Camden Hills State Park Campground

Camden Hills State park is centrally located, just at the edge of downtown Camden.  It provides a great home base for hiking, biking, kayaking and exploring the Camden/Rockland area.  

The park has around 100 sites that are categorized by size, and allows rvs and tents.  There are no tent specific sites, and a tent camper could choose a large rv site. Each site has a picnic table and fireplace.  Most spots are wooded, but there  are 8  non wooded, open grassy sites at the front of the park, which have little shade.   About half of the sites have water and electric.  There is a bathhouse, multiple water stations and a dump station.  The park sits on both sides of Rt. 1, and the bottom side is more of a day use area with a pavilion and walking trails and sits on the water.   The bottom part does not, however, have true water access for swimming or kayaking.  The closest place for this the Camden City Park, which is 2.5 miles away, and is a great place to launch a kayak.  Rockport Marine Park at Rockport Harbor is another - it has easy kayak launch access and a very very small beach, which is mostly used for kids to splash around in the water.  The top portion of the park, where all the campsites are, has direct access to Mount Megunticook, and Mount Battie, and offers easy to advanced hikes.  It’s great to be able to do numerous hikes without having to leave the park.  

We liked our site, 61, because it was open, grassy and level, had water and electric and was reservable.  The park rangers were very friendly.  There is a charge for Wi-Fi, and cell service is good enough.  

There are many quality  restaurants in the Camden, Rockland, Rockport area, as well as good bakeries and coffee shops.  The Camden Farmers market is right downtown.  You are less than 10 minutes from central Camden, and 20 minutes to Rockland.

Nice state campground with tons of hiking trails right from the campground. We stayed in a non-hookup site for $38/night- very expensive but we wanted to stay in the area and enjoy the hiking trails. Most sites don’t have enough sun for solar, and those that do, are FHU sites. Go figure. We were in site #65, recommended to us by the ranger as having the most sun for our panels. 65 was nice because it was set apart from other sites, and kind of enclosed so it was nice for the dogs. But it’s in direct view of the dump station so if that bothers you don’t pick this site! 

The drive up Mt Battie Rd was worth it for the views at the top. RVs are ok to drive on this road, and there’s RV parking at the top. 

Showers are free, hot, and good pressure, but they are the creepiest campground showers, rusty and dark. Dump station and potable water are available. 

There’s a little free library book exchange at the ranger station at the entrance. Verizon service was usable but very weak, ATT was better, and fine with the weboost. The campground offers wifi at $3 per day per connection, but we didn’t use it.

We stayed in site # 31. It was a nice sized site and very shaded. We had water & electric and there is a dump station onsite.  The had a problem with the water so we filled up at the Camden Fire station which was close to the campground. You can pay a few extra dollars for WI-FI it's worth it. The sites are not level yet in the hills they usually aren't. There is a section of campsites that are along the side of the office that have no shade. If you like sun those sites are for you. 

The auto road was closed so we didn't get up to see Mount Battie. You could hike it yet my husband couldn't hike due to health issues. The day use area is across the street from the campground. It has some hiking trails and a nice place to just hang out. 

The town of Camden is quaint and has shops and good places to eat. Traffic is bad yet worth it. If you like Thai food Long Grain is so good. You need a reservation or you won't get in. They were so busy they even quit taking to go orders. Some of the best Thai food I've ever had. 

We drove to Searsport and went to a antique/nautical place to buy some lobster pot buoys nice little shop. We stopped at McLaughlins on the way back and had some dinner. It was ok. Lots of people said it was good yet pricey and just ok. 

We found a great Mobil RV guy Chris Burbelo (207) 322-4526. We had issues several places we stayed and he came out & fixed it all. He fixed our slideout, a leveler, a window and the fridge. We went 2 months with our slide stuck in. He made our trip. Highly recommend him.

Camden Hills wouldn't be our first choice, but we were returning to Maine to retrieve our trailer after some truck trouble, and wanted something close to where we left the trailer. Sites were pretty picked out by the time I made plans. so I chose a "Medium" site and hoped for the best.

