Best Campgrounds in Maine

Maine’s rugged coastline, pristine lakes, and dense forests create a camping paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Known as the Pine Tree State, Maine offers experiences ranging from the crashing waves of the Atlantic coast to the serene waters of interior lakes and the challenging terrain of its mountainous regions. With four distinct seasons, each bringing its own unique beauty, Maine’s campgrounds provide year-round opportunities for outdoor adventures. Let’s explore some of the best places to pitch your tent or park your RV in this northeastern gem.

Acadia National Park – Blackwoods Campground

Number of Campsites: 306
Reservation Website: Recreation.gov
Address: Route 3, Otter Creek, ME 04660

Nestled within America’s easternmost national park, Blackwoods Campground offers an immersive experience in one of the country’s most beloved natural treasures. Tall spruce and pine trees create a fragrant canopy above campsites, their needled branches filtering sunlight into dappled patterns on the forest floor. The distinctive scent of balsam fir mingles with the distant salt air, creating an aromatic profile unique to coastal Maine.

The campground sits just a short walk from the Atlantic Ocean, where the dramatic meeting of land and sea defines Acadia’s identity. A trail leads from the campground to a rocky overlook, providing stunning views of the coastline and the endless blue horizon beyond. At night, the rhythmic sound of waves against granite shores serves as nature’s lullaby, soothing campers into peaceful slumber.

What makes Blackwoods truly exceptional is its access to Acadia’s incredible network of trails, carriage roads, and scenic drives. Within minutes, campers can find themselves hiking up Cadillac Mountain, cycling along historic carriage roads, or photographing iconic sites like Thunder Hole and Jordan Pond. The free Island Explorer shuttle stops at the campground, making exploration possible even without a personal vehicle.

Wildlife sightings add excitement to the camping experience. Red squirrels chatter from tree branches, white-tailed deer browse at forest edges during dawn and dusk, and lucky observers might spot a peregrine falcon soaring above the cliffs. The park’s diverse ecosystems support a rich variety of plant and animal life, rewarding observant visitors with glimpses of nature’s intricate relationships.

When darkness falls, Acadia reveals another treasure—its night sky. The park’s location far from major urban centers results in minimal light pollution, creating ideal conditions for stargazing. On clear nights, the Milky Way stretches across the heavens, a celestial spectacle that reminds campers of their small place in the vast universe.

Baxter State Park – Roaring Brook Campground

Number of Campsites: 49
Reservation Website: BaxterStateParkAuthority.com
Address: Baxter State Park, Millinocket, ME 04462

In the shadow of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, Roaring Brook Campground offers a wilderness experience that has remained largely unchanged for generations. This remote campground embodies the vision of Governor Percival Baxter, who donated the land with the stipulation that it remain “forever wild”—a philosophy evident in the campground’s rustic amenities and pristine surroundings.

The sites at Roaring Brook feature simple wooden tent platforms set among mature hardwoods and conifers. No electricity hums through this campground; instead, the sounds of nature dominate—wind through tree branches, the persistent call of chickadees, and the distant roar of the brook for which the campground is named. Drinking water comes from hand pumps, and outhouses replace flush toilets, reminding campers of their temporary step back from modern conveniences.

What Roaring Brook lacks in amenities, it more than compensates for with unparalleled access to some of Maine’s most dramatic mountain scenery. The campground serves as the starting point for several trails leading to Mount Katahdin, including the popular Chimney Pond Trail. This path leads hikers through increasingly dramatic terrain to an alpine cirque surrounded by Katahdin’s steep walls—a landscape that feels more like something from the Rocky Mountains than typical New England topography.

Wildlife abounds in this protected wilderness. Moose frequent the area’s ponds and wetlands, their massive forms often visible during early morning hours. Black bears maintain a healthy presence, requiring campers to practice proper food storage techniques. Birdlife includes boreal species rare in southern parts of the state, drawing enthusiastic birders hoping to add northern specialties to their life lists.

Evenings at Roaring Brook bring a profound quiet interrupted only by the occasional hoot of an owl or the scurrying of small nocturnal mammals. With no artificial light sources, the darkness becomes absolute when clouds cover the moon and stars. This complete darkness, increasingly rare in our illuminated world, offers a chance to experience night as our ancestors did—enveloping, mysterious, and filled with unseen life.

Camden Hills State Park

Number of Campsites: 107
Reservation Website: CampWithME.com
Address: 280 Belfast Road, Camden, ME 04843

Where mountains meet the sea, Camden Hills State Park offers camping with panoramic views of Penobscot Bay and the charming coastal town of Camden. The campground sits nestled among hardwood forests that showcase spectacular fall colors, making autumn an especially magical time to visit. Sites are well-spaced with enough trees between them to provide a sense of privacy while still fostering the community feel characteristic of New England campgrounds.

Morning fog often clings to the hillsides, gradually burning off as the sun climbs higher, revealing expansive views that stretch across islands dotting Penobscot Bay. The campground provides modern amenities, including hot showers and flush toilets, creating a comfortable base for exploring the park’s extensive trail system and the surrounding coastal region.

