## Overview

 Blackwoods campsites are reservable up to 2 months in advance at 10:00am EDT. There are no first-come, first-serve sites. All campsites are by advanced reservation only.\_\_ Blackwoods Campground is located in breathtaking Acadia National Park on the Maine coast. Visitors venture to Acadia for its picturesque scenery, historic sites and recreational activities, including hiking, biking and canoeing. 
## Recreation

 From gentle walks along the rugged coastline, mountain hikes, tree lined carriage roads for biking and lakes for kayaking and canoeing, Acadia offers many opportunities to get outside and be active.Park rangers at Acadia offer a variety of programs to suit every interest and activity level. Programs include walks, talks, hikes, narrated boat cruises, bike rides and more. A 27-mile, historic loop road system offers outstanding views of the park\'s ocean shoreline, coastal forests and mountain silhouettes. 
## Facilities

 The majority of Blackwoods\' sites are for small and large tents; other sites can accommodate travelers with RVs. Flush toilets, running water, and a dump station are provided, as are picnic tables and fire rings. Roads are paved. \*\*\* There are no showers in the campground. Fee shower facilities are located 1/2 mile from the campground. The use of portable showers is prohibited.\*\*\* 
## Natural Features

 Acadia is comprised of a cluster of islands on the Atlantic coast of Maine. Mountains, lakes, streams, wetlands, forests, meadows and beaches are all found within roughly 50,000 acres comprising Acadia. At Blackwoods, all sites are wooded and within a 10-minute walk of the ocean. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Acadia National Park is surrounded by scenic island harbors and quaint towns. Mount Desert Island, the Schoodic Peninsula, and Isle au Haut offer plenty of visitor services including restaurants, shops, museums, and tours. Please check with local Chambers of Commerce for more information. 
## Charges &amp; Cancellations

 No Shows If a camper does not check-in at the ranger station by 10:00am check-out time the day after the scheduled arrival date, their reservation will be cancelled, the camper will incur a $20.00 service fee, and forfeit the first night\'s camping fee.\_\_ Making Changes to Your Reservation A $10.00 service fee will apply if you make any changes to your reservation.\_\_ Cancelling Your Reservation If you cancel your reservation the day before or on the day of your scheduled arrival date, you will incur a $10 service fee and forfeit your first night\'s camping fee. If you cancel your reservation 2 or more days before your scheduled arrival date, you will only incur a $10 service fee.\_\_ If you cancel a group campsite reservation within 7 full days before the scheduled arrival date, you will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night\'s use fee.\_\_ Early Departures If you choose to check out of your campsite early, you must notify us in person at the Campground Ranger Station before 10:00am in order to receive a refund for your remaining nights. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_Please review Rules &amp; Reservation Policies below for more information.

Blackwoods Campground — Acadia National Park

Review for Blackwoods campground.

We trekked up from Rhode Island to Acadia and had every intent on staying at seawall. However, once we made the 7 hour drive, we decided to stay somewhere a little closer to where we intended on hiking. Blackwoods campground is a wonderful option for those of you interested in hanging around bar harbor or hiking the Beehive trail. The campground itself is wonderfully cared for and we were very pleased to be able to come right in without a reservation. It gets super busy on weekends and in season so a reservation is suggested. Bathrooms are clean, there is a dish water dump station, potable water sources throughout and dumpsters to keep trash out of your site. You also cant beat that public transportation (thanks LL Bean!) It allows you to keep the car at the site if you want and pick up a bus at pretty much all trailheads. The rangers at Blackwoods were very knowledgable and friendly. Thanks for a perfect couple of days, Acadia!

Gear Review of Morsel at Blackwoods Campground

If you guys have read my other reviews, generally i get gear that i never really would have gotten otherwise. Dont get me wrong, its always amazing stuff, but this was the first practical review i have conducted where i have truly felt like “where the heck has this been my whole life??”

These hyper-utensils are not just a spork. They are a fork, spoon, knife and serving spoon, or chili stirrer, or package opener. This was truly the only thing we needed as far as utensils went, and all four of us were very happy. My husband is a chef and makes some pretty elaborate camping meals. These morsels held up and threw down. And (perhaps most importantly) they were a breeze to clean!! I will be getting more in the future, i am five star pleased with this wonderful product. Get your own here- available in two sizes!
https://morselspork.com



Perfect.

Stayed here in summer of 2014 with a group of four.  The rangers were very accommodating and a wealth of information.  
The site was at capacity but it was not a problem to get a camp site or a hot shower.
We stayed two nights and had a very nice time.   

Memorable!

There is something awe inspiring about the coast of Maine. The drive up to Acadia is spectacular. Views of islands off the coast, panoramic views of the water, and endless woods and rocks to run and climb through. Staying a the Blackwoods camp ground gives you perfect access to rivers, lakes, ocean shores, and mountains. The park is unbelievable albeit a bit expensive for my taste. 