It was tricky getting our 20' trailer into site 13. I'm not the best trailer driver (long truck, short trailer) but I do get lucky from time to time. I backed the trailer in between the trees as a neighbor laughed, trying to avoid the culvert for the stream which would have been a disaster. The truck/trailer wouldn't fit, so once the trailer was parked and leveled, I "parallel parked" the truck to get it off the road.

I had a Falcon Guide to the Maine trails, and that, along with the park map, allowed us to do a nice loop of Mts. Battie and Megunticook. In order to not block the site, we packed up and asked to park in the "overflow" lot near the park shops.

Some of the turns in the roads were a little rough for bigger trailers, but we did okay. The dump station is further in the campground, so don't try to leave and miss it. Wifi seemed pretty strong but we kept turning it off. I didn't ask about how much it costs. 

Camden was a nice town; parking was problematic. The campground is about 2 miles from town, so not close enough to walk. It seemed like there were a lot of portapotties around, but that could be due to the Mt. Battie auto road traffic. We didn't try the bathrooms or showers.

Try to do your homework regarding sites, and anyone with a trailer should try to get a large one.

This beautiful state park is behind on maintenance of sites & bathroom facilities. The bathroom for the lower loop needs a vigorous power wash and updating of the stalls, lighting and dryer system. Gross was the word that kept repeating in my mind for the shower and flush toilet housing…although the roof seems new. 

The lower loop is a large one and those who reserve at the far end might keep in mind that this is a very, very dark and uneven dirt roadway to walk at night when seeking the bathroom. Be wary of sites # 40-53 overlooking a lower meadow that is full of huge RV’s {55-63} parking lot style. Site # 44 would be a good choice for a tent near the bathroom as would site # 13. Site# 41 is pretty beaten up. Some sites are level; many others are slanted.Generally, grading is needed. The upper loop has some private sites but poor access to toilets. We stayed in site 25 that backs up to the woods at the far end …no electric but a good size. Nice level site with fairly good privacy.

This campground needs serious attention. Most sites are in deep or open shade. Ticks abound. Wifi is good and access can be purchased for$3, per device, for the length of the stay. 

Some sites have electric hook-up. It's a mixture of tents and Rv's.

The road up to the top of Mount Battie is not to be missed for a stunning view of Penobscot Bay. 

Camden Hills campground is very close to the cute town with its celebrated harbor. That's a plus.

Camden Hills SP is a no contest campground if you are visiting Camden and surrounding MidCoast areas. 9 out of 10 times I visit Camden (one of my favorite places in Maine), I stay at this campground. You are not only a short drive into town with shops, beaches and restaurants but also have access to many trails right outside of your tent (or camper). Camden is where the “Mountains Meet the Sea” and the trails in CHSP offer some of the most beautiful views on the coast. I personally am a sucker for ocean views from mountaintops. The park staff are the best and very friendly and knowledgeable about the park and trails. The campsites themselves are fairly secluded with enough tree and brush in between you and your neighbors to feel separated. Bathrooms/showers were very clean. Every time I have stayed here it has always been very quiet and relaxing—a great place to recharge. You are also close to many great kayaking/paddleboarding areas such as Megunticook Lake and Camden Harbor (Curtis Island Lighthouse is a must). I give Camden Hills all the stars.

Camden Hills is ideally situated for exploring midcoast Maine with its rocky shores, islands, and lighthouses. I made reservations for several nights in mid-August, hoping to catch the Perseid meteor showers from the top of Mt Battie. The weather cooperated for one night! That said, I enjoyed exploring trails in the park and the town. There's a road to the summit of Mt Battie which offers views of the town and harbor below. Climb the tower for a view of the sunset. Other trails lead to Megunticook and different views. Camden has a pretty harbor to explore and nice seaside shops plus a few homemade ice cream stands. Put your kayak in and explore the islands. Drive farther afield and check out some classic lighthouses or take a ferry to some of the offshore island.

