Best Glamping near Caratunk, ME

Small campground with 36 RV and tent sites located just a couple of miles from downtown Greenville. The owners are very nice and helpful and are always busy working in the campground. The campground has lots of large trees and narrow roads which make it very difficult for big rigs. In fact, there was only one of two sites in the front section that would fit our 45’ motorhome. The back section of the park was way too tight for us to navigate. 

Our site (#25) was a long pull thru that sloped down in the front and took a bit for us to get level and our front steps were pretty high off the ground. We had 50-amp electric which worked fine and a water hookup. Since we had a clear view to the sky, we were able to use our satellite television. Due to the campground’s location in a remote part of Maine, I’m sure our over-the-air antenna would not have worked. They did have wifi which worked great at out site. The tent sites are located off to themselves in a wooded area not too far from the bathrooms. The back section of the campground is heavily treed with nice amounts of shade. Most of the sites have good separation from the neighboring site and privacy. The fire pits have grates next to them so you can cook over the fire. There are garbage cans scattered about the campground which makes it easy to dump your trash. No sewer at any sites but there is a dump station and they offer a pump out service for$20. We contemplated using the dump station but the roads were so tight that it would have been difficult for us to pull into it and our RV would have scrapped lots of trees. There are apple trees everywhere in the campground. The owner said he does rake them but so apparently it was a banner year, so there were tons of apples which meant that you did get a smell from the rotting ones. The bathrooms were old and pretty nasty and we didn’t want to use the toilet, much less shower there. Despite having a pull thru site, we had to back out because we would have had to go thru the back part of the park and because of the low hanging trees without scraping our RV. Also, the turn into the campground from the main road (Route 6) is very tight and we ended up having to go into the other lane and take up the whole road in order to make the turn in. 

We did like the proximity of this campground to downtown Greenville. The area is beautiful with great hiking, boating, and fishing. Just a short drive away is the east outlet of the Kennebec River which is renowned for its fly fishing. Some touristy things to do are a boat ride on the Katahdin (an old steam ship), ferry ride over to Mt. Kineo for hiking with a great view, and a drive out to the B-52 crash site.

This campground on the shore of Flagstaff Lake features large level sites nestled among towering pines, both with and without hookups (w/e; dump station available). There are clean showers, flush toilets, laundry, wifi in some locations, a campers only and a public beach, opportunities for canoeing and kayaking Flagstaff lake with rentals available if you didn't bring your own. Get a lakeside site to watch the sunrise, but know that the sites don't necessarily provide easy access for launching a canoe or kayak. I've used this campground as a basecamp as I was bagging the Maine 4000-footers in the area. It's a great place to return and relax after climbing the Bigelow range, Sugarloaf & Spaulding, the Crockers, even Saddleback, although that's a little farther away. If riding an ATV on the many area trails is your thing, just be aware that ATVs can't be ridden in the campground. In the evenings or early mornings you can explore the area in search of moose. There's a small rec hall as well as a cabin for games/reading/puzzles on a rainy day. There's also a playground and you'll often see kids riding around. It's a gated campground, so you'll get a gate pass for a $10 deposit, refundable upon return. There's a gas station/general store nearby. Group camping sites are separate from the individual sites. Reservations are low-tech…although you can inquire about availability via email, give them a call to make the reservation (or send a letter) because deposit is required at time of reservation. This is a beautiful non-profit campground I've returned to each time I'm in the area.

This was the first campsite along our Maine North Woods canoe adventure – about 4 miles from the Lobster Launch. It is a gorgeous campsite along the sandy shores of Lobster Lake, with plenty of room for a group of 8-10 people.  It's called Lobster Lake because it's shaped like a lobster claw.  

Has a huge picnic table, separate food prep area, fire ring and toilet (bring your own TP). Bring plenty of fresh water (though you can filter from a stream feeding the lake/river, but we were advised not to use the lake water, even filtered). Very easy access to the water for swimming, hauling gear up, etc. 

Note about costs: Getting here is quite a journey, but ooohh so worth it. It’s on the way to nowhere, you have to pay to get through the gate along the Golden Road, pay a daily road access fee, and daily camping fee. And, then there’s the shuttle for your vehicle. It’s expensive, but if you go with a group and share costs, it’s a treat!  Maybe a once in a lifetime adventure for some people.

As you make the final approach to Greenville from the south, the Moosehead Family Campground will be on the right. The first time I arrived, I missed the turn-in and had to do a u-turn.

You can make reservations online, although they're contemplating some site changes, so for now, you'll need to call to make reservations for 2019. Season opens around Memorial Day and when I visited midweek in late June it was still quiet. Most sites are back-in, though they offer some pull throughs, and most are wooded or in the orchard. Rates vary depending on the dates, special events, and utilities you select. They provide a discount for a week-long stay. Bathrooms are clean with odorless composting toilets. Although they don't offer sewer connections, there is a dump station and they also offer collection service. They offer wifi and I had good service with Verizon (you'll lose coverage just a little farther out of town). Hosts are friendly and offer free hot drinks in the office on weekend mornings. You will hear some road traffic.

