Best Tent Camping near Machias, 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.

We were tent camping. This place isn’t solid for tent camping. Too many sites, no privacy. But it was a big RV Park, close to Acadia, hot showers, playground with views of the bay. Not all bad.

Nice old fashioned campground on a classic Maine Bay. Full hookups or tent sites with grass and trees

Nice old fashioned campground on a classic Maine Bay. Full hookups or tent sites with grass and trees. Tmobile 4g with a strong signal

This is the first campground we have stayed at that has ATV trail access, horse friendly camping, full hookups, pull through sites, tent camping, tent rentals, teepee rentals, "tiny bird cabin", and a tree house.  

A must see!

The campground was beautiful and had great amenities. the staff was very friendly. I took 2 stars away due to the very expensive price for tent sites.

tent sites with no hookups to 220 Rv hookups....clean rest room/shower area recently remodeled. pay 6 nights & 7th free, NO reservations, closest private campground to Acadia NP

Super easy—we arrived late and still found our way very easily. Nice bathrooms, cheap firewood, and picnic table + shelter at every tent site. Only heads up is that the sites aren’t very private.

We stayed there tent camping for several days and loved it. The shuttle service was super convenient and we used it constantly. There was a fisherman who came in with his days catch and made fantastic food. I simply don’t have anything bad to say.

I love this campground for tents or small trailers/vans. Most of the tent sites have wooden platforms! The scenery is great and it’s close to the park. Showers are $1 in quarters for 5 min which is more than enough time. Hot and clean.

It was a nice site. Very friendly staff. The showers were not the best. 25 cents for 5 minutes but it was hard to adjust the temp so you had to spend a long time hiding from the burning water until it got warm or cold. Other than that, it was really nice. We tent camped.

We had a secluded oceanfront tent site that was absolutely beautiful. We had access to the water as well as some beautiful sunsets. It was 20 minutes to Bar Harbor and the most popular Acadia hikes. The shower house was very clean!

Very nice campsites, bathrooms and showers were very clean and easily accessible. Friendly and helpful staff. Only about 10 minutes from Acadia National Park and many great lobster shacks nearby. Would definitely stay again. Only thing was tent sites were a bit pricey.

Nice size sites, 50/30/20 electric, there are a few single picnic tables under shelters, nice small pond, tent sites two with W/E. Heated shower rooms, restrooms are open. Opened couple days early to accommodate a few early campers, I being one of them. Yes I would gladly stay here again!

We stayed here for 3 nights at one of the tent sites. Running water, shower and bathrooms and a pool which was nice. This is mostly geared towards RV campers which means more noise and the sites are pretty close together. Other than that, we would definitely stay here again

If Acadia is full... this state park is a great alternative! My favorite part is the beach!! And 30 mins from Acadia. The sites are ok. A lot on a hill... so level tent camping isn’t the best but mostly private sites. Quick walk to a beautiful beach with lots of rocks and shells to comb through! Sunset was epic!

First four pix are campground beach rest are near by Acadia area.