There are rustic sites as well as those with water and electric. They offer a mix of reservable and first-come, first-serve sites and require a minimum of two night stay on peak weekends. This place really clears out Sunday afternoon (at least in mid-August), leaving a lot of sites empty. I made reservations late and was in site 106, in a field area surrounded by trees, with 4 spots. The site was level and easily accommodated my small teardrop trailer. I would NOT recommend this site however, nor do I recommend 102-104 because they are very close to the dumpster. A full dumpster, high humidity, and warm temperatures lead to a ripe odors wafting to your site. I was grateful I wasn't there much during the day, but I didn't want to sit outside by my fire in the evenings. I have no idea why they placed the dumpster so close to the sites…and then don't get them emptied often enough. It was nearly full when I arrived on Friday and didn't get emptied all weekend. Sites are on the hillside, but generally level. Those on the loop higher up the hill do not offer hookups. Rates vary, higher for hookups and also higher for out-of-state guests. If you make reservations online, be sure to print and bring your permit with you.

The road to the summit closes at 8:30pm and the road into the campground & park closes at 10pm (with check-in by 9pm), so plan to arrive before that or park outside the gate. I wanted to leave early one morning, so I moved my car to the parking lot outside the gate to facilitate a departure before sunrise.

Your firewood purchase helps support the wi-fi in the park and it is available at most sites. Each site may have 2 devices on the wi-fi and it's adequate for basic browsing, but don't count on it for data-heavy activities. Cell phone coverage (Verizon) is spotty; I had better luck closer to the restroom in the lower loop than I did at my site.

Campground Review

We have been coming to Camden Hills and the midcoast Maine area for years, and we love this park. We have camped, hiked, and mountain biked here many times.

The camping area has different loops. Sites 1-50(ish) are more wooded, sites in the upper loop for the most part are more open and field-like. Some sites are reservable, some are first come first serve. Be aware of events in the area (lobster fest, etc) as well as holiday weekends - the park books up quickly in nice weather.

The park itself has some great hiking/running trails, including Mount Battie (accessible by auto road also) and Mount Megunticook. Not huge peaks by any means, but the trails up (especially Megunticook) are challenging rocky/rooty New England trails. Both offer beautiful views over Camden Harbor and Megunticook Lake. Mount Battie also has a tower at the top which is fun to check out!

The campground was very clean, and the staff very accommodating (on one of our stays we ended up in a more open site in hot summer weather. We were able to easily switch the next day when some campers moved out of the first come first serve sites in the more wooded loop.

The area is beautiful and full of great things to do. Across the street from the camping area are some trails and and picnic areas along the ocean. Downtown Camden is a fun town with great restaurants, coffee shops, and a beautiful harbor with boat tours and kayak rentals. Head south to Rockland and Owls Head for the transportation museum, or head north to Belfast (don't miss Marshall Wharf Brewing). There is some amazing mountain biking at the nearby Camden Snow Bowl and adjacent Ragged Mountain Preserve.

Product Review

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. On this trip I tested some bars and a backpacking meal from Wild Zora. Wild Zora is a line of paleo bars (meats and veggies) and dehydrated meals - see their website FAQ here for more info on the company and their products!

I had a variety pack of their meat and veggie bars as well as some paleo meals to try out. I have been snacking on the bars during hikes, as well as after a run and for a quick snack during busy times at work when I don't have time to get a full meal. The consistency of the bars is great - just chewy enough, and very satisfying. The flavors are interesting combinations and I haven't had any that I didn't like (parmesan beef was probably my least favorite, I really enjoyed all the others). We also tried out the Palisade Pineapple Mango meal to go for breakfast. The meals and bars have a good amount of calories in them - perfect for fueling before/during/after hiking, biking, etc. while camping. They also pack and travel well - stuff into a pack easily while hiking, but can also be thrown into a carry on for plane travel, etc - just add some water or open your bar and you have a healthy alternative during a long flight to your adventure destination.

My husband and I shared the Pineapple Mango meal as a snack with our coffee - it was tasty and filling. I liked the nutty taste and there was a lot of fruit in it (we had the older version, slightly bigger pouch with more calories). If I was fueling for backpacking or a long run/hike/bike the whole pouch would be perfect, over 600 calories in the older version, and 520 in the new pouches.

I would highly recommend Wild Zora as a fueling option for an active camping adventure. Interesting flavors and quality foods that are paleo friendly. My only improvement would be to see a couple of vegetarian meals to go incorporated into the lineup. I eat vegetarian most of the time and my husband is a vegetarian, so there weren't a whole lot of options to share with him that I could choose.