Camping in Maine

This is the location to be if you want to be close it it all in Acadia. A short drive to Bar Harbor, with many of the big attractions nearby. Make reservations either online (super easy and fast) or by phone (be patient and expect to be on hold) if you are going anytime between May and September. I wasn't able to get a tent site so I pitched my rent on a gravel RV drive. It looked like tent sites had gravel tent pads, so you might want a good tent footprint cloth (or double up a tarp). Nice flush toilets (with outlets that that tweets and teens will be charging their phones on), with pay showers about a half miles outside the campground. All sites had fire pits and picnic tables. 

Blackwoods Campground 

I camped at Acadia in October and boy was I in for a treat. The Fall Foliage was stunning, it showed me what Autum is all about. The Camp area was quiet and dark enough to see the beautiful stars at night. A few feet away, there was the road accessible for cars. It was very cold, specially at night but nothing a couple of blankets & a campfire couldn't fix. They have amazing hikes with breathtaking views. At night you can see the moon from the top of the mountain, totally recommend. The town is near by for all your necessities, including gift shops & restaurants. Theres also bike rentals which are great to move around and explore. Overall a truly magical place and great fresh sea food, don't forget to try their very own Blueberry Soda!!.

The real meaning of Fall 

Stayed here as a family for our first time in Acadia- it was awesome! Lots of cool trails to explore within the campground and lots of privacy! Facilities were clean and it was very dog friendly.

Great camping!

This is a busy but great campground. It's situated in the heart of Acadia National Park and is well maintained any time of year (note that facilities are closed in winter but the camping is still great). The sites, as the name indicates, are heavily shaded and always seem dim even in the height of the day. This is great for protection from the elements in the summer as well as the fall. The sites are a little small and are very close to one another, but there's still plenty of room to stretch out and make yourself at hime.

The fire rings are well maintained and there are garage and recycling receptacles a short walk from the campsites. The restrooms are nice (there are no showers in the campground) and the water from the spigot is delicious. If you're looking for a spot to camp for a visit to this park, you can't beat the location and the price. The rangers at the welcome gate are friendly and there's always a ranger program happening. Be sure you drive slowly through the grounds, as there are people everywhere (a welcome and refreshing site).

National Park Gem

Acadia is a fantastic national park and really not that large. Although these are some huge campgrounds and the sites are huge allowing you to be pretty spaced out from your "neighbors". We stayed on one of the non-electric tent sites (B134) on the back end of one the "loops" and were nestled right into the woods with no one right by us. I really can't believe that more people don't come and camp in the fall, yes it's a little cooler, but that's nothing a good sleeping bag and a nice fire can't fix. However, there was almost no one around and we had so much space to ourselves. The park is probably great in the summer for doing some extra biking, hiking, kayaking, but the fall is just as nice, plus you get to see the amazing colors as the leaves change. Got to setup and have a nice lunch and then explored the park, amazing just driving around and seeing the colors and stopping for a few hikes and to see the sights. Came back to had dinner on the nice picnic table, used the clean and seemingly abandoned (not by the staff, but no one else but use seemed to have used them) facilities. Then got to experience a wonderful northern rain storm... You get to see a photo of the last time I used my tent (I've had it almost 15 years) and even though I had just redone the waterproofing (again) it gave out right around 4 am and the rainstorm wasn't just outside our tent but also in... Thankfully you do get to park right at your site, so we spent the rest of the early morning in the car and then decided to try and see if the storm broke and we could get a glimpse of the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain and then explore more of the wondrous park and the beautiful foliage.

Oh, the colors!! Also, probably the largest "Tent" site I've ever been on

Acadia, especially in the shoulder seasons, is a paradise. Although it is one of the most densely-visited parks during the summer and fall colors seasons, if you time things right, the whole park can be yours to explore.

Blackwoods Campground was our only camping option inside the park during our visit in late October. As some of the campground is closed at this time of year, we were surprised to learn it was almost full to capacity when we arrived for four nights. Definitely book in advance. It is one of the priciest NPS campgrounds at $30/night for a bare tent site, but as our only option for camping inside the park, we swallowed the cost and made the most of it. If we had visited during the summer, we would have stayed elsewhere, like on Isle Au Haut or Seawall Campground.

The campground itself is what you’d expect at most national parks. Bathrooms with flush toilets, sites with picnic tables. Easy access to the wonders of Acadia.

During our five days in the park, our favorite activities included hiking the Precipice Trail (closed during certain months because of nesting), seeing the quieter side of Acadia and walking to Wonderland Point, joining the crowds to watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, and exploring the town of Bar Harbor (highly recommend seeing a movie at Reel Pizza!).

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: [Switchback Kids (Acadia)](http://switchbackkids.com/acadia/)

Access to the wonders of Acadia well worth the pricey cost

We were at Blackwoods for two weeks - from October 3rd to October 17th in 2016\. Perfect timing for fall color. It was beautiful. The campsites are primitive (no electricity, water or sewer) and there are no showers on site - there is a pay shower close by outside the park. But it was worth it to be in this beautiful pristine environment. The campsite is a short walk to an ocean overlook where you can watch the sunrise and the park has lots to do. We enjoyed great ranger talks before they ended for the season and I loved bicycling on the carriage trails. Don't forget your hiking boots! We had the trails to ourselves most of the time we were there.

