Best Cabin Camping near Dexter, ME

The majority of campsites are right on the Dead River in a beautiful region in Maine called The Forks. This area is an outdoor paradise with tons of things to do kayaking, white water rafting, hunting, fishing, hiking, and nature viewing. Riverdrivers has a myriad of overnight accommodations including primitive tenting, RV with electric and water (some just 20A and water and the others 20A/30A and water), cabins with electricity and screened in porch, motel rooms, and a rental home open year-round that sleeps 14. 

There is a dump station onsite for RVs. There are picnic tables and fire pits at the camping sites and cabins. Wood is available for purchase at the good price of$10 for a wheelbarrow load. Sites are mostly grass and the road is smooth gravel devoid of any potholes. There are some trees for shade but not many and there is not much privacy between campsites. Obviously, the best sites are right on the water but the majority of those are without hookups. Check out their Facebook page because they offer camping discounts in the past if you mention the add. There are restrooms and showers with 14-hour access and a few port-a-potties scattered about. There is also a dishwashing station. Bathroom facilities were very clean as was the dishwashing station. Horseshoe pits are present but that is pretty much it for amenities, other than the great water view. No online reservation you must call or email them. 

The biggest complaint is the loud road noise from big logging trucks. The campground is located directly off Route 201 in West Forks which makes for easy access into the park (but you get the road noise). Across the street is Berry’s General Store with just about everything you need and is a fun old store to roam around. Just up the road is Hawks Nest Lodge which has a great restaurant with full bar. Their outside seating is great for soaking up the sun and watching the rafters on the river. Head over to Moxie Falls for a short hike into one of Maine’s famous falls.

This gampground has the access to snowmobile trail in the winter as well as the ATV trails. It has it's own parking lot for your atvs. Their is a inground outdoor heated pool, a great big playground, basketball court, volleyball net, arcade, ice cream, outdoor projector for Saturday night movie. As well as grass and rock lots for camping. Their is seasonal sites for both renting and campers. This is dog friendly and has doggie stations spread throughout the campground for all their bathroom breaks. Has a great bath house, coin operated laundry room, and a great little walking trail. Phone service, cable TV, and wifi are provided. Recently added for the 2018 season where three to four brand new log cabins built to add to the previous ones already their. Their is a boat launch a mile or less down the road. And the campground over all is a great place for both old and young to enjoy. I highly recommend this place. Although becoming a new seasonal is hard and you are put on a waiting list. The campground offers so many fun activities that are well worth the time their. Their is also a wagon ride offered on the weekend throughout the day.

While we don’t usually stay in private campgrounds due to their high cost, the price was reasonable for the quality of this campground and amenities provided. We were in need of a shower and a place for the night and this campground was perfectly situated off the highway to Greenville. 

Most of the sites are designed for larger RVs with full hook-ups, but they have just a handful of simple tent/small camper sites without services, which is exactly what we needed.   Just a picnic table and fire ring and some privacy and we were happy campers.

The shower house was newly remodeled and very clean, as was the laundry facility with dishwashing/utility sink. The campground has access to over 1000 miles of trails, which are designed for ATV’s. They even have an ATV washing station. While it was not open in late September, the campground offers a nice pool, game room for the kids of all ages, a small camp store, and even has a snack bar and ice cream counter.  And, if you are seeking some amazing hiking, it's relatively close to Borestone Mountain and sections of the Appalachian Trail.

The young husband and wife team who own/run the place are very sweet folks who seem to really pay attention to the needs of their customers.  For instance, they recently spent a good deal of money on high speed wifi because that is what their customers said they wanted.  We didn't need it, so can't comment on its quality, but it's there if you do.

I’ll preface this by saying that we got in after dark and left by 10am so this review is limited. First, while being very nice the front desk worker was not very helpful in helping us understand the layout and our best choice for tent camping that night. She was just not very communicative. After some prodding questions that felt like I was pulling teeth, we chose site 1 which was by the beach and the only tent site in that area of the campground. It was mid Sept on a particularly windy and unseasonably cold night. The wind was coming right off the lake which made it particularly hard to set up. Blocking the wind with our car was our only choice. After we got settled in, a nice fire and a little bourbon made it all worthwhile. While not very private because we were right next to an RV (all the RVs were lined up on the waterfront with little space between), it was still quite a lakefront spot. The site included a picnic table, a fire ring and a charcoal grill. Buckets of well seasoned wood were available at the camp store right next to us. It had a nice porch to sit on for the morning sun but unfortunately, that looked the opposite way from the lake toward the dense central campground. The camp store had a nice indoor dining area with views toward the lake that I believe was also closed for the season. All in all, I would recommend this if you’re not very concerned with privacy and want a beautiful lake to camp by.

I had never heard of Maine Huts and Trails (a small non-profit organization) and likely would not have if we had not traveled with an organized group for a three-day hut to hut experience. Poplar Flat is one of four gorgeous huts (and huts do not begin to describe these accommodations– they are more like lodges) on a trail system. The huts were constructed 11 years ago, and Poplar Stream was the first one completed. The main “hut” has showers, radiant heat floors, and compostable toilets. There are no electrical outlets or cell service, so this is an off-grid experience. There is a pack-in, pack-out policy. 

The bunkhouses are shared and each one accommodates up to eight people. When it is open and staffed, meals are provided, and the food is good. Dietary needs are taken into account. 

Now for the bad news: Poplar Flats hut is currently not open to the public (we stayed there as part of a group) and all of the huts are in jeopardy of not operating during the winter due to a severe financial shortfall. The catch 22 is that they likely do not have money for advertising so very few people know about them. I’m hopeful that by spreading the word on The Dyrt, more people will discover how beautiful they are, become a member, donate to them, volunteer, and hopefully enjoy time spent in one of the huts (I believe that the other three are still open).