Established in 1939, Katahdin Stream is a popular family campground providing access to Katahdin via the Appalachian Trail as well as access to numerous streams and ponds in the Kidney / Daicey area.

26mi to Millinocket
12 lean-tos
10 tentsites
3 group sites holding 12, 13, and 25 people

Katahdin Stream Campground — Baxter State Park

If you enjoy camping with a wonderful view of Mt. Katahdin, then this campground is for you. This is 1 of the 3 campgrounds in Baxter that stays open for a bit past the normal season. It offers a few spots for small RV’s, tent sites, lean-tos, and a few camping cabins, each with a picnic table and fire ring. Our site even had a sheltered area over the picnic table.

There is no running/drinking water, but the stream nearby is perfect for filtering. The pit toilets are cleaned daily. There is no electricity, so bring your solar panel. Plan on packing out your trash. Rangers are assigned to each campground, so there is always someone to chat with if you have questions or emergencies while in the park.

You can start the 8 to 12-hour round trip to the summit of Mt. Katahdin from this campground, as it sits right at the base of the mountain. Or, you can choose from a variety of other trail options if a 4000 ft elevation gain isn’t your thing. You are sure to see many Appalachian Trail thru-hikers as they use this campground as their final base camp before summiting.

Fall is one of the best times to be here…no bugs, less people, and full of autumn color! Be ready for wind and cold days though.

Your last stop for food and gas is in Millinocket, so be sure to stock up before you make your way to the park. Millinocket is about 18 miles from the main entrance to Baxter State Park.

Note: Dogs are not allowed in the park, but Katahdin Kritters is a pet boarding facility located in East Millinocket.

Ant's Eye View of Mt. Katahdin!

Stayed here after 21 days on the AT, the night before our Katahdin summit. Great campsite. Stellar privys, don't smell bad, aren't bug infested, and come stocked with toilet paper. Ample space at each tentsite. Beautiful, cold stream, great for filling water bottles or taking a quick dip after a long, hot day.

Awesome Campsite

Baxter State Park is amazing! My husband and I ended our summer vacation there last year and it was by far the best camping experience! The trails are awesome and the views are even better! It was too cold for us to climb to the top of Katahdin while we were there because we didn't pack any warm clothes but that is definitely on our bucket list for next time! The park doesn't have any running water or filling stations so bring all the water you will need!

Baxter State Park is AMAZING!

Katahdin Stream provides the perfect site to give you a restful night’s sleep before taking the Hunt Trail up Mt Katahdin/ Baxter Peak. The tent sites were flat and spacious and though we had downpours all day, there was no puddling or pooling of water in the site. All tent sites and lean-to sites came with firepits and tables, and plenty of trees around to hang wet articles of clothing to dry after the rain passed. The campground was clearly marked and provided parking for 1-2 vehicles at each site, but not much more than that and the day use site campers were very friendly and engaged with the overnight campers, offering us BBQ and other leftover food which very welcome after an 11 hour day of hiking.

Katahdin Stream is easily accessible and provides an excellent source of fresh water, as water is limited once you start up the Hunt Trail. Therefore I highly recommend taking as much water as you can reasonably carry. We had 2- 2 liter bladders and 4 Nalgene bottles on our trip and we ran out by the time we reached the end of our trip. (Between two hikers- went up Hunt and down Abol and back around to Katahdin Stream for a second night’s stay).

Perfect campsite before the summit

Since this is the closest campground to the northern most point on the AT, you’ll see lot of thru-hikers. many will ask to hitch a ride to town to get supplies, but they are not troublesome. just without wheels and far from any civilization. at the ranger station there are a bunch of gear options that people have left behind. feel free to leave stuff you won’t use because someone else might find it a treasure. we stayed in a leanto. it was nice, Next to the stream, an relatively easy hike to Katahdin Stream Falls, on the way up to Baxter Peak. the rangers were nice. the campground was clean. but it’s really busy and holds a lot of people. it’s not my favorite campground in Baxter state park. 

Very Spread Out and easy access to AT

This campground offers large sites, many with lean-tos and along the stream. a nice base for a morning ascent of Mt Katahdin. Black flies can be unbearable in May/June, so prepare accordingly. There are pit toilets. Bring either drinking water or a water filter for water from the stream. You'll need to bring all your supplies; there are no stores in the park, so stock up in Millinocket. Also, beware that you need to arrive no later than 8:30pm your first night! No cell phone coverage.

Baxter State Park is no frills, but great beauty. There are a few of New England's 4000-footers here, but the goal for most is Mt Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  If you stay here the night before, you can get an early start without having to wait at the park entrance. If you're not interested in the high peaks, there are trails along waterfalls and ponds, places to launch a canoe or kayak, ample opportunity to see moose.

2020, won't open until at least July. in 2019, it didn't open until late May because of a wet spring and trails were closed until mid-June because of snow cover on the trails.

Great base for a Katahdin ascent

Right on the stream (great for sitting in after hiking Katahdin). 2 min walk to the Hunt trailhead. The bathrooms were immaculate! Great ranger! Room for a 6 person tent and a small tent plus one Subaru Forester. 