The campground is pet-friendly. Most of the trailer sites are pull-through. The sites are not too close together and there are a lot of trees and shrubs between sites. Each site has a fire ring. They run a bus service around the park and there is a stop at the campground.

I cant wait to go back!

Beautiful Location 

Last month I was able to take a 5 week trip to the Northeast and back to Florida. One of the National Parks that I had heard so much about was Acadia. I was very excited to get a last minute site here in Loop A. The campground sites were very shaded and level with a picnic table and firepit on them. There were several restrooms conveniently located throughout our loop. The sites are primitive which means no electric, water or sewer(normal for a National Park). However; there was a dump station and water fill station by entrance to campground. We did take advantage of some trails nearby to Cadillac mountain one day and Otter Cove on another. The negatives about this campground were that sites were very narrow and close together in Loop A and we were scolded via note on our picnic table for hanging our Tentsile up here. The buses weren't running yet so it was a little hard to get around in our RV. Lots of One-way loops and restricted height roads due to overpasses, etc. This put a damper on things but we still tried to make the best of it. We visited Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and of course; Bar Harbor for some seafood and shopping. Another cool thing to do was walk to Bar Island at low tide. There is a land bridge only visible/accessible at this time. We saw a beautiful sunset that evening and I collected some rocks to take home...shhh! Next time, we will bring a car with us to get around and try our hand at the Precipice Trail or Beehive.

Spectacular views and great hikes

This is a fabulous spot no matter the time of year. It gets its name from the large towering trees that block a significant amount of the sun each day, making the campground appear dark or black. While not advertised, there is firewood available in the campground. It's free and each campsite is allowed one arm load a day.

The campground is in the national park, however, you have to exit the park to enter the campground. There are times of the year that the Park Service closes the Park Loop road for bikers only and if you're staying here when that happens, be prepared not to be able to drive into the park for a few hours in the morning (if not all day). Even if the road isn't closed, be aware of bikers while driving.

The campground has very nice restrooms, water spigots, dumpsters and recycling receptacles. There is also a very small store at the entrance gate that sells a few odds and ends. The sites are well maintained but a bit small and some sites may experience walk through foot traffic as other campers take short cuts to get to the restrooms. There are two loops, A &amp; B available in the summer. There is also a nice amphitheater in the campground that hosts ranger talks every few nights.

Tent sites are all gravel so be sure you have a thick footprint to protect a delicate nylon floor. Fire rings and picnic tables are also amenities at each site. While the campground can get busy, it doesn't feel too crowded thanks to the trees. If you're spending any time in or around Acadia you should spend a few nights here!

Sweet location right in the park

I absolutely love this campground and this park. I lived in New England most of my life and didn't make it here until later on. Very very stupid. Its really wonderful. Where the mountains meet the ocean, and some of the funniest people and best sea food exist.

The camp isn't too costly but is still in the national park. It was pretty quaint, quiet and relaxed. Fire rings, picnic, benches, bathrooms. Acadia NP is pretty much an entire peninsula and the park co exist with bar harbor a fishing town. It is the first place on the eastern sea board that gets to see the sun rise.

Lots of hiking, fishing, climbing, biking, eating, laughing. Just about everything here in acadia. Be prepared to drive and be stuck in traffic if you here in the summer. Everyone from maine to China seems to be visiting.

Cheers

Acadia is amazing.

The facilities were well maintained for it being off season. Sites were spacious and tended too. Sleeping to the sounds of boueys ringing off the shore and wind bustling through the trees is a one of a kind experience.  You can spend your time tucked away in your site or take a few steps to meet the neighbors. 

Secluded but social

We spent 2 nights in Blackwoods while vacationing throughout New England. Our site was mostly private and clean.

A few chilly nights in Acadia

had a wonderful time, great campground close to the Cadillac mtn trail, walk right out the back to complete an awesome hike. 

tentsite


Although Blackwoods is busy, the sites are comfortably secluded. The facilities are clean and the staff friendly. There are no showers in the park, but private showers just outside ($2 for 4 min). 



Beautiful National park sites

very spacious and spread put campsites. The views of the water are stunning. Staff was friendly.

Amazing tent sites

Overall, this is a nice campground set in a pine forest. It’s fairly close to the ocean, so you can hear waves crashing against the rocky cliffs if it’s quiet enough. The sites are decently spacious with some privacy between sites, and the campground is generally quiet.