Mount Battie, accessible by foot or car from the campground, provides one of Maine’s most iconic views. From its summit, campers can gaze down at Camden Harbor, where sailing vessels of all sizes navigate the protected waters, their white sails contrasting against the blue bay. On exceptionally clear days, distant Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park may be visible on the horizon, a reminder of Maine’s extensive coastline.

The park’s network of trails ranges from gentle paths suitable for families with young children to more challenging routes that reward hikers with sweeping vistas. Ocean Lookout on Mount Megunticook offers perhaps the most dramatic viewpoint, with sheer cliffs dropping away to forests below and the vast Atlantic stretching beyond. Multiflora rose, blueberries, and mountain cranberries add splashes of color along trail edges, depending on the season.

The proximity to Camden allows campers to easily venture into town for supplies, seafood dinners, or a taste of coastal Maine culture. Back at the campground, evenings often feature ranger-led programs during summer months, offering insights into the area’s natural and cultural history. As darkness falls, the distant flash of lighthouses provides a gentle reminder of the sea’s constant presence and maritime heritage that defines this region.

Sebago Lake State Park

Number of Campsites: 250
Reservation Website: CampWithME.com
Address: 11 Park Access Rd, Casco, ME 04015

On the shores of Maine’s second-largest lake, Sebago Lake State Park offers camping experiences that blend forest tranquility with freshwater recreation. The park encompasses two separate campgrounds—Witch Cove and Naples Beach—each with its own character but sharing access to the park’s sandy beaches and clear waters. Tall pine trees provide welcome shade for campsites, their needles creating a soft, natural carpet across the forest floor.

The campground features well-maintained facilities, including modern bathhouses with hot showers, making it suitable for campers seeking comfort without sacrificing a natural setting. Sites accommodate everything from tents to large RVs, with options for waterfront, water-accessible, or more secluded forest locations depending on personal preference.

Sebago Lake defines the park experience, its 45 square miles of crystal-clear water inviting swimming, boating, and fishing. The park maintains designated swimming areas with sandy beaches that slope gently into the water, ideal for families with children. The lake’s exceptional water quality—it serves as Portland’s drinking water source—makes for refreshing swimming during hot summer months.

Anglers praise Sebago for its landlocked salmon, lake trout, and bass populations. Fishing from shore proves productive, while those with boats can explore the lake’s considerable expanse in search of trophy catches. The park’s boat launch provides easy water access, though summer weekends can bring crowds requiring early arrival to secure a spot.

Hiking trails weave through the park’s 1,400 acres, leading through diverse forest ecosystems and occasionally emerging at overlooks offering views across the lake. Bird watching opportunities abound, with loons, ospreys, and bald eagles among the species that might make appearances. During autumn, the surrounding maple and oak trees transform the landscape with brilliant fall foliage, creating a colorful backdrop for late-season camping adventures.

Evenings at Sebago bring families together around campfires, the scent of pine mixing with woodsmoke as stories are shared under increasingly starry skies. The lake’s considerable size creates its own weather patterns, sometimes generating gentle breezes that rustle through pine boughs or dramatic thunderstorms that pass quickly, leaving the air fresh and clean in their wake.

Cobscook Bay State Park

Number of Campsites: 106
Reservation Website: CampWithME.com
Address: 40 South Edmunds Road, Edmunds Township, ME 04628

At Maine’s easternmost edge, Cobscook Bay State Park offers camping in a landscape defined by some of the most dramatic tidal changes in the continental United States. Here, the difference between high and low tide can exceed 24 feet, transforming the shoreline twice daily and creating a constantly shifting environment that fascinates observers. The campground sits on a peninsula extending into Cobscook Bay, providing water views from many sites and easy access to shoreline exploration.

The campsites at Cobscook Bay feature a wilder, more remote feel than those in more populated areas of Maine. Spruce and fir trees create dense stands between sites, their conical shapes distinctive against the sky and their needles providing natural sound absorption that enhances the sense of solitude. The facilities strike a balance between rustic and comfortable, with water spigots, vault toilets, and a central shower building serving the campground.

What makes Cobscook truly special is the opportunity to witness and experience the powerful tidal cycle that defines this region. Walking trails lead to various points along the shore where campers can observe the incoming tide—advancing at rates visible to the naked eye—or explore tide pools left behind when the waters recede. This daily rhythm creates constantly changing opportunities for discovery, from collecting periwinkles to spotting bald eagles hunting in newly exposed shallows.

The surrounding Downeast region offers some of Maine’s most authentic coastal experiences. Small fishing villages continue traditions that have sustained communities for generations, while protected natural areas showcase ecosystems unique to this cold-water environment. The nearby Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge provides additional opportunities for wildlife observation, with moose, black bear, and numerous bird species inhabiting its diverse landscapes.

Weather in this coastal region can change rapidly, with fog rolling in without warning to shroud the landscape in mysterious gray. These atmospheric conditions, while sometimes challenging for outdoor activities, create photographic opportunities and moments of profound natural beauty. Experiencing a foggy morning at Cobscook, with droplets of moisture clinging to spider webs and softening the outlines of spruce trees, provides memories that last long after the camping trip ends.

