Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Mapleton, ME

There are not many camping options in this area of Maine, but that’s o.k. because this is a nice one and we had a pleasant week there. Campsites have very nice grassy patios and ours was super spacious because we were on the end and there was a nice tree that provided shade. One of the pluses of this campground are the walking trails that are adjacent to the park. There is also a mowed path down to the Aroostook River which is across the street from the campground but when we were there the water level was extremely low.

Campsites sits on top of a hill and there is a tight winding road that you must navigate to get up there. We were able to navigate it with our 45’ RV and tow car but we had to go slow and take up the whole road. Some campsites are side by side facing the wrong way with shared patios (i.e.,“buddy sites”) but there was enough space between them so you didn’t feel like you were sitting on top of each other. These buddy sites are ideal if you are traveling with friends.  Our site was close to our neighbor but since their RV faced the opposite way our their patio was on the other side and didn't bother us.  Seasonal campers make up about 50% of the park but most just come on weekends so the weekdays were pretty quiet. It appeared that they kept the transient campers in together and seasonals together. Some of the sewer connections are not conveniently located so you may need extra sewer hose. Luckily, our pull thru site was long enough that we could maneuver around to get close to the sewer without needing an extension.

The campground is close to town which is a bonus. There are hiking trails nearby that have some great views from atop. We liked Haystack Mountain which is just a short 10-15 minute walk to the top of the mountain with great views. The countryside is pretty to drive around and we found a huge field of blooming sunflowers that were stunning. There is a farmers market downtown that had lots of great produce and baked goods. This area is known for their potato industry so roadside stands selling 5 lbs. sacks were everywhere.

Overall, we really liked this park and its location. The price was great at$240/week for 50 amp full hook-up. Can’t say enough about how nice the grass and our site were. So many times patios are dusty, sandy, or hard gravel but this one was lush and nice and we really enjoyed sitting outside. There is actually more to do in the area than we expected and may be back some day.

This is an 8-site city-owned/operated campground best suited for self-contained RVs because the bathrooms are in a different area of the park. Call the Fire Department to make reservations, though on a summer weekend there were still vacancies. Sites are open and grassy with picnic tables and fire pits. There's an additional small parking lot nearby. There are steps down to a picnic area and boat launch on the St John River.

Riverside Park also serves as the eastern terminus of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, running 740 miles between Fort Kent, ME and Old Forge, NH. On land there are miles of walking and ski trails. Fort Kent is home to an original blockhouse from the 1830s-40s Aroostock war over the border of Maine.

It's quite a trek to Aroostock State Park, nearly to the Canadian border, but it's worth the journey. I came here to attend the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, which occupied my early mornings and evenings. During the day I would explore on foot or take the car through the countryside and enjoy the Amish farmlands.

Sites the sites are more or less level and wooded with some privacy, but there's less privacy if you are located in the middle of the loop and people take trails to the latrine in the middle. There is also a bathroom/showerhouse near the beginning of the campground loop, near the divide between the loop and the uphill section. 

Near the back of the loop a trail heads up south peak for a short scrabble and nice loop hike. There's a rickety tent platform with great views of the valley at that end and a lean-to on the other end of the ridge. Threre's a playground for kids.  Bring your kayak or canoe or they have some available to rent.

We were interested in kayaking on ponds and streams in the KAWW or Baxter State Park. Since we have a trailer and our buddies have a RV, we new we could not get into South Branch Pond in BSP. We decided to try Shin Pond Village Campground, a privately owned place in Mt. Chase on the way to the northern entrance of BSP.

The campground is right off Route 159, which is now a scenic by way in the KAWW National Monument. Although our sites were close to the road, there was so little traffic it really didn't matter! Sites were flat and open, with decent privacy for a privately owned campground. There was a really good store and a great diner attached to the main office building. Campfire wood was abundant (and for sale by the campground) and each site had a picnic table, fire ring, and fire place to cook on.

The campground is between upper and lower Shin Ponds, with easy boat access to both. We were about 15 miles from the northern entrance of Baxter State Park (BSP), so we chose to travel to South Branch Pond to spend the day kayaking. A great choice as you can see from the pictures.

Shin Pond is this sprawling mix of campground, cabins, restaurant, event space, gas station, convenient store, and off-road vehicle rentals. The campground has about 30 campsites and is separated into two sections bisected by Route 159 (which is busy with loud logging trucks and UTV’s). One side has 50-amp campsites and cabins and the other side is 30-amp. There is a separate area for tents that is really pretty and sits along a brook that divides north and south Shin Ponds. 

Sites are grass with very little gravel and, as we found out, they can be very soft. We pulled into our site (#21) and before we knew it our 45’ (47,000 lbs) RV was stuck. Unbeknownst to us, three inches of rain had recently fallen and our site which was downhill was saturated. The campground owner had to pull us out with his huge tractor which as we found out was not the first time a camper had to be pulled out of a soft site in that campground. Luckily, it was a pull-in site so he could attach a chain to the hitch on the back of our RV as there is no way to pull from the front without causing damage. 