As for facilities – there are restrooms in the campground, but no shower houses. The shower house is located in a separate facility about 1/4 mile from the campground entrance. A bit inconvenient, but not terrible.. however, I will still never understand why a campground would go to the effort of plumbing in flush toilets and sinks, but not go the extra step and install showers, even cold outdoor ones. (Plus, the showers in the separate facility up the road are REALLY expensive - if I remember correctly, they were a minimum 4 bucks!) Also, the restrooms in the campground are on ground level, and the two outer restroom stalls have windows in them that don't have privacy glass - someone walking by can see RIGHT in them. So unless you are fine with people potentially seeing you go to the bathroom, there are only 3 stalls available in each building, not 5\. So weird.

Final thoughts - I enjoyed my stay here, and would stay here again given the chance! But, the facilities could use improvement.

Very pretty and relaxing

Black woods was a very large, very diverse campground that provided all the amenities needed for a comfortable night after a long day on the trail. Admittedly my legs were quite sore after 2 days of hiking, so by the time we reached this site, it was a little difficult to step up into the leanto.... this was easily remedied by carrying over a rock to use as a stepping stool into the shelter. The restrooms were just a Short walk from our site and provided extra large handicap size amenities... which was nice to get changed in comfort with ample space. The roads and trails were well maintained and they had some downed trees along the sides of the road into the site, which the rangers offered to let us have the wood for free if we cut it ourselves.

There was easy access to the stream from our site and we were able to get plenty of water for bathing and cooking, and plenty of trees for hanging gear to dry and to hang our hammock for relaxation. I would absolutely recommend this site to others. Only downfall is that the site can be noisy due to the number of hikers there. But the drive-in site is ideal

Nice shelters, close sites 

It’s a popular campground so expect to have some neighbors and to book in advance but everyone was respectful and kind plus it was nice waking up to the smell of bacon and egg sandwiches wafting through the breeze. 

My boyfriend and I visited Acadia in June for the first time! We heard great things about Blackwoods Campground from friends and family and we’re happy to report that it lived up to the hype! We picked a spot nestled in some towering pine trees, close to the bathrooms which were very clean and surprisingly smelled like fresh cut wood. The highlight of our stay at the campground most definitely was Ocean Path located about a five minute walk away in which you can sit on a cliff side while soaking in a stunning view of the ocean. We used this opportunity to make our morning coffee while slowly waking up.

My daughter and I are tent campers, and this is the first place we check whenever at Acadia. Not only are the tent sites relatively private for as many campers as it fits, but the Staff which work here are super helpful and friendly. I’ve honestly never had a better experience camping than here, and we’ve camped here at least a dozen times. There are no showers on site, but across the street is a shower house which you can pay to shower... or just go down the road to the lake and take a dip! the bathrooms flush and have running water, you can plug in your devices in the bath. there is yummy fresh spring water spouts all over the place. clean trash and recycling areas. fire pits are always cleaned out. wood can be free if they have enough! we love it here. AND the ranger shows! I almost forgot about that! we love going to the ranger shows. lots of good information. 

Best Staff in the National Park

Blackwoods is one of only a couple of campgrounds in Acadia National Park, which doesn't allow backpacking. It's connected to the South Ridge Trail, which gives you the opportunity to hike to Cadillac Mountain directly from the campground; we did this for the sunrise on our last day, and HIGHLY recommend it! (See the last picture.)

Rangers consistently patrol the campground, even driving through a couple of times after quiet hours begin; I found this really helped keep the noise down, despite the number of campers. (The campground was sold out for the duration of our stay!)

Each campsite has a fire ring and a picnic table, and sites are spaced decently; I would've appreciated a bit more privacy and space, but I'm sure the tree cover varies based on the site. My friend, who stayed at B121, seemed to have a bit more vegetation between her site and the surrounding sites.

There are plenty of bathrooms throughout the campground, as well as taps with potable water. There is an ampitheatre which is used for nightly activities; I think it can be rented by groups, too. There are showers just outside the campground (8 quarters for 4 minutes; the water isn't always hot, though!) and you can also purchase wood at the shower facility.

One of the routes run by the FREE shuttle bus stops at Blackwoods every hour during the summer; using this shuttle, you can get to Sieur de Monts, Otter Cliff, and the Village Green, where you can connect to any other bus. This is awesome, because it means you don't have to waste half the day jockeying for parking!

Overall, I think Blackwoods Campground is a great value and a great place to camp while visiting Acadia.

Super convenient camping in Acadia National Park

This campground is a lot smaller than it looks on the map, which is not a bad thing at all. From our campsite, we had a five minute walk to the ocean path! This path brings you to a beautiful view of the ocean and mount desert island. There is also a trail by the rangers station that you can take that will bring you all the way to sand beach if you continue onto other trails! My boyfriend, dog (did i mention it’s dog friendly?!), and I had a great time!

Fantastic Campin Experience

This was a great campsite to visit with our family. Was impressed by cleanliness and care of disposing of food waste to keep night time critters to a minimum.

Family friendly 

Close to many trails as well as the vast, beautiful ocean, clean bathrooms, close to island adventures/bar harbor restaurants and overall is a pleasant family campground. There are really nice showers within a two minute drive that are coin operated (ATM and coin machine inside though) and the campground also gives you an armful of free wood. Sites are not as secluded but the location and cleanliness makes up for that.

