Best Tent Camping near Bar Harbor, ME

Great stay! Bathrooms are clean and well maintained with showers. Campground within 15 minute drive from Bar Harbor and Park Loop Trail. Breathtaking views from the lake! We stayed in a platform site. It was better than expected.. we’ll be back for sure!

Along the southwestern side of MDI, is Seawall Campground. You’re definitely on the “quiet side” in these grounds, but the landscape is serene, picturesque and absolutely must be experienced.

The grounds are a bit off the beaten path, away from Bar Harbor and the hot spots of Acadia National Park. However you won’t lack for things to do. Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound is just up the road to the north, and Bass Harbor Lighthouse is to the west. There are also plenty of opportunities for hiking and kayaking!

Within feet outside the facility, is a magnificent seawall that peers off into the Atlantic. It is spectacular. The sunrises and sunsets are a nice alternative to Cadillac Mountain, and the day use areas are perfect for picnicking and grilling.

The grounds are well-wooded and rustic, with limited amenities. Water and bathrooms are available, but there are no showers on site. A private store up the road will charge a small fee for several minutes. The Park Service also offers a number of programs at their amphitheater, including a “bark ranger” demonstration- it is hard to get more adorable than that!

Loops D and B are the best areas for tent- camping. Loops A and C were geared toward large campers and RVs, and provided much less shade and privacy. Loop D offers a large number of walk-in sites and Loop B some drive in spots. Old wheelbarrows are provided near the rest rooms in Loop D to assist with hauling gear, but they always seem to be in use.

Sites 78, 87 and 88 were among my favorites in Loop D, though 53, 54, 58, 78, 81 and 86 weren’t bad. I had site 61, but it was smaller and more open than many of the other sites. For those who want privacy without a huge hike, 67 and 71 are nice options. As far as Loop B is concerned, sites 7, 21 and 27 were the better sites.

Great place to stay. Sue and Peter are wonderful and make you feel like family! The grounds are kept in immaculate shape. It's away from Bar Harbor but close enough to go visit. We liked going to the Winter Harbor area to hike and ride bikes. Corea Wharf was a great place to eat and LobStore is a good place to get fresh seafood!

My boyfriend and I drove all around looking for a camping place in the Bar Harbor area but nothing was open because it was the end of April. We decided to take a ride to Stonington and happen to find this gem. This camp ground was a little drive away from Bar Harbor but well worth it! It’s been months since we stayed there and I felt like I had to leave this 5 star review. The sites and bathrooms were clean. The owner was super nice and polite. The site was also spacious. We definitely will be back.

If you're looking to get away from all the "noise" of the side of the island that Acadia National Park is on, this is your spot. It's still only 25 minutes or so to Acadia National Park but is extremely quiet and secluded. The campsites are a little close together but there is still privacy. The other benefit was it is away from Bar Harbor lights so we saw soo many stars!

Stayed here for four days and three night in early May 2018. Super friendly staff, available to answer any questions. Easy direction at the gate and directions to our site. We had two vehicles, one per site, meaning we had to pack one in the overflow. The site was clean, had a picnic table and fire pit with grate. Fit both of our tents with extra room. The sites are a little close together but we had no issues with our neighbors. The bathroom area was clean and cleaned several times while we were there. There is a trash area and place to dump greywater.

Great location being about not to far from Bar Harbor. Walking distance of the Park loop, if you would like to drive the loop, it is down the road a bit. Access to several different trails.

Spent 2 nights here and loved every minute of it. From the amazing sunsets, to the nice tent sites, Bar Harbor KOA impressed us. Quick check-in, free delivery for firewood, hot water for showering.

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.

We reserved a site with a water view (all the waterfront tent sites were already reserved). The tent platform was nice (they provided the nails for anchoring the tent corners. By using platforms, they have allowed many more tent sites where terrain would have made it impossible. Our site had electric (a potable water standpipe was across the street).

Restrooms were very clean and there was plenty of hot water for the coin operated showers.

Wifi is great at the Gathering Place 24/7. Very intermittent at the tent site—but we’re camping so not an issue. Gathering place had hot coffee and fresh baked goods in the am—but get there early as croissants and scones sold out quickly!

The shuttle was not operating when we were there (June 2021) but once operations return to normal, there is a shuttle to Acadia. The location is great—both to visit the park and for access to Bar Harbor. Camping is so reasonable that we felt eating out for dinner every other night was justifiable, given the cost of hotels in the area.

There is a kayak launch and floating dock. But be very aware of tide schedule!