All sites have water, picnic table, and fire pit. There is no sewer but there is a dump station and a “blue boy” for you to use and dump your own tanks. They do not have a pump-out service. The dump station is easy to access and has a hose for you to flush your tanks and a dedicated potable water spigot. The dump station is at the back of a busy parking lot that serves the restaurant, laundry, bath/shower house, and the fuel pump so it can be quite busy and congested. We didn’t eat at the restaurant but others said it was very good. There is also a well-stocked store which sells a variety of souvenirs, food, beer, ice cream, and camping necessities. 

No cell or internet reception with our Verizon phone. The campground does have wifi but the signal was not strong enough to get reception reliably at our site. You pretty much have to be at the office in order to get it but that’s ok because they have lots of picnic tables and places to sit. 

Shin Pond rents Polaris UTV and snowmobiles, canoes, and kayaks in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. We went on a UTV ride one day and were treated to some beautiful views. Just a few miles down the road is a short hiking trail leading to Shin Pond Falls and another trail that runs along the Seboeis river which is a beautiful hike. The campground is close to the northern entrances to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and Baxter State Park which is the major reason why we stayed there. We loved exploring these parks where you have access to beautiful hiking trails and lakes and ponds and is not as crowded as the southern areas. Note that dogs are not allowed in Baxter State Park and there are restrictions on vehicle sizes. The nearest town is Patten (about 15 minutes away) and has a hardware store, gift shop, full-service grocery, fuel, restaurants, and the Lumberman’s Museum.

Access is gained by private gravel logging roads leaving Route 161 in St. Francis, or off Route 11 in Portage, Maine. There is a check point when you drive through the logging facility area at the start of the main logging roads. You must check in for arrivals and departure. They will give you a map of the sites and trails. The drive is a good hour on dirt roads from there. Follow the red RRC signs and you will find it no problems.

Sites are all spread out. We stayed at Perch Dam mostly because our tent is 10x12 feet and 6 feet high. Majority of other tent sites have platforms for your tent which are much smaller.

The hiking trails are some of the best I have been on at such a site. They could use some more signs at intersections but with the trail map we got from the checkpoint we were able to figure them out. The view points you can hike up to are beautiful. Two of them, have log benches to sit down at the top and admire the view. Several trails I took had rock stairs and wooden stairs. If you hike to the fire tower from Perch Dam side, its flat all the way up to the mountain, that's where it gets crazy. like going straight up at some parts. Pretty awesome, but pretty hard if you are not in shape. My legs were shaking at the top, I barely had the strength to climb the fire tower lol. I got within like 15 more steps to the top, and I was like nope, going down. Wish I would have kept going, looking back. So don't give up even if your legs are jello!

There are several lakes around. We brought our kayaks, looking for moose. Did not find any, just a lot of tracks, and their poop. While hiking we did find a Pine Martin which was awesome. I never seen one of those in real life before.

There is nothing really within 1.5 hours or so from the camp sites so don't forget anything. There is a General Store in town but if you need certain things or want a big selection you will have to drive another 45 minutes to Walmart. Use google maps and pick one, there's two in different directions. We kinda broke our French Press second day there... had to drive to Walmart for a new one, cannot live without coffee you know. So that was like a 1/2 day trip there and back. Crazy. Rest of the time was great. We basically hiked every day. My husband is a birder so he was trying to get King Fisher pix and whatever else all the time. I did a lot of reading in my hammock.

Only thing that sucked, is the logging. We could hear them working, like a buzzing bee all the time during week days past 10pm at night which was annoying. We kind of wanted to get away from everything and everyone. Other than that, this place is pretty awesome. Check out their website. Enjoy.

I was in Presque Isle for the annual Crown of Maine balloon festival and for future reference I wanted to check out area campgrounds. If you’re heading into town from the south, you’ll see the campground before you see the sign which is tucked in among the trees. Check in at the back door of the house.

Sites occupy a large field with woods to the right and farmland to the left. Sites are grassy and open and can accommodate both tents and very large RVs. It is by the main road, so you will hear road traffic. If you are in a tent and dependent upon facilities, there is a small bathroom with toilets and shower. They are cramped and dated; there's a small porch on the front and the paint is peeling.

Must check-in at a North Maine Woods checkpoint and pay the hefty entrance plus camping fees to stay in this public land. After quite a drive, cross your fingers and hope people aren't occupying multiple sites or holding for others (we ran into this issue--sites seem to be two right next to each other throughout this area, so people would set up a tent or place their trailer in order to not have a neighbor right on top of them.) We got there late morning on a Friday and grabbed the only site that was open after being told we'd have plenty to choose from when checking in (which, I'm sure there would have been several open if people weren't occupying multiple sites). But anyway, my husband and I were happy enough with our site--just frustrated with some of the other campers making the experience more difficult than it needed to be. The weird part was everyone cleared out Saturday morning/early afternoon and we had the whole section to ourselves. Besides all that, great hiking and kayaking in the area.