Mystical convienene 

This campground is spacious and fairly quiet. It is super close to some great hiking trails in Acadia National Park. It is also a 10-15mins ride to Bar Harbor. The bathrooms in the campground are nice and clean. The only downfall, in my opinion of course, is that you have to drive out of the campground to the showers, which you have to pay for when you get there. We have camped there now two years in a row and definitely planning on going back.

Great, quiet campground

This was a great campground! Free busses to every part of the park and the village green in Bar Harbour. They have free firewood. Lots of shade. Short walk to the ocean overlook. Hope to be back next year! No electric, dry camping in rv. Staff is very friendly and will answer any questions re the hikes near by. Dump station. Potable water available.

Great central area to camp and see Acadia

I ❤ this area!

Excellent campground at Acadia NP. Every site fills up during the summer. Have been the only campers sometimes in the spring and fall (besides the night sky festival week in early Sept) Close by bathrooms, a few trails close by. And a quick walk to the otter cliffs - which are sublime and beautiful.

Ocean at your backdoor!

This was my first experience camping at an actual campground and I had a very nice time! The camp sites are relatively close together but the site was big enough for two medium-large size tents. There was a fire pit and picnic table at each site! It was very clean. There’s bathroom on site that was also very clean and not far away. There’s no showers but there is a coin operated shower hut right outside the campground entrance. Water spicket near the bathroom had clean delicious water! There is an excellent trail leading to the top of Cadillac right from the campground. Trail was about 8 miles round trip and it was fairly hard we didn’t make it to the top because it got to hard on the older dog we brought with us. There’s also many things to do in the park itself! Overall we had a great time!

Excellent family camping with Lots of hiking

we stayed at blackwoods for Memorial Day weekend. the campground is Preston’s, clean bathrooms and big campsites. it’s located within the acadia National park and there are many hiking trails starting at the campground. there is a beach trail and access to the beach from the campground. it’s close to bar harbor and coin hot showers are located right outside the campground. it’s a beautiful place! the park rangers are helpful and very friendly. highly recommended! 

the way life should be. 

No hookups, no showers and no playgrounds in campgrounds. But it was very clean and well managed. Acadia was stunning! so much to do and see, we could easily spend a week here!

campground nice, Acadia amazing!

Llocated inside Acadia Mational Park, this campground offers you a great immersion experience of this natural gem. The free island shuttle has a stop at the campground which makes it very convenient to depart for hikes from your campsite and combine various trails for a longer excursion and you can jump on a shuttle to get back, eliminating need to drive. There are trailheads that leave from the campsite and there is a beach view access walking distance from the campground. My only complaint is there is no hot water in the sinks and no showers on site. There is a shower location down the road, but be prepared with lots of quarters. It costs 8 quarters for 4 minutes of hot water, so make sure to prep accordingly. Overall, I am still leaving 5 stars because it is such a gorgeous location and the price was good for the central location on the island.

Large sites with trailheads and shuttle from campground

Blackwoods campground is a very large, very busy, somewhat rustic campground in the heart of Acadia National Park. We camped here 3 nights in July and every site was full. The sites are fairly standard, with a picnic table and fire ring. There are bathrooms generally within a short walk from each site, but no showers. There is a private shower house just outside the campground, bring your roll of quarters with you. You can also purchase firewood just about everywhere outside the campground itself. There is a shuttle bus that runs to the campground and will take you to various other parts of the park including many trailheads. 
We camped in site A31 which was directly off the campground loop road, but felt more private than many of the sites located in the inner circles of the campground. We could walk a short trail from camp to the ocean. There is no WiFi, and little cell phone coverage at all within the area. Amenities are few within the campground itself, but this is an area people come to explore and take in the beauty of Acadia, not hang out at camp. 

Simply Acadia Style Camping

My friend's family has been going to Acadia every summer for probably 15 years, and myself and other friends would tag along and have a big ol' fun time. And every single year, we stay at the Blackwoods campground. You would think I'd have more pictures, but there's so much to do around the site that you forget to document!

The campsites themselves are usually completely booked throughout the season, so make sure you plan and book in advance. However, never have I once got the feeling of things being really busy of overrun with people. The sites are decently sized and well taken care of. Even though there are a ton of individual sites, you really feel like you're in the forest and each site is separated by dense trees, giving you the feeling of peaceful solitude. The campsites themselves are pretty standard; fire rings, picnic table, flat ground for tents. Bathhouses are always in walking range. I think quarter showers are in select ones (though you don't need it--splash around ion Hunters Brook where is crosses route 3\. You can even jump from the road when it's deep enough!). What I really like about these sights are the intermingling of trees, making good bases for hammocks, slacklines, and whatever things you need to hang between trees.