Blackwoods has a great location on mount desert island. 15 mins from bar harbor, ocean path trail, Jordan pond and top of cadilac mountain. I came to Acadia for its beauty, so location is everything and crowds were expected. I arrived on a Monday in July and had to wait a half hour just to get into the campsite because there was a line of cars waiting to get in (mid afternoon-ish). We were surprised there were no showers on the grounds but there are some options in town for $5. There is also a rule against using any spigots or sinks to clean dishes on the grounds. Instead you are supposed to collect water, bring it to your site and clean dishes there. So pack a bucket if you’re coming to blackwoods! We arrived on a Monday and left on a Wednesday and we were kept up and woken up by our neighbors here. Quiet hours are not enfourced here. But the location is great and we are lucky to have been able to stay here! I’d recommend.

We stayed here from Thursday to Sunday in site #67. I would recommend requesting a site other than 66 or 67 because it backs right up to the water pump system for the RV park, which is quite loud when the pump turns on and off. Other than that, campground was great. They have a store with basically anything you need. There's a Walmart down the road. It's 30 min from Acadia NP, 15-20 min from Bar Harbor and about 15 min from Ellsworth. Showers & boathouse was clean and showers were some of the best I've had on a campground. Good water pressure & hot. Lots of seasonal campers. Everyone was pretty friendly. You can also get lobster from the camp store (cooked or live). Our spot was nice bc it backed up to the woods. The larger rig sites in the back are more open with no tree cover. Laundry building is coin operated and was super convenient. Campground is VERY dog friendly! Lots of dogs being walked and on campsites. We would stay again for sure.

Seawall is on the quiet side of the Island, away from the huge tourist crowds of Bar Harbor. The campground is across the street from a nice picnic area overlooking the Atlantic and the Cranberry Islands. It's a great place to watch the lobster boats as well as check out tidal pools at low tide. The campground is wooded with a large number of walk in tent sites as well as a separate area for RVs. If you reserve your site online (I highly recommend doing so if you want to camp between May and September), you can see exactly how many steps you will have to walk to get to your campsite. All sites have fire rings, picnic tables, and gravel tent pads. Some sites are more secluded than others, but the entire campground is wooded. There are nice flush toilets, and pay showers are about a mile down the road.

We stayed at this campground unexpectedly as two places I was looking at would not accept reservations less than 24 hours in advance. They had availability, offered wooded tent spots, and were affordable as some campgrounds anymore are charging an arm and leg to camp. When we arrived, the girls in the office were super sweet. They had the essentials needed if you are in a pinch, a cute gift shop for the Bass Harbor Lighthhouse (bring your lighthouse passport with you to get stamped here), have coffee/muffins in the morning, washrooms were very clean, laundry, dog park, dog run, small rec center, and pool. Tent sites are nicely wooded and spaced out, so you are not on top of one another. Quiet hours are between 10 PM and 7 AM, and it was so nice to camp in peace and quiet with others wanting the same thing. There are homes close by, but they are fenced off and really are out of sight, so it's not really an issue. The Bass Harbor Lighthhouse is literally 500 feet away. We could hear the bouy ding from our campsite. There are two beautiful hiking trails .7 miles away from the campgrounds: Ship Harbor and Wonderland, that bring you to beautiful ocean views. One of the Acadia Park entrances is 5 minutes away. Southwest Harbor is a short ride away to grab an ice cream or a nice dinner. There is a brand new mini golf center further down the road that is amazing!! The Acadia Mountain trail is not far nor is the Cranberry Island Ferry. This was a prime location to see another side of Bar Harbor, see beautiful sites and avoid the crowds of downtown Bar Harbor. So happy I stumbled across this campground by accident. I would highly recommend and will definitely return!

This campground is a gem! It is located on the Schoodic Peninsula which is the quieter side section of Acadia National Park but no less breathtaking. Here you get to enjoy the hiking and biking trails, amazing coastal scenery, quaint towns, and a peaceful campground in one of America’s top 10 parks without the crowds and craziness of Bar Harbor and Acadia NP located on Mt. Desert Island (which is only an hour away). I absolutely love the Schoodic Peninsula and the town of Winter Harbor which has such a “Downeast” Maine feel.

The campground opened in 2015 and has 200 sites all within a 15-minute walk to the ocean. Although most of the campsites are designated for tents, there are some available for RV’s. Sites have a decent amount of privacy so you don’t feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. Since the campground is is relatively new not all the trees have filled in from construction but they did a great job preserving trees and shrubs. It is best to reserve online as this park fills up and very rarely has a walk-up site. The ranger station will not make reservations over the phone so don’t bother calling. (Acadia NP is a “fee” park so you will need to buy a park pass.)  All sites have electric (20/30/50) and some have electric and water only reflected in cheaper prices

Fee (per site, per night):

$22 hike-in tent sites (primitive)

$30 drive up tent/small RV (20 amp)

$36 RV with electric only sites (20/30/50 amp)

$40 RV with electric and water (20/30/50 amp)

$60 group tent sites

Picnic tables are at every site but fire pits are only at RV sites as no open fires are allowed in the tent section. Tent sites are allowed to use portable camp stoves such as white gas or iso-butane cartridges. The bathrooms have flush toilets and potable water but there are no showers or laundry facilities. There are some places in the nearby town of Winter Harbor that have shower facilities of which the ranger station has information on.   A dish-washing station if located at the bathrooms which is really handy and kept clean.  There is a dump station located towards the exit of the park if you have an RV. 

