Best Tent Camping near Acadia National Park

Camping on in the Duck Harbor Campground is nearly the stuff of legends. This remote island off the coast of Maine only has 5 campsites in this part of Acadia National Park, and reservations are required. The Park’s website describes this in classic Park Service understatement, “Duck Harbor Campground is very popular. Please plan your trip in advance.” What they mean is if you don’t go online within 10 minutes of opening day, April 1st, at 10 am EST, you will miss your chance to stay here for the whole year. You won’t be the first to get denied and certainly not the last. You might however, get lucky if you’re in the area for long enough and there is a sudden cancellation. 

I believe I’m right in saying that the hype is worth it here, more than just because it’s difficult to get here and difficult to get a reservation. This is a beautiful place to camp and an amazing island to explore by bike, by kayak, and on foot.

Each of the 5 sites offers a classic lean-to structure with a campfire ring and a picnic table. But it’s not the site which makes this place so special. Sticking out into the Gulf of Maine, this is one of the most remote islands with established camping and recreational trails on the coast. It feels like another world entirely than Mount Dessert Island, where the rest of Acadia National Park is located. By comparison, MDI feels like Central Park.

There is fresh water a short walk away from the campground, and a bear proof food storage locker at each lean-to. Mosquitoes can be bad during the summer, so I would recommend bringing a bug net or small backpacking tent which you could set up in the lean-to for more protection and privacy. 

Getting to the island is possible through the daily mailboat which goes directly to Duck Harbor from Stonington, but the best way to get there is to paddle up in a sea kayak as we did!

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.

if the tide is right, Seawall has amazing sights! I’ve taken some amazing photos here. the Campgound is directly across from the public boat landing/picnic area. it’s a really nice area. the campground itself is very laid back for a National Park. the rangers almost act as though camping is your business and they only get involved if needed. whereas at blackwoods the rangers seem to try to be as accommodating as possible. it’s cute that they compete, and definitely are different. the sites are not usually as clean as blackwoods, they leave the “leave no trace” responsibility to the campers and if the person before you didn’t clean up, you might have to. other than that it’s QUIET! you can see the stars because there are no city lights. you don’t hear cars, AND the tent sites are very private. there are fresh water spouts everywhere, and plenty of trash/recycling areas. no electrIcity on the sItes, and rv can onlybIse geberators dIrIng lImItes hours. the bathrooms flush and have running water, but there are no showers. Echo Lake is right down the road, a great place to swim in fresh water.

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.