Acadia is an excellent camping destination with access to the rugged coastline, picturesque sunsets, and the smell of woodsy aromas while listening to birds sing around. Can there be anything better for your vacation? Camping in Acadia National Park is an enchanting experience at Maine’s Mount Desert Island that is expanding in the 47,000-acre recreational area making it one of the exceptionally beautiful spots in the country.
Camping in Acadia National Park brings plenty of tremendous camping opportunities to you. So what do you want to know about camping possibilities at the park? Here is the complete guide to camping in Acadia National Park to make a perfect stay. We let you know all the camping spots in the park and the options nearby along with the best tips.
How to get to the right campsite in Acadia?
With plenty of pristine nature, Acadia is called one of the top-visited spots in the USA. If you plan your next stay at Acadia, remember that all the sites in Acadia have need advanced reservations. And it is best to make your reservation 2 months in early here.
For the visits during the summer, it is really hard to make your in-park reservations with plenty of crowds in. But, thankfully, there is a considerable number of options near the park with the management of private rights.
Campgrounds in Acadia National Park
If you are looking for in-park options at Acadia, there are 4 park-maintained campgrounds.
Blackwoods Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $30 to $60 per night
- Reservation: Yes
Blackwoods campground is sited just a few minutes from the Park Loop Road, Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, and Bar Harbor. In simply, this is the most central spot to camp in Acadia National Park.
In summer, this is the most popular campground in Acadia for which you need earlier reservations. You can pick your one from 306 campsites, and they need to reserve about 3 months earlier. The range of campsites includes group sites, tent camping sites, and RV-only sites. All these sites are only about a 10-minute walk from the ocean.
Blackwoods campground does not provide showers and make sure you bring your camp shower when visiting. But it does offer flush toilets, fire rings, camp tables, and also easy access to the local shuttle bus at the park.
Duck Harbor Campground
- Type of camping: Tent
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $20 per night
- Reservation: Yes
If I say Duck Harbor is the most exceptional campground at Acadia, you would too agree! This is not near a road and it is located on Isle au Haut off the coast of the Stonington town. Its specialty comes where it is only through the mailboat. Make sure you check with its schedule when you are planning to book. And also it is reachable through a 4-mile one-way hike making it one of the uncommon spots that you can find with no road near.
You can find 5 campsites at Duck Harbor campground with a lean-to shelter where you can pitch your camping tent. And the campsites at Duck Harbor can put up people to 6 with access to fire rings, composting toilets, picnic tables, and clean water.
Even though the number of campsites here at Duck Harbor is extremely low, the campground is extremely popular among the crowd. So make sure you make the earliest possible reservations to make it possible to get your stay at one of the unique sites.
Seawall Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $22 to $60 per night
- Reservation: Yes
If you are looking for a picturesque location to spend your night after long visits through Acadia, the Seawall campground is going to be a perfect choice. This is located on the west of Mount Desert Island and spot about 18 miles from Bar Harbor. So it is almost away from busy crowds at Bar Harbor, restaurants, and lodges leaving you in a much peaceful setting.
Located in a much-secluded site in the park, this campground offers over 200 campsites. And they cover 9 of the accessible sites, campsites for groups, walk-in sites, and RV-only sites. With its unique environmental characteristics, the park arrests more attention from the visitors and you will need early reservations to make your site ready.
Each site here features a big pad for tents, a picnic table, a fire ring, along with the running water access and flush toilets. Even though you cannot find showers at the site, they can be found easily in closer towns.
Note: The site is open to RVs with a maximum of 35 feet and is strictly enforced. The roads in the region are very narrow and it would be difficult for maneuvering
Schoodic Woods Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $22 to $60 per night
- Reservation: Yes
This in-park campsite is located on the Schoodic Peninsula which comes offering offers hookups for RVs. Schoodic Woods is nearby 1.5 hours from Bar Harbor and can be called the newest and best of all. You can find all the sites well-groomed, large enough, and an easy drive to the Acadia’s beautiful views. But if Cadillac Mountain and Jordan Pond are your top interests, staying at Schoodic woods won’t work as this park area is not close to those top points.
The campground is featuring about 94 campsites and they are wide-ranging. You can find group sites, tent camping sites, walk-in sites, and RV sites and can choose from electric and non-electric sites too. And also you can choose for a hike-in campsite where you are given the best-secluded camping experience. Schoodic Woods campground’s hike-in campsites are indeed great above all but remember that they do not allow campfires.
Like all other campgrounds at Acadia, this is a wonderful place to camp. So make sure you make the earliest possible reservations. From the campground, you are only about a 15-minute walk to the marine and can get close to a wonderful set-up of hiking trails that lead through lighthouses and far-off, woody islands.
Campgrounds nearby Acadia National Park
During peak seasons, it is difficult to get in-park reservations. But thanks to plenty of options nearby Acadia, you can plan ahead your stay and enjoy an adventurous visit to Acadia.
Bar Harbor Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $38 to $46 per night
- Reservation: No
Bar Harbor is a family-focused place you find right following downtown Bar Harbor for both tent camping and RV. This brings more of an in-town experience to the visitors with more than 50 sites. You can have a lot of fun and satisfaction here and most of the sites feature direct ocean views.
You can choose here between full hookups and dry camping sites at Bar Harbor Campground. This first-come, the first-served campground offers numerous bathhouses, dump stations, laundry machines, potable water, and also fire pits. While hosts do not take early reservations, you have to be there at right time to get the ideal spot ready for your stay. At Bar Harbor campground, no credit cards are accepted and you have to take cash with you. Considering everything, this is one of the best places you can find nearby Acadia to plan successfully your last-minute trips.