Surrounding the campground are miles of biking and hiking trails that are easily accessible from your campsite. There is a six-mile loop that takes you along the beautiful rocky coast with views of lighthouses, islands, forests, and wetlands. An additional eight miles of carriage roads and four miles of hiking trails wind through the park.

The town of Winter Harbor is located two miles from the park and a ferry dock which takes you to Mt. Desert Island. The Acadia Island Explorer shuttle provides free transportation between various locations, island attractions, and towns (and is dog-friendly and can accommodate bikes). The shuttle operates from late June to mid-October and is a great way to get around if you don’t have a car or want the hassle of parking.

Located at the Schoodic Institute is the Education and Research Center which offers interesting programs and has a visitor center. The town of Corea has a great waterside restaurant where you can sit outside and eat lobster while watching the boats go in and out. J. M. Garrish Café in Winter Harbor is a great place to get a bite to eat and an ice cream Sunday.

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)

There's a handful of private tent sites with picnic tables. Some tent sites have ocean views. The tents sites aren't accessible by car though, so you need to put all your camping equipment into a wagon and pull it to your site.

There's a small pavilion for campground-communal lobster/clam bakes. Showers, laundry, playground, and small camp store are all available.

I definitely like more backcountry camping, but this was the only available campground in the area. It was great for a one-night stay, but it was very busy and too touristy.

**Campground Review: **

Hadley’s Point Campground is located on the north side of Mt Desert Island and just a short distance from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Hadley’s Point is a large private campground that has tent, water& electric RV, and full hook up sites, as well as Cabins. The campground is broke up in to multiple loops (campground map can be found in my pictures) with some loops in open areas with little shade and sites close together, and other loops have more wooded sites that have some shade and privacy. All style sites include a picnic table and fire ring. 

Reservations are site type, not site specific, so a little bit of a gamble. We were assigned site B27 on this visit. This site was partially shade depending on the time of day and very close to our neighbors. Other sites in the B loop did have more trees and more private, but they were full on this stay. Check-in was easy and the staff was very helpful in providing info and answering questions about the area. A host guides you to your site and assist you in positioning if needed. 

The bathroom on B-loop does not have showers so we had to hike to other loops to shower. The Bathrooms and showers were very clean. The showers are metered and cost $0.50 per 7 minutes, so don’t forget your quarters! 

Firewood and limited supplies were available at the office. There is a full grocery store about 10 minutes away. 

We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The campground did not have wi-fi. 

The campground also has a heated pool, playground, and laundry. 

With Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park close by, there is so much to do and see in the area. One of the best benefits of the area is that there is a free shuttle with multiple routes around the island, so you can leave the car and parking hassles behind and just shuttle everywhere. The Shuttle has a stop right on the campground and is dog friendly (on leash and if your dog is friendly). 

Speaking of dog friendly, I’ve never been to an area that is so dog friendly. The campground staff was very forthcoming with dog friendly info and I have to mention Bark Harbor in downtown Bar Harbor. Bark Harbor is a pet store that bakes their own treats, has toys and gifts, and tons of info on dog friendly areas on the island. They have pre-printed lists of dog friendly hotels, restaurants, on and off leash hiking trails, and dog parks. Super friendly crew that keyed us into an off leash hiking area that our dogs loved! 

Pro Tip: A short ¼ mile walk from the campground is an off leash dog friendly beach that you can also launch your kayak or canoe from or have a sunset beach campfire. We really enjoys this beach after a long day of hiking all around the national park. 

With all the outdoor activities of the national park, kayak and boat cruises in the ocean, lobster, lobster, lobster, you’ll need a full week to explore this island. Hadley’s Point made it a perfect place for us to take it all in.

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**Product Review: **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Morsel Spork. This spork from Morel is very handy to have in your gear list. We are teardrop campers, so our space is limited. Everything has to have a purpose and be compact. Items like the Morsel Spork, that serves multiple functions, fit right into our needs. We purchased both the mini and the XL. Both are the same (spork on one end, spoon/scraper on the other end), but the XL is a little longer. We found this very functional for regular eating from plates or bowls, or eating directly from food packets. I also found the scraper spoon side useful in cleaning out our french press carafe. Easy to clean, easy to use, comes in multiple colors, and happy to have it a part of our camping equipment.