Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Lubec, ME

This primitive campground is part of the Cobscook Shores Land Trust which operates 15 parks and preserves in the eastern portion of Maine near the town of Lubec. This campground is for tent camping only with five tent sites and does not even allow RVs in the parking lot. There are no reservations(first come, first served) with a maximum stay of three nights. Some campsites have some trees for shade and others are in an open sunny meadow. There is a picnic table and gravel camping pad at each site. Fires are not permitted on Cobscook property so there are no fire pits. Dogs are permitted in the campground and on most trails but there is one section where they are prohibited due to shorebird nesting habitat and they must be leashed and picked up after. There is a centrally located hand pump water spigot and two port-a-potties near the parking lot. One thing that is a little weird is there is a cemetery nearby so if you are disturbed by sleeping near dead people nearby you may want to go somewhere else. There is no parking at your campsite so you have to carry your gear for the parking lot which is a short walk away. You can also paddle into this campground but you will have to carry your gear about a hundred yards. The preserve has an expansive gravel beach and hard pack sand when the tide goes out. Be mindful of the tides which are some of the highest in the country of nearly 20 feet. If you come in at low tide you will have a very long way to carry your canoe/kayak. This is a carry in/carry out park so don’t forget to take your trash with you. The closest town is Lubec which is about a fifteen-minute drive away. There is a convenient store and a restaurant/seafood market nearby(about a five minute away). This is a beautiful part of Maine where you are surrounded by lots of bays and lakes and just a short trek to what is called“the Bold Coast” of Maine where there are dramatic rocky cliffs and magnificent ocean views. Nearby are plenty of other nature preserves, West Quoddy State Park, and Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge.

Loved the privacy and remoteness of this park. We had a tent site (53) that had a short root-laden walk into the site, but not bad and well worth the bay view. Woke early enough for the sunrise on the bay, which was spectacular (and first in the country!). Great home base for exploring this rustic coastal part of Maine; totally enjoyed: Lubec, West Quoddy Lighthouse, Campobello Island, Eastport, Reversing Falls, Western Head Trail (amazing) Sipps Head Trail, Shackford Trail (careful; not well marked interior and we nearly got lost at dusk) and Machias. Love this area! And the campground, while rustic, has quarter-operated showers; excellent bonus! Highly recommend this place.

We love this campground because of the location and amazing views! Sunset Point is a small, family-owned campground that sits beautifully perched on Johnson Bay just minutes from downtown Lubec. After a busy morning of hiking or paddling we loved hanging out at our campsite in the afternoon and watching the seals, bald eagles, seabirds, and the tides come and go. 

This is one campground where the tent sites are actually in the best location in the campground as all of them have great unobstructed water views. (The only downside is they are farther away from the bathroom.) Some tent sites (A– D) have a wooden shade structure with picnic table and fire pit, the others just have a fire pit and picnic table. RV sites are 50-amp/ water and vary in length. Some are right on the water and others are in rows behind them. Warning: RV sites are very close together and there is not much space between you and your neighbor. The best sites are 12, 12A, 12B, and 16 which have the best views and are the largest sites. There are no sewer hook-ups but there is a dump station, a tote (a.k.a.,“blue boy”) that you are welcome to borrow, or you can schedule a pump out for$10/tank. Most motorhomes (in sites 16-29) choose to pull-in forward so they have a water view out of their front window and run the utilities under their RV to hook-up. Warning: do not leave your awning out while you are away from your camper as the winds can really pick up in the afternoon and damage them. 

The restrooms were super clean (although a little dated) and there is a laundry with three sets of washers and dryers for$1.50 each. Wood ($3) and ice are for sale in the camp store where they also have t-shirts/hats/post cards and a few other miscellaneous items. Wi-Fi at our site (#16) was pretty poor but worked very well near the office/laundry. We had a strong Verizon signal so we didn’t rely on their Wi-Fi. The grounds are manicured with nicely mowed grass. The only problem was that some people put out patio mats or screen rooms that killed the grass so the next camper has a big dead spot. There is a primitive kayak/canoe launch (which is basically a mowed path down to the water) which we used almost daily. It was so convenient to leave our boats down along path so we didn’t have to bring them back to our site every day. Beware that the tidal range is around 20 feet so make sure you paddle around high tide or you will have to cross a mucky, seaweed covered, rocky clam flat to get back to shore. There are lots of great places to paddle and downtown is about a 15-minute paddle and there are plenty of seals at high tide and the mackerel fishing is great. The campground has free use of lobster pots, burners, and propane tanks if you want to cook your own lobster and there is a seafood place right down the street that sells live lobster. Or you can drive about 25 miles to the town of Cutler and buy them fresh off the dock. 

Lubec is a cute little town with a few shops, restaurants, historical museum, a brewery, grocery, and a scenic view of the Passamaquoddy Bay. There is plenty of hiking on nearby nature preserves. Bring your passport and cross over to Campobello Island which was the summer home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and is now a museum open for tours. There is also lots of hiking and two lighthouses on Campobello. Nearby is Quoddy Head State Park which has some beautiful oceanfront hiking trails and a picturesque lighthouse.