One of the best parts of staying in the Blackwoods campground is the proximity to the cliffs over the ocean. From Loop A, there is a little trail that takes you to to Park Loop road. Cross it, and you're on some rocky cliffs over the ocean. Amazing views. Awesome for bouldering too, if you're into climbing. And one night every trip, my friends and I bring our sleeping bags and sleep on the rocks over the ocean. 10/10 would recommend. Just make sure you're above the high tide line! The stars are unbeatable, as well as the sunrise. We really stay at Blackwoods campground just for this being close by.

Go-To Campground for Annual Excursion

This site is simply amazing all around. I've stayed here several times, both with just a few people and with whole groups and every time it has been fantastic. The last time we stayed and it happened to rain a couple of times over our five day trip. This didn't stop us from biking the carriage trails or taking the free shuttle out to Bar Harbor and exploring there. Quick note, make use of the Acadia National Park Chimani app, it had lots of handy information, plus the shuttle schedule and it works without service. The sites are a good size and the bathrooms are really nice. There are pay showers a little down the road from the campground.

Explore Acadia from this fantastic site!

This is one of the 3 camping options within Acadia National Park itself and the campground has 300+ sites. Despite being so large, the sites are wooded and relatively secluded which contribute to an overall feeling of not being at a mega-campground. At my time of visit, the staff was planting even more trees to act as additional privacy screens between sites. I ultimately opted to stay here because backcountry/dispersed camping is not allowed in Acadia and Blackwoods Campground is one of the few places where you can still camp within the park. It was a nice base for day hiking and it conveniently connects the the park’s trail system and also has a bus stop for the bus lines that service the park. The staff is incredibly informative and personally greets each person who checks into the campground (the only negative about this is the process tends to cause a bit of a traffic jam at the campground entrance). Of note, when booking your spot, you may want to avoid the sites that are situated right on the trails, unless you want a constant flow of people walking along your site. Overall, my stay here was a positive experience and I do not have any complaints about the grounds, other campers, or the facilities. I ultimately rated Blackwoods as 4 stars because although well located and overall a nice spot, it lacked a certain wow factor that other 5 star front country national park campgrounds have. 

Not a Bad National Park Option

Stayed so we'd be close to the water as well as in the park. Great base camp for activities. Could get up and walk to loop road with my bike, or go a little further and sit on the boulders overlooking the sea. Hiked across Cadillac Mtn and walked south and right back to camp. Sites were very gravely for tents and not level. 

Close to the water

Just the best! So much to do at Acadia! Hikes, education centers, Cadillac Mountain, Thunder hole and more! Sites are great! Close to Bar Harbor. Bathrooms are clean. Showers are off site. 

Acadia!!

This campground was the nicest one I’ve been to so far, facilities were incredible clean and accessible. The campground itself was at the hub of many major trail heads so it was perfect for hiking, site-seeing or just taking a trip into bar harbor! 
The site neighbors an incredibly clean shower house stocked with fire wood and ice 

Outstanding campground

We spent 3 nights here while hiking and sightseeing Acadia. There aren’t hookups and generator time is limited. We made our reservations about 6 months in advance. The location is ideal because there’s a bus stop at the campground to get access to the entire park. The campground also sits at the trailhead for Cadillac South Ridge, which we hiked. The restrooms were clean and the campground was very quiet considering it was 4th of July week.

No frills, but perfect location!

In my opinion this campground was much nicer than sea wall, which is also in the national park. This campground was nice, but there isn’t much privacy in the spots. The campground has access to some hikes, which is nice. You can hike to Cadillac mountain from here and you can also go to the ocean side. 

Decent National park camping 

Fairly typical national park campground. Two huge loops; sites varied in size; some were clearly for tents only as they had huge boulders that separated the driveway area from the rest of the campsite. Ours was site A46 and was a large pull-through. Easy access to the bathroom which was clean. I thought there were enough trees to separate the sites and provide privacy. Generators are annoying but their allowable hours are limited. Unusual that there were windows in the bathroom, and you could see into the handicapped stall from the windows! No showers, no hookups, no hot water. I did like the“drain” for dishwater– I’ve never seen one like this before. It was located just outside of the bathrooms in the A Loop. The biggest plus to this campground is access to the Cadillac Mountain trail, a challenging but rewarding hike! Also, as a senior, can't beat the price of $15 per night!

Typical but nice National Park campground

We had the best spot with easy access to the trail head. Great weekend of hiking Cadillac mountain and the beehive. Would totally book again.

Great spot - Group Site

...but if you are a person like me who prefers quiet camping, this campground may not be for you, at least during the busy summer months. When I stayed at the campground one summer, children were everywhere. It did finally get quiet near quiet hours tho. Sites and facilities were nice. GREAT location and close proximity to Acadia attractions. Nearby coin showers outside of the campground as well.

Probably Great for Families...

I have been going to Blackwoods yearly for nearly 20 years. Acadia is a special place but in recent years has just gotten a little too overrun for us. Despite the huge visitor increase, the campground has done a decent job of maintaining the sites. The bathrooms are tired and there is no dishwashing station. But it's the location that brings us back. You can bring your thermos down to the cliffs along the road and watch the sky brighten. It's really amazing. We even had an eagle do a fly-by while enjoying our coffee. The shuttle provides a great way to get to town to dinner or even a hiking trail.

