Drop, a precipitous falls that plunges under an overhanging rock wall called Room of Doom. The snowflakes transitioned to a full-fledged snow squall, adding a little drama to the outing.

The trail left the river, so we bushwhacked along the shore in driving snow to view the next cataract, Boulder Pile. The boulders at the bottom that give the falls its name were submerged beneath the high water.

The snow ended as we reconnected with Cathance River Trail and proceeded past Rapids Trail junction on the right. The most spectacular waterfall on the river follows. Known to paddlers as Little Gorilla, the impressive cascade gushes through an attenuated gorge, makes an abrupt left turn and plummets about 15 vertical feet down a climactic slide.

Easy hiking brought us to the last falls, Final Drop. Similar to Little Gorilla but more straightforward, powerful waves spilled down the steep descent.

The trail shifted away from the river and we climbed steadily up a north-facing slope. Shortly beyond, we dropped down to an impressive new wooden bridge reinforced with huge I-beams. More rolling terrain led us to the aluminum Clay Brook Bridge. The two rugged structures are designed to withstand the vicissitudes of the sometimes turbulent freshets that flow underneath them and should last for decades.

We followed the hilly remainder of Cathance River Trail to Cathance Road. A short walk down to the river brought us back to our shuttle vehicle, completing a very entertaining trek.

My book, “Maine Al Fresco: The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine,” narrates numerous hikes and whitewater adventures around the state.

Ron Chase resides in Topsham. His latest book, “Maine Al Fresco: The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine” is available at northcountrypress.com/maine-al-fresco or in bookstores and through online retailers. His previous books are “The Great Mars Hill Bank Robbery” and “Mountains for Mortals — New England.” Visit his website at ronchaseoutdoors.com or he can be reached at ronchaseoutdoors@comcast.net.

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