This is a small, well-run campground with lots of amenities. All but the tent sites have E/W. There is a dump station, restrooms/showers, and 3 sets of basic (but efficient) washers and dryers. ($1.50 each). Each site has table/fire pits, and firewood is plentiful and only $3/bundle. WiFi is weak and slow, but free and usable. We have great Verizon signal, so didn’t really need it. The grounds are well cared for, with lots of grassy spaces. They also maintain a mowed pathway down to the “beach” for water access and to launch a kayak. There is a broad variety of sites, so be sure to check out the campground map as well as satellite view when requesting a reservation. The tent sites are great — right on the water’s edge — and much more spacious and private than the hookup sites. Of the RV sites (E/W), some are MUCH more desirable than others. 12A and 12B are close to the water with great views, but only suitable for smaller camper vans and trailers. Of the other RV sites, 12, 13, and 16 are nice because they are at the end of their rows so there are neighbors on only one side. 13 is next to the pond, but still has a good view of the bay, and the added bonus of a million frogs serenading throughout the night. (This may not be a positive thing for some.). The rest of the E/W sites are side-by-side RV park style where the only view (from inside) is the side of your neighbor’s RV just a few feet away. The town of Lubec is tiny without a lot of charm, but the waterfront area provides a nice view of the rushing tide and Canada across the narrow channel. Nearby Quoddy Head State Park has a picturesque lighthouse and a couple of nice hiking trails. Antique lovers should visit the nearby Clutter Shop. HD&Sons about a mile west sells freshly caught lobster for about $10/pound and will cook them up for $5/pot. The campground is on a peninsula, and there was never a day without a nice breeze.

A lot of these campsites are near the bluffs. The tide goes in and out, so be prepared for that. We enjoyed hearing the water from our hammocks at night. There was a big grassy field I that had millions of fireflies at night. I remember just standing there with my mouth open staring. It was on the the way to the restrooms from the Bluffs area. Being near the water offered a nice breeze also. I wouldn't mind coming back to this site, we didn't get to stay as long as we wanted.

While you are here - good day trips are into the town of Lubec, Quoddy Head, Hamilton Cove, and a tad of a drive Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge.

We decided to spend the night at this park after having to adjust our plans due to high winds. Given our timing(early October), the place was almost entirely empty. We chose one of the small lean-to shelters for the night. There are a few of these and they do require you to walk your gear in a short distance, so pack accordingly. 

The site we stayed in had a gorgeous view of the bay and it was super cool to watch the tide come and go with such a drastic change in the water levels. We even saw a racoon take a swim across the bay at high tide. 

There was a nice small and consolidated fire ring and a large picnic table. The lean-to was the perfect size for our three-person tent and kept us out of some cray wind(gusting up to 40 mph). 

The state park has primitive pit toilets scattered throughout the various loops that require a bit of a trek from where we were camped. There are also numerous sites right on the water in the picnic area that would be great day use options if you’re just looking to enjoy the area for a few hours. The gentleman making the rounds was friendly and it was nice to know there were a few employees still around and available if needed.

The state park is located close to Lubec as well as the St. Croix International Historic Site, which we visited while we were in the area. Given the pandemic, we weren’t able to venture over to Canada but maybe next time!

We needed a place to stay the night near Lubec. This campground isn’t luxurious by any means but it has everything you need for an outdoors experience.

The campground has a sewer dump and potable water fill at the beginning of the campground. The hot showers are there too. Beware of spiders. The showers were clean but boy do the spiders living in the shower house remind you that you are in the woods. We ended up showering in the van in the parking right outside the shower house because we could fill up and dump next door at the sewer/water fill station. We just couldn’t get that close and personal with spiders. That’s where we draw the line.

The grounds are very well manicured. In our area, the sites were super deep and private (rigs up to 30’). The restrooms are outhouse style that are ventilated. They have hand sanitizer inside. Bring a light for night time restroom use as it will be very dark otherwise.

Beware of the mosquitoes. Bring all the mosquito mitigation like wearable netting, bug spray, Thermacell or just don’t go outside. Never. Unless it is the middle of the day.

Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 8 mbps down and 3 mbps up with 73 ms ping; T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR1100: 6 mbps down and 0 mbps up with 300 ms ping.

One of the best campgrounds we’ve been to in America, beautiful views, close to amazing hiking (highly recommend bold coast trail). Fisherman’s wharf 20 mins away has great lunch with amazing view and service. Site 66 is very private with a short walk to site from your parking spot. We loved the little walk to get a more private feel away from the road and other campers. We were right on the water which gave a beautiful view of the sunset. We were even able to walk down on the rocks along the water to get a completely clear view of the stars and Milky Way. Couldn’t ask for a better campground 12/10 recommend for anyone looking to see scenic Maine!