Best Tent Camping near Cape Elizabeth, ME

BF and I wanted a last minute fall weekend getaway in Maine, and ended up at the Augusta-Gardiner KOA. Generally tough to accomplish during leaf-peeping season, but we worked it out. We stayed at site T5, which was wooded but pretty open. Size was decent enough.

Overall, I’d say sites T8, T9, T10 are best if you’re tent camping. While all tent sites are tightly spaced next to one another, these 3 provide the most shade and privacy of the bunch.

Owners are super nice, but the campground could use a little love. Bathrooms and amenities are a little tired. There’s potential though, and some really cute details, like a little fairy house and homemade, bear-carved benches around a KOA-community fire pit, that make the campground endearing. Also, there’s a bunch to do during prime season, particularly for the kiddies- pool, mini-golf, bounce house, playground and space to runaround.

We went the last weekend they were open for the season (sometime in October) and it was a blast! Tent sites were spacious and had a decent amount of privacy. Electric and water hookups at tent sites. General store and amenities were clean and well taken care of! A lot of families around but it wasn’t distracting since the sites were private enough. Definitely recommend!

Spent 2 weeks in 40ft RV. Good utilities, amenities, bathrooms/showers. From tent camping to trailers and motorhomes, a very nice place to stay.

We stayed one night on our way to Acadia and the tent sites were extremely small and very close together. Seems more of an RV spot

New rv park and resort. They have full hookups to 50 amp as well as primitive tent sites. They have tons of amenities and themed areas. Great place to stay the week or the season.

We tent camped at Saco/Old Orchard Beach KOA. The staff was very friendly and when I called to book the site, they assisted in helping us pick out the nicest campsite. This KOA is close to Old Orchard Beach, the city of Portland, and towns of Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, Wells and Kittery Outlets. We enjoy staying here and would highly recommend it to others.

We stayed here on our way from Boston to Acadia. This is a beautiful campground that caters to adults only. It feels very secluded but it's close to everything. The tent sites are pretty close to each other but we had no issues with noise. Bathhouse and bathrooms were very clean. I would definitely stay here again!

Tiny gem of a campground- I don’t RV but even those sites are adorable- each site has heavy evergreens in between allowing for nice privacy- and the grass tent site has that privacy too and were good sized. We stayed down in the sandier sites on the river lots of shade and privacy- took a shuttle up with some kayaks- reasonably priced- and drifted back down 10 miles right to our site!! These owners really impress- great service and everything was spotless and kept up nice!

A beautiful place with a farm, campground and state park all together! There are tenting spots, camper spots and field spots. I recommend any with tree coverage. There are bathrooms close by to all, the main lodge is nice and the food at the snack shack is sooo good!! burgers, pizza, salad- all local and from their gardens. The working farm is open to visit and walk around. Pet the baby cows and see the pigs and goats. they have a ton of activities going on through the summer. Our huge tent site was $60 for a busy August weekend. totally reasonable! we had a lovely time despite the rain and will try to go again next year! The grounds are a short drive to downtown Freeport for shopping at the outlets and LLBean.

Seriously, KOA’s have the friendliest staff ever! My sister and I arrived late Friday evening- after 3+ hours of Boston, holiday traffic- and were promptly greeted by a bubbly employee who happily lead us to our “kabin.” Despite a small snafu getting into our accommodations, she was incredibly gracious and helpful.

K16 was a single room cabin that could comfortably sleep 4, furnished with a full-sized bed and a bunk bed. We were shocked to find that the cabin had electrical, lights and a small heater. Being a chilly fall night, this was greatly appreciated. The Saco/Old Orchard KOA really provided a good compromise between camping and getting a hotel. I may be adventurous and willing to brave the elements, but have to keep the comfort of those traveling with me in mind!

Most of the grounds were dense- comprised primarily of RVs and various cabins. Though there were a few tent sites. My sister and I lucked out with our cabin and the cul-de-sac it was in. It overlooked the woods and was a bit more secluded than many of the other sites. KK15, K3, K2 and K1 are great options as well, located along the wooded edges of the grounds. Tent sites 96, P5, P4, P3, P2 and P1 were also among the best spots, offering full shade and privacy.

We definitely enjoyed our stay-the cabin was comfortable, facilities were clean, and we were within 20 minutes of Portland and 10 minutes to Old Orchard Beach. Not to mention-the on-site Merry Moose cafe was definitely a nice touch! I can’t say this was truly “camping”-but it wasn’t bad!

Desert of Maine campground is an excellent choice just 4-5 miles from the heart of Freeport at interstate exit # 22. This campground is well-imagined. Sites are close together, and some are small. There are 2 hike-in sites which are set apart. Wifi is provided throughout the campground and most sites have power. They must have studied "best practices" when designing this lovely campground. 

I booked an extra night.

This is an outdoor experience campground- not a wilderness adventure -- but perfect for young families…especially for those new to camping or those for whom a very sanitary classic bathroom is needed.Children find and entertain each other in the common area.

Sites 19-27 face a shared square with excellent access to the modern and stylish bath house. Other sites have a somewhat further walk. Sites 17-27 are best for tents due to the configuration of the sites.. Tent sites # 2 & # 3 are short walk-in and very private, but lack easy access to the bath house. Almost all sites in this campground have shade and are under a beautiful canopy of old pine, maple and balsam.

Site 24 is lovely & slightly set apart and cars are parked close by but not on the tent site. Site 27 is located down a steep slope and is very private but has difficult access. I would categorize site 27 as a hike-in site, but not # 24.  All sites are generally level and have been graded. Sites have scant privacy in front, but back up to forest. Sites 4, 6,17, 19, 23 & 26 have slightly more space but space is not the defining issue in this campground. RV's that are large should not try this campground. The maintenance is superb; and the thoughtful design of the overall campground is aesthetically pleasing. 

This attractive campground is small-scale and personally managed. 

Ice is available for purchase…as is wood. 

Beware of speed trap on the 2 mile access road between the interstate & campground.