Mainstay Cottages and RV Park
- Type of camping: RV and Cabin
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $45 to $250 per night
- Reservation: Yes
If you love traditional Maine fishing ambiance, this Mainstay Cottages and RV Park is going to be a perfect option. It is located about one hour drive from the Bar Harbor in the town of Winter Harbor. This pedestrian-open Winter Harbor is within a walking distance from the cottages and campground.
Mainstay Cottages and RV Park is run by a family-owned business for which 5 cottages are included. And this small RV Park is built-up to self-contained RVs and you find each site comes with water, sewer, and electrical hookups, along with a WiFi facility. Thanks to the good connection of the campground with the free shuttle service “Island Explorer”, you can enjoy the rest of the spots at Acadia easily.
Mount Desert Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $31 to $76 per night
- Reservation: Yes
For Acadia visitors, Mount Desert Campground is a family-friendly place with tent and RV camping access. This is situated in the center of Mount Desert Island and you are highly recommended for early reservations.
Mount Desert Campground has more than 160 sites and almost 30 of them are on the water. On each site, you can have a tent that can pitch directly onto a large platform and can accommodate RVs/ trailers that are up to 20’ long. If you live water activities, this can be a perfect place to stay that offers unlimited water fun including offers kayaks, SUP rentals, canoe, boat launch, deep-water moorings, and also fishing. And at the campground, you can find a small market to get some supplies and good coffee.
Bass Harbor Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV / Cabin / Yurt
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $26 to $99 per night
- Reservation: Yes
Bass Harbor Campground is a family-owned option for a great camping experience which is settled on the southernmost tip of Mount Desert Island. This is very much near the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.
You here have a wide choice with the type of camping as it offers 120 shaded tent and RV sites, some featuring full hookups, 3 yurts, and 8 cabins. Here too, reservations are strongly recommended and you can handle it over the phone.
All the sites are properly maintained and bring a complete camping experience with free Wi-Fi access, a heated pool, and playground, an entertaining room, hot showers, a laundromat, and also a camp store. And being a stop along with the island explorer, it is easy for you to get around the park during your stay here.
Hadley’s Point Campground
- Type of camping: Tent / RV / Cabin
- Open season: May to October
- Fee: $29 to $90 per night
- Reservation: Yes
This is again a family-owned campground which is located on the northern edge of Mount Desert Island. Hadley’s Point Campground is just a 10-minute drive from Hulls Cove Entrance Station of Acadia. This campground is on water and offers quick contact to the public beach. And as it allows access easy to free Island Explorer local service, it will be easier for you to adventure in Acadia.
Hadley’s Point Campground offers wide-ranging campsites to campers. You can find basic tent sites, full-hookup RV spots, and portable power generators there. And you can experience a more luxurious stay at one of the 16 cabins there if you want a more comfortable break at the end of a tiring hiking day.
At Hadley’s Point, you are strongly recommended to make early reservations. Especially when it is summer, a lot of crowds come to the Acadia and Hadley’s Point Campground too wins a lot of attraction from the visitors. If you are going to stay there, you will get access to WiFi, a heated pool, and hot showers. For those who love entertainment, the campground offers a basketball court, playground, and shuffleboard court.
Guide to camping in Acadia National Park- Tips to know
Undoubtedly, Acadia is one of the top camping destinations in the USA. But there are several things you should remember before you reach Acadia.
Early reservations: When camping at Acadia, reservations are a must. With the exceptional beauty and value of the park, there is less possibility to get a site if you had no early reservation. The general rule is to make reservations up to 3 months earlier the date of the trip to get space at in-part campgrounds. If you are planning to at a part-operated campground, make sure you make the reservation before 3 months. For privately-owned campgrounds, there are respective reservation policies you should check before fixing a date
Leave your car at the camp: Acadia is a small island that has a lot of roads and also parking spots. But when the park is too busy, parking at the trailhead would be almost impossible. So the best advice is just to leave your car at camp. You can easily take the Island Explorer free bus system to travel around the park and up to Bar Harbor. This free bus system is extremely convenient, totally free and is the best solution to reduce traffic problems at the park
Bring 1 car and 1 tent per site: Campgrounds at the Acadia provide space for parking but for one vehicle at each site. For any additional vehicle, you have to pay more. Due to limited space inside the park, it is better you stick with one vehicle. And the same fact applies to tents! Most of the campgrounds at Acadia will only agree you pitch 1 tent per campsite. Before you arrive, check with the campground host and if you have a larger group, consider reserving a second site too
Get local firewood: If you are planning to have a fire at the campsite, make sure you buy local firewood. You can find places to buy firewood directly at most of the campgrounds in Acadia. But in case you are planning to bring firewood your own, make sure they are from more than 50 miles away to bring no threats of diseases to Acadia National Park
Never forget to bring bug spray and head nets: Getting prepared for your trip to Acadia is very important with the right supplies. Remember that Maine and mosquitos are one and the same at Acadia in the early summer and be prepared with bug spray and head nets. With the right bug spray, you can keep all troublesome insects away from your body while a head net can provide protection to your face
Will you be camping at Acadia?
No matter how you are planning to camp and at what times of the year, in which campground with what kind of facilities in mind, as long as you value the world underneath your feet and the wildlife nearby, camping at Acadia is going to be a great experience to your life adventurous journal.
In my way, Acadia is an all-natural piece of heaven that deserves the highest appreciation of the world. And for those who are enthusiastic about camping, Acadia should definitely come on the bucket list.
Before you are heading, be sure you are properly ready with everything you might need at Acadia depending on the time of camping, with whom, and at which campground. And it is always smart to bring some backups of important items, without over-packing. You can find the perfect campground for you to stay in and enjoy every bit of Acadia!
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