Fantastic location with a shuttle to Bar Harbor and other sites.

We had a fabulous stay at Blackwoods a few weeks ago. While our site was perhaps one of the nicest, most sites (except the pull-throughs in loop A) were large, private, and surrounded by beautiful scenery (trees, mossy rocks, and so on). We were in loop B (no generators) and found it to be one of the quietest campgrounds we’d stayed at, although the partial closure due to Covid may have contributed to that. We also found that the site drained well after a big rainstorm passed through. Restrooms were clean and modern, and dishwater dump stations were available, though campers were asked to wash dishes at their sites. My only complaints were that there was no hand soap provided in the restrooms — only hand sanitizer — and that there are not many water spigots. No showers on site, but a private facility provides them right across the street from the campground entrance and we found it very satisfactory. We appreciated that we were able to access the Cadillac South Ridge Trail directly from the campground, and although we didn’t take the Acadia shuttle buses, they also stop at the campground. Book early — the reservation was not easy to get!

Gorgeous, spacious campground

We stayed at loop A45 drive thru site, but the picnic table and firering were on the left side (our RV has door on the right). It made the whole site setup a bit awkward, but we managed. 
Tight site but enough space to sit around the fire and enjoy the weather. 
Surprisingly, we had 3/4 bars on TMobile phones. No service for Verizon. 
Clean bathroom. Nearby water source and dumpster. 

Packed but quiet

The campground is great. Clean bathroom, showers up the road, water, grey water disposal. Need to bring in your own firewood. Across the street is a hiking trail and close to an Acadia National Park entrance. Easy to get to Bar Harbor, Jordan's Pond, The bubbles and more. Had a great time. Only reason we didn't get 5 stars is because it was a little crowded

Great camping near Acadia National Park

Close proximity to Bar Harbor and a lot of the main attractions of the national park. Showers are just outside of the entrance to the campground, coin operated. Perfect site for hiking trails and seeing the town  

So many trees

Even though it holds a lot of people the site sizes are nice and well treed. 

Short walk to the beach for a great sunrise and watching lobster boats work.

I recommend the Colonels in Northeast Harbor for dinner and great desserts.

Great NP Camping

Great stay in Loop A at Blackwoods.  Loop A is closest to the short ocean path (100 yards) that takes you down to a rocky shore vista.   Connector trails (Quarry Path, Otter Cove, Cadillac Ridge South) can get you to some of top park areas without moving your car!   You can get to Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, and Cadillac Mtn to name a few.   Bath houses were clean, but there are no showers…..those are provided by a small mom and pop business just outside the campground.   Likewise, there is a convenient store (and lobster house) within a half mile too for other supplies.   The campground is always busy, but it was surprisingly quiet during my 3 nights…..the heavy forest helps dampen the noise 😊

Peaceful Stay at Acadia

This place is basically Disneyland for family campers. Beautiful scenery and setting is ruined by constant wailing of little children. Honestly, it sucks. This place could be awesome. The best part about the campground is you can hike to major trails. Beehive is about two miles away. Cadillac Mountain is a 6.7 mi round trip from the campground. We did a ten mile loop one day that took us to Otter Cove, Ocean Loop Path to Beehive, down to The Bowl, out to Champlain Mountain, and then back to Blackwoods via Gorham Mountain. Long day. Awesome views. Ruined again by arrival to Camp Disney. If you can bear the annoyance of kids, it’s great. If not, maybe come off season or with ear plugs. 

No showers, by the way. Just toilets. 

Screaming children EVERYWHERE

Blackwoods Campground is the largest and most popular of the three campgrounds at Acadia National Park. While it is very close and most convenient to the main attractions of the park, this also makes it very crowded. There are approximately 300 campsites at Blackwoods although it shares roughly the same physical landmass as its newer, quieter sister campground Schoodic Woods, which holds only about half that many campsites.

The campground is laid out kind of like a spider web, with very narrow roads separating very narrow campsites. There is ample tree coverage, but little underbrush and the trees are trimmed high into the air, meaning there is virtually no privacy between campsites on your left or right. The narrow roads both in front and behind most sites mean you are also exposed to your neighbors in those directions.

The tent sites are a little more private and densely wooded, but a further walk from the facilities.

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INTERNET: We did have two bars of T-Mobile 4G LTE and 1 usable bar of Verizon 4G LTE as well. Due to the heavy forestation and cramped campsites here, our Starlink was not usable because of too many obstructions.

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MAJOR PROS: Blackwoods is most convenient to all the main attractions at Acadia, including a short, easy, well maintained quarter mile walk down to a spectacular Ocean view from inside the campsite itself. It is also a close drive to the fantastic Park Loop Road for road tourists, and is the closest campsite to the Cadillac Mountain Drive and viewing opportunity, which is the highlight of a Acadia trip for those who like to chase picturesque sunrises (available only by reservation or a 6.7 mile round-trip hike from inside the campground itself).

