Donnell Pond — Donnel Pond

This was really a beautiful spot to set up camp. I stayed here for only 1 night as I had reservations in Acadia (about 45 minutes outside Acadia) but I will absolutely come back in the future. The hike in is only about 1/2 mile so it’s totally doable even if you need to make two trips. The spots are secluded enough but not isolated. People in the other campsites were very friendly and respectful. Had dinner on the beach as the sun set behind the lake and the hike the next morning was a good climb for only about a 3+ mile hike.

This place is so breathtaking with the views! We boated to the boat with our gear and camped there. This lake is huge so keep that in mind. We parked at the public dock that has public parking and boated over to the beach. There are two beaches that you can camp on that have sites with fire rings and picnic tables. A lot of people at both beaches. We found a spot and it was gorgeous with the Mountain View’s. We were able to swim here as well. We went fishing and did catch a couple of fish! These are public/free and first come first serve sites. We only went for one night but really enjoyed it here. If you do not have a boat, you can park at the public schoodic beach lot and walk the half mile to the beach. It can be confusing knowing where to go exactly to get to the camping spots but once we figured it out we were fine. There are restrooms at the parking lot but not on the beaches.

The hiking is moderate with multiple trails and great views. The campsites are a little cramped unless you have a boat or are a ultralight back packer and want to either cross the lake by boat or hike a few miles to a camp site with a little more privacy otherwise all sites are free and can openly burn at with the exception of a few. The one site that is easily accessible is a half mile hike with 9 campsites and if your lucky you won't have the experience I did with a group of ten partying all night next to me and using chainsaws in a location that was not permitted. And the trails aren't well labeled with very little information at the site. Pros: free camping, not swamped by tourists, fire permitted, great hiking and views, and a beautiful pond that's more like a lake. Cons: people not respecting the rules of the reserve or the campers around them, andmore secluded campsites being pretty far for campers who can't afford thousands of dollars on ultralight gear to hike or an expensive boat to get there