Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Kingfield, ME

This small, family run campground is a nice spot to get off the grid and explore western Maine. I stayed here because of its proximity to the Fire Warden trail up Mt. Abram; I like to get up and on the trail early, so this was an ideal location. It's not far to the peaks in the Bigelow Preserve, Sugarloaf, Spaulding, or the Crockers, either. It is a 4-hour drive from Boston, so it's not a quick getaway from there.

Each wooded site is relatively level and offers water and electric hookups, all for a price on par with state parks without utilities (even after tax is added to fees, you're still under $25/night). Bring cash or a check because they don't accept credit cards. Although they don't offer sewer, they do offer a dump station. I was in a tent. They do not offer wi-fi and your cell phone isn't much good either. Bathrooms are clean and hot showers are free. I was there late in the season, so the campground wasn't full. It was quiet.

Although I was there to hike, I checked out the Tufts Pond, a short walk across the street from the main campground, It is a nice place to swim, canoe/kayak, or fish in season. And at the beginning of my hike I saw a lot of ATVs out on the trails. There is also an open field area and a playground at the campground.

I bought wood when i checked in and there is a small store. Kingfield offers a grocery store as well. Kingfield also offers a few dining options if you're not up to cooking your meals.

If your looking for a great little get away where you can get unplugged from society, then this is the place for you. Has a great place to go four wheeling. A place to enjoy the lake and all the fun activities that go along with it. As well as a bathroom facility for showering and all your tolitere needs. The kids can also enjoy the playground, and the various activities they provide. And you may even be visited by the campgrounds own family cat. This place is not only a great place to go tenting, but can also be a place where you can hook up your camper. This beautiful place sits in the woods off the maine road. It gives you the real feel of being out in the woods. It is a very secluded place.

We chose to stay at this campground because it was close to downtown Bethel, had river access, and had a full hook-up site for our 45’ RV. Campsites vary from full hook-up pull through to grassy shaded private sites perfect for tent camping. The sites are pretty close together and ours was a buddy site which meant our patio faced our neighbor’s patio. Since the sites were so close, we were practically sitting next to them. Luckily, they were nice people and we enjoyed talking to them. 

Not all sites are level and we found it difficult to get into because of the tight roads and dangling tree limbs. Some of the best sites are unfortunately reserved for work campers. These are pull-ins with a view of a grassy field. The wifi at our site (#21) was horrible and we never used it. There is no cable and we were not able to pick up any over-the-air television channels. The campground is pretty wooded which was nice for the shade but meant we were not able to get satellite reception with our dome mounted receiver. We ended up using our portable receiver and after two days of moving the unit we were finally able to lock into the satellites. 

We selected a 50-amp full hookup pull through site which was $46/night. Our sewer was uphill at our site which is a big pet peeve of ours and super annoying when it comes to empty the tanks. The 50-amp worked well and it was well-placed in the site as was the water. The roads and campsites are gravel and the patios are a mix of gravel and grass. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. The campground is adjacent to a paved walking/biking path that leads to downtown Bethel. We used the path to walk over to the farmers market and found it very convenient to walk our dog. There is also a mowed path through a field that we also liked for walking our dog. 

The best aspect of this campground is the access to the Androscoggin River. The park rents kayaks, canoes, and tubes and has a shuttle service that will take you up river for so you can float back to the campground. We used the campgrounds shuttle livery service to take our kayak and paddleboard up river for a leisurely float down the river so we could enjoy the scenery, have a picnic, and fish. (Since we used our own boats, the coast was cheaper.) The campground offers this service to non-campers which meant there were a lot of people walking through the campground. The bathroom in the campground was old and tired and heavily used by people floating the river which and was pretty dirty. They also have a sluice on the property, where (for a fee) you can get a bucket of mined material and get to sort through it looking for minerals and gems. Whatever you find, you keep. 

The campground is located off Route 2 which is fairly convenient but the road noise was pretty loud as this is a heavily trafficed road. Downtown Bethel is just a few minutes away and has a brewery, grocery, restaurants, shops, and the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. About five miles away is Sunday River which is a ski area. We took the chair lift up the mountain so we could hike around and take in the beautiful views.  On the way, we stopped at Sunday River Brewery and had a delicious meal and great beer.

Very clean, very well organized, friendly staff. The lake is beautiful. Brand new bath house. Dog friendly!

This camping site is dog friendly. Owners are very nice. I have been once this year and plan on going back. Grilles to cook on and a fire pit at every site.

We have stayed at this reserve several years in a row, and have always enjoyed our trips. We’ve always brought our dogs and rented canoes for long weekends.

You can either stay on the mainland and walk your belongings to the site, or use the canoes to transport your gear to the island. We’ve loved both, but prefer the island simply because we know our dogs can’t go far!

The lake is great for exploring both day and night. I’ve personally never seen so many stars as I did our on the lake in the evenings. The sights are breathtaking and the area is great for relaxation.

