About this spot
Hiram Falls (sometimes called Great Falls) is a public swim beach on the Saco River in Hiram, Maine, just below the dam and Hiram Hydro power station. Parking is off River Road roughly 10 miles north of Cornish, leading to a sandy beach and ledges beside clear, shallow water -- a longtime local family swimming and fishing spot also used as a canoe/kayak portage around the dam. The hazard that matters is the dam itself: sudden hydro releases can change water level and current quickly, and areas near the powerhouse intake/discharge carry real drowning risk, as documented in regional swimming-hole safety reporting. This is a beach/ledge swim spot rather than a cliff-jumping venue, and visitors should stay well back from the dam structure and any posted hydro-facility boundaries.