Lily Bay State Park

Number of Campsites: 91
Reservation Website: CampWithME.com
Address: 425 Lily Bay Road, Beaver Cove, ME 04441

On the eastern shore of Moosehead Lake—Maine’s largest body of freshwater—Lily Bay State Park offers camping with unparalleled access to the North Woods experience. The campground stretches along the lakeshore, with many sites offering direct views of the water and majestic Mount Kineo rising from the opposite shore. Mature birch, maple, and pine trees provide natural screening between campsites, creating private spaces within the larger communal setting.

The park maintains excellent facilities, including clean bathhouses with hot showers and flush toilets, making it accessible for families and those new to camping. Sites accommodate everything from tents to medium-sized RVs, though the absence of hookups keeps the focus on natural rather than developed camping experiences. A small camp store offers basic supplies, saving campers the 15-mile drive to Greenville for forgotten essentials.

Moosehead Lake dominates the Lily Bay experience, its clear, cold waters inviting swimming from the park’s small beach area during summer months. The protected bay provides ideal conditions for kayaking and canoeing, with opportunities to explore undeveloped shorelines and small islands. Anglers find productive fishing for trout, salmon, and smallmouth bass either from shore or by boat, with a launch ramp facilitating water access.

True to its name, the region around Lily Bay offers excellent opportunities for moose sightings, particularly during early morning and evening hours when these magnificent animals often venture to the shoreline or marshy areas to feed. Loons provide a soundtrack to the camping experience, their haunting calls echoing across the water as day transitions to night. Birdwatchers delight in spotting species typical of Maine’s northern forests, from colorful warblers to impressive ospreys.

Hiking opportunities abound both within the park and in the surrounding region. The short Dunn Point Trail leads to scenic overlooks, while more ambitious hikers might venture to nearby Mount Kineo or the trails of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods properties. For those seeking wilderness paddling adventures, Lily Bay serves as an excellent base for day trips or as the starting point for longer excursions into the more remote parts of Moosehead Lake.

As darkness falls over Moosehead, the remote location reveals a night sky ablaze with stars, their reflection shimmering on the lake’s surface when winds lie still. The cool nights characteristic of Maine’s interior, even in summer, make campfires both practical and atmospheric, creating perfect settings for sharing stories or simply contemplating the wild landscape that has drawn visitors to this region for generations.

Hermit Island Campground

Number of Campsites: 275
Reservation Website: HermitIsland.com
Address: 6 Hermit Island Road, Phippsburg, ME 04562

On a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean, Hermit Island Campground offers a coastal camping experience that feels removed from the modern world despite being just a few hours from Boston. Technically not an island (it connects to the mainland by a narrow causeway), this privately operated campground preserves a slice of Maine coastline in near-natural condition, with campsites scattered among spruce forests, along rocky shorelines, and behind sandy beaches.

The campground embraces a philosophy that prioritizes natural experiences over amenities, though basic needs are well met with clean bathhouses, fresh water, and a small store selling essentials and local seafood. Sites vary dramatically in size and setting—some perch on headlands with panoramic ocean views, others nestle into spruce groves with maximum privacy, while still others sit just steps from sandy beaches. This diversity means first-time visitors should research specific sites before reserving.

Seven distinct beaches punctuate the property’s extensive shoreline, ranging from the popular sand expanse of Sand Dollar Beach to smaller, more secluded coves accessible only by trail. Tidal pools form along rocky sections of coast, creating natural aquariums where cautious observers can spot crabs, sea stars, and countless other marine organisms. Swimming proves invigorating rather than relaxing, with Maine’s cold Atlantic waters requiring a certain fortitude even in midsummer.

Trails crisscross the peninsula, leading through forests, across meadows, and along dramatic cliff edges with views extending to lighthouses and distant islands. The property’s diverse habitats support abundant wildlife, including white-tailed deer, foxes, and numerous bird species. Osprey and bald eagles make regular appearances overhead, while shorebirds probe the sand for tiny crustaceans along beach edges.

The campground’s isolation from major light sources creates exceptional stargazing opportunities, with the Milky Way clearly visible on clear nights. The rhythmic sound of waves against the shore provides a constant soundtrack, occasionally punctuated by the melancholy sound of distant foghorns when weather conditions limit visibility.

What makes Hermit Island truly special is its ability to provide an authentic Maine coastal experience increasingly difficult to find in more developed areas. Here, campers can experience the fundamental elements that have drawn people to Maine’s shores for centuries—the meeting of forest and ocean, the ever-changing mood of the Atlantic, and the simple pleasure of falling asleep to the sound of waves after a day spent exploring this remarkable landscape.

Final Thoughts About Camping in Maine

Maine’s diverse campgrounds offer something for every outdoor enthusiast, from the dramatic coastline of Acadia to the remote wilderness of Baxter State Park. Whether you’re seeking challenging hikes, peaceful paddling, exceptional fishing, or simply a quiet retreat among towering pines, the Pine Tree State’s camping options provide gateways to unforgettable natural experiences. As you plan your Maine camping adventure, consider the unique character of each location and the experiences you value most—then prepare to create memories that will draw you back to this remarkable corner of New England year after year.