The surrounding campsites are close enough to feel comforted, but far enough to avoid intrusiveness. There is also a shop within a quick driving distance to pick up any forgotten essentials.

Small cute campground, what camping should be. Nice trail to the river next to our site. Dog friendly. Fun little scavenger hunt for kids of all ages. Short walk over to Coos Canyon rest area with great swim holes. Close to Tumbledown Mountain hiking, Mt Blue and Webb Lake. No cell reception and wifi only available at the camp store.

This is an amazing little campground off in the middle of nowhere. My friends and I went up here for a weekend and we love how isolated it was. It had a beautiful waterfront, it was quiet, and dog friendly!

There is also no cell service up there so no phones as distractions!

Some remote sites allow dogs you can book a boat ride out and back if you want to.

We found it easier to book the boat out will all our gear and food and water and wood.

We canoed back which was easier with out the weight of the food, ice and wood.

The remote campsites have pit toilets in an outhouse, fire pits with heavy gril and picknick table w extension for camp stove. There are tent platforms.

Sites are very clean and private the water is excellent for swimming. There is plenty of wildlife including loons, ospreys, eagles and other birds. Moose and Bear maybe spotted. The fishing is excellent!

Wood needs to be purchased at the camp store and at the main campground there are coin operated hot showers! The Staf and Rangers are very helpful and extreamly polite.

Canoes can be rented there also.

We plan on going back each year!j

Nice campground. Super friendly people. Very busy campground, but everyone is very respectful. Great place for kids and families. Our site was right on the lake. Places to grill and dock your boat. Bathrooms and showers very clean. There’s also a very nice pavilion if it’s rainy. Only thing was a tad frustrating was the amount of dogs who barked all day at everything. Overall a great place to camp with the family

Very pretty location. If you eat, breath and live off atvs, this is the place for you. They were continuously driving around and past the campsite all day, making it a bit hard to relax when you are a non atv owner.

Otherwise its a great location, right next to the canyon you can swim in. Wasn't close enough to hear the stream at night in the wilderness sites. Dog friendly and everyone seemed to obey the rules. Very clean bathrooms that were conveniently located.

Very friendly staff. Can rent canoes to take out to the sites on islands and across the lake. There are water refills at the office available

Farrington island is my favorite spot. There are 2 sites. We always rent both so we are the only ones on the island. Great for dogs. It is very rocky, but we found plenty of spaces for all the tents.

Birch point is also a very secluded nice spot.

You must canoe or kayak around the lake and explore the other smaller islands and areas.

Weather can change quickly out there. Gets windy. So be prepared.

Be aware: the main campground (on the mainland) is closed for the 2017 season for renovations. However, backcountry sites are open for the 2017 season.

I love coming here! We load everything (and everyone) into our canoe and head out for a long weekend at the start of each season. We like going the first weekend the campground opens, as it can get super busy as the summer unfolds. There are several local operations that spend time on this lake (and many others in the area) so be advised that there may very well be large groups of teenagers out and about.

We stay at R17 and R37 a lot. We like being totally on an island so our dogs don't bother anyone else. The fishing is also really good here.

Most sites have newly renovated privies and tent platforms, picnic tables and fire rings. Be sure you take plenty of fresh water or enough to treat water from the lake.

The bugs aren't bad if you can find a campsite with a point, the wind certainly helps. Be prepared to fall asleep to the sound of loons and begin and end each day with incredible sun rises and sets.

The remote campsites at the norther end or Umbagog Lake are wonderful. This trip consisted of my family of five with three kids (ages 5-13), our dog, and friends. We put our boats in at the National Wildlife Refuge and paddled in on Bear Brook. The paddle was just around 2.5 miles and calm flat water. Just perfect for our kids, and far enough feel remote but easy enough for our kids. The sites have a pit toilet and fire ring. While there were plenty of eagles, loons, and fish we only saw two other boats the entire weekend.

Large, private sites with no hook ups. Campground is on Webb Lake, which is a great lake for boating, swimming, and other water activities. There is also an easy to access and use boat launch.

Bathrooms and separate showers are clean and well maintained, with outhouses located in strategic places for easy access.

Rangers run some great programs for kids and adults. There is a playground and recreational area with plenty of large, open spaces to run the dogs.

There are tons of great places to explore with awesome hikes up Mt. Blue and Tumbledown Mt. to name the most popular. Visitors really should take the dirt road across to Coos Canyon, which has been carved out by the Swift River.

Another small site at one of the rapids on the Moose River. Depending on the water level and your skill, you can paddle the rapid or line your boat. We chose to line given we were traveling with our dogs. Depending on your plans, this site may be a good stopping point for the day. The site is small and impacted but has a nice picnic table, fire pit and outhouse. It isn’t the best site along the Moose Bow Loop but it fits the bill if you just need a place to sleep for the night and isn’t already occupied.

Note: you need a fire permit in order to have a fire. You can obtain a permit at the Fire Department in the town of Jackman.