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While the convenience is nice, this brings out the tourists. This campground is heavily (and I mean heavily) trafficked by families. The campground roads itself are a veritable super highway of children ages 7-13 making endless loops on their bicycles from sun-up to sundown, all day every day. It is noisy. There are crying babies and loud kids playing. Families blasting music past quiet hours and party-goers virtually every night of the week.

It's convenience and popularity means this campground also gets the most novice and disrespectful campers of the three campgrounds. Out of our stay at all three sites, this was the only location where we encountered disrespectful camp neighbors, who not only allowed but actively encouraged their young children to cut through our campsite on the way to the restroom, trash bins, etc. We also had several pieces of fire wood stolen, and someone used our fire pit as a trash receptacle and poured out a large vat of cooking grease on our campsite while we were out for the day.

The bathrooms themselves are the oldest and poorest maintained of the three campgrounds. While we were there in the busiest part of the season (July), pretty much every restroom had about half the toilet stalls out of order. The corner/handicap stalls in each restroom also have a peculiar design where the exterior facing windows are not glossed over or privatized in anyway, meaning anyone of adult height (5'7" or higher, let's say) could look into that stall either intentionally or inadvertently.

Our verdict? While the proximity to all of Acadia's feature attractions is nice, a campground is for camping, and this was the least pleasant of our three experiences there. It's worth the 30-minute to 1-hour drive from the other two campgrounds in Acadia to have a quieter, more mature, better camping experience.

Very Busy, Tight Spots, But Centrally Located

We camped here for 5 days and loved it. Large wooded site was a great home base for exploring and enjoying the National Park. We loved sunrise and sunsets along bluff. Can’t wait to come back.

Beautiful!

Great pull through sites for trailers, privacy and clean bathrooms. Bummer that they don’t have showers and excessive generator use due to no hookups.

Great campground with some drawbacks

I was skeptical because of how packed it gets but it is relatively quiet and sites space nicely apart. Clean and enjoyable

Great campground crowded park

Blackwoods Campground is a large campground in Acadia National Park with 306 sites, none of which have electrical hookups.

We stayed in site B004- it was the last site available that could accommodate our 20ft Sprinter Van, so I was worried it would be disappointing but after seeing the other sites in the campground, we decided we would definitely book B004 again!

We like privacy and B004 offered some of the best privacy of any site in the park.  We had trees separating us from each of our neighbors, could pull in far enough to get away from the road, and were still a decent distance to the bathroom.  The only downside was proximity to the group sites, which were loud at times- but a campground with 306 sites is never going to be as quiet as the forest!

B004 is an accessible site so park officials ask that it only be reserved if no other sites are available or if you have an accessibility need.

The campground itself has no showers, but the bathrooms were clean, if dated.  Access to Acadia National Park is unmatched, as we were able to wake up and drive less than five minutes for a beautiful sunrise. 

We really enjoyed our visit at Blackwoods campground and would definitely consider staying there again if we were in the area. 

Unexpectedly the Best Site (B004) at a Very Busy Campground 

If you can get a spot here, take it, this camp is right in the middle of everything, got lots of walking paths and great bike routes!  The sites are nice, wooded and easy to pull in and back out of!  Lots of sites available, but they fill up quick!  

Awesome for Arcadia 

Great private sites with a short 5 minute walk to the coast!

Perfect Locations

Blackwoods: Oct 2023
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy.
NOTE:  Sunrise: a short walk that begins across from sites 10 and 11.   Don’t miss it! 
Overall Rating:  3.5 overall 
Price 2023: $15 w interagency pass
Usage during visit:  80%. 
Site Privacy:  Not good
Site Spacing:  Pretty close. 
Site surface:   Gravel
Reservations:   Yes
Campground Noise:   Quiet
Road Noise:   None 
Through Traffic in campground:    None 
Electric Hookup:  No
Sewer Hookup:  No
Dump Station:     Yes
Potable Water Available:  Spigots are bathrooms 
Generators:    Allowed 
Bathroom:   Flush toilets- clean 
Showers:   No
Pull Throughs:   Some 
Cell Service (AT&amp;T):  2 to 3 bars
Setting:  Wooded with no undergrowth between sites 
Weather: Great October weather 
Bugs:  Not many mosquitoes 
Solar:  Most sites no.  Site B10 had some solar. 
Host:  I did not see any site hosts.  
Rig size:   Pretty good size , but choose your site carefully if you have a large rig.  
Sites:  I did not walk through A loop too much, but I suspect the best sites will be the outer loop. Sites I thought were okay, not great: ours, B9 is open to the road, but trailer gives some privacy from adjacent sites. Also, A37 B4 , B 9.  There are probably better sites.   We packed a lot in during our short time in the park, so I slacked on even a good walk through in our loop.  I’ll say that sites in the mid area of Loop A were packed near each other.  