There's a small playground, but the real playground is beyond the campground. Explore the many small ponds in a kayak or canoe, ride your ATV on area trails, capture wildlife with your camera, take on the Pinnacle Pursuit, or cruise Moosehead Lake on the Steamboat Katahdin. Drie and hour and you can go white-water rafting. Moose come out at the Maine DOT, so you don't have to go far to see some, though the ponds and backroads provide a better background. There's a firetower nearby that provides a nice view, too. It is a little far if you want to drive toward Kokadjo and smaller, remote pounds to look for moose on your own in the early morning hours, but if you are joining a wildlife viewing tour out of Greenville, it's convenient.

How to describe what a slice of heaven looks like? The setting is just spectacular, beautiful beyond words! The owners, Whitney and Norman, are just is amazing. They aren't just the owners, but everything they do shows how much they love this very special place and are so aware that they are great stewards of nature's splendor present here.

We went for a 10 day trip in July and a 5 day trip in August, staying on a waterfront / lean to site. Like most of the other waterfront sites, we had a nice, sandy beach on our site. The water is very shallow and the depth increases very slowly. We could walk about 100 feet before the water was chest high. This would be perfect for kids!

The site was massive, huge and my tiny pop up (1990 Coleman Columbia) almost looked funny on the site, like it was lost in all that space! The lean too was bigger!! All of the sites are grassy and flat. The waterfront sites are mostly sunny, but remember that this campground is deep in the north Maine woods and high temperatures are moderate - high 70's, low 80's.

Seriously, I am struggling to find words descriptive enough to capture the beauty of this campground and specifically our camp site!! It is beyond spectacularly beautiful -- the water is crystal clear, the mountains in the distance, the loons, eagles, deer, moose AND THE STARS!!! Wow!! I get goosebumps now just remembering how incredible the night sky looked -- no words come close to describe the majesty of that!!!

Only an hour of internet a day, several hours of electricity and it is wonderful! It was so relaxing to be able to disconnect and we even skipped the one hour of internet a few days. For a more details, check out my review on popupportal.com.

 There are a few times in your travels when you find someplace you never want to leave. It’s the kind of place where you pull in and it just feels right and we found ourselves at the registration desk extending your stay…and again…and again. The Birches Resort and Campground in Rockwood, Maine was that slice of paradise we absolutely loved. 

The Birches is perched on Moosehead Lake about 30 minutes north of Greenville which is a pretty small town (we’re talking population 1,600) with a few restaurants, a fly fishing shop, a great grocery/outdoor/camping/clothing store and a scattering of interesting attractions like an old passenger ship offering lake excursions. There is a ferry over to Mt. Kineo which has spectacular hiking and definitely worth spending an afternoon. There is great fishing in the area in numerous rivers and lakes. 

The Birches has a magnificent historic lodge dating back to the 1930’s that is warm and comforting and smells of wood burning fires, fresh coffee, and salty bacon. There are only a handful of campsites (for RV’s and tents) and a bunch of cabins all with great views. Don’t be expecting to have all your creature comforts of television, wifi, and phone service because they are nonexistent or sketchy at your site. However, the lodge provides all those services where you can enjoy them by the fire or at the bar. There is also a full-service restaurant serving three meals a day with delicious comfort food like Thanksgiving turkey dinner, slow roasted prime rib, and French onion soup. RV sites can be a little tight for larger RVs but we were able to manage. The best campsite (#5) backs up to the lake so your patio and fire pit are right there on the water and provide spectacular sunrises. Our site was 30-amp which was fine for us as we were there in October and didn’t need air conditioning. Since no one else was coming into the site next to us, we were allowed to pull in such that we took up two spots and overlooked the marina. There was water but no sewer however the dump station was easy to access and never very busy since the campground is so small. The tent sites are located farther away from the lodge and facilities but are spacious and private with great water views. The sites are surrounded by trees so you get some shade if you want or can be in the open sunny areas. Each tent site has its own garbage can so you don’t have to trek over to the dumpster. There are also picnic tables, rock-lined fire rings, low electric hook-up, and a water spigot. The restroom/showers were older but clean and we did not mind showering there which meant we didn’t have to pack up the RV and dump our tanks during our stay. They do have a hot tub for those who like to soak in steaming water. 

We absolutely loved our stay at the Birches. Having the lodge for warm fires, cold beer, and hot meals was a definite plus. There are so many outdoor activities between hiking, fishing, paddling, and just enjoying the natural beauty. There are boat rentals and seaplane flights you can book for sightseeing and a launch for boats/paddle craft. We will definitely be back.

We really enjoyed staying here since we were rafting with them the next day. Cheap spots right next to the river. It was also right off the high way so we heard trucks all night, but I found it pretty reasonable. The sites are all pretty together in a open field, which was okay for us since we were the only ones there but might be hard if fully booked. I think this would be great for a big family or group because it would all be close together. They supplied all the sites with bottle/can and trash cans. We got a spot right under a nice crab apple tree and enjoyed our time there. A little older but still a great place. Very nice, friendly owners!

If you want to ride ATV trails, fish and swim in the Kennebec River, ride mountain bikes on the Kennebec rail trail this is a great place to stay. The down side is the truck traffic on the nearby roads. The campground is near an intersection so logging trucks slow and accelerate nearby starting early in the morning.