Gulf Hagas is a steep slate gorge in northern Maine, carved by the West Branch of the Pleasant River and famed as the Grand Canyon of Maine. Within the remote Hundred-Mile Wilderness of the Appalachian Trail, it combines dramatic falls, rapids, polished canyon walls, and potholes shaped by erosion, with origins tied to ancient tectonic uplift and possibly a burst ice-dammed lake near the end of the last ice age. The gorge also reflects a logging and papermaking past, later followed by staged preservation as a National Natural Landmark and part of the Appalachian Trail corridor. Its rim, old-growth forest, wildlife, and rugged trails make it one of Maine’s most striking natural places.