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Best Tent Camping near Milford, ME

525 Reviews

Established tent campgrounds dot the wilderness around Milford, Maine, providing varied primitive camping experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. Gassabias Lake campsites offers three secluded tent sites on a dead-end road with path access to the lake, while Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land provides walk-in and hike-in tent sites approximately 45 minutes from Acadia National Park. Wilson Streams Area features six primitive tent sites near the Little Wilson Falls trailhead with streamside locations ideal for backcountry camping.

Tent sites in the Milford region typically include fire rings and picnic tables, though amenities vary significantly between locations. The Gassabias Lake area requires campers to practice carry-in, carry-out principles with no trash service available. Most backcountry tent areas feature vault toilets but lack drinking water, requiring campers to filter water or bring their own supply. A camper noted, "The sites have fire pits and picnic tables, and some even have roofs over the tables, but bring your own water or plan to treat water." Road access often includes gravel or dirt sections that may require slow driving, particularly after rain when conditions deteriorate.

Sites closer to water bodies like Donnell Pond and Gassabias Lake provide swimming and fishing opportunities directly from tent sites. In the Wilson Streams Area, tent campers can access the 2.4-mile round trip trail to Little Wilson Falls, with several swimming holes along the route. These primitive tent locations offer significant privacy despite occasional weekend crowds. A recent review highlighted, "We stayed here for only one night but I will absolutely come back in the future. The hike in is only about 1/2 mile so it's totally doable even if you need to make two trips." Many tent sites in the region operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with some requiring registration at information boards upon arrival and fire permits before starting campfires.

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Best Tent Sites Near Milford, Maine (15)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Milford, ME

26 Photos of 15 Milford Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Milford, ME

525 Reviews of 15 Milford Campgrounds

  • Sable W.
    Jul. 17, 2018

    Blackwoods Campground — Acadia National Park

    Super convenient camping in Acadia National Park

    Blackwoods is one of only a couple of campgrounds in Acadia National Park, which doesn't allow backpacking. It's connected to the South Ridge Trail, which gives you the opportunity to hike to Cadillac Mountain directly from the campground; we did this for the sunrise on our last day, and HIGHLY recommend it! (See the last picture.)

    Rangers consistently patrol the campground, even driving through a couple of times after quiet hours begin; I found this really helped keep the noise down, despite the number of campers. (The campground was sold out for the duration of our stay!)

    Each campsite has a fire ring and a picnic table, and sites are spaced decently; I would've appreciated a bit more privacy and space, but I'm sure the tree cover varies based on the site. My friend, who stayed at B121, seemed to have a bit more vegetation between her site and the surrounding sites.

    There are plenty of bathrooms throughout the campground, as well as taps with potable water. There is an ampitheatre which is used for nightly activities; I think it can be rented by groups, too. There are showers just outside the campground (8 quarters for 4 minutes; the water isn't always hot, though!) and you can also purchase wood at the shower facility.

    One of the routes run by the FREE shuttle bus stops at Blackwoods every hour during the summer; using this shuttle, you can get to Sieur de Monts, Otter Cliff, and the Village Green, where you can connect to any other bus. This is awesome, because it means you don't have to waste half the day jockeying for parking!

    Overall, I think Blackwoods Campground is a great value and a great place to camp while visiting Acadia.

  • Amanda G.
    May. 23, 2020

    Schoodic Woods Campground — Acadia National Park

    All around great

    We stayed for a week at one of the hike in sites, specifically the one furthest from the car/RV camping area. The sites are newer looking with nice tent pads, a bear box, and a picnic table. It’s a few minutes’ walk from the campsite to an immaculately clean vault toilet. The bathroom for the car camping area with running water, the dishwashing area, and WiFi were maybe a 2 minute walk beyond that. We had such an amazing time and spent the majority of our time on the Schoodic peninsula. We only went to the main part of the park twice the whole week. Plenty of trails, scenic views, and things to do just in Schoodic Woods. It’s also WAY less crowded than the main part of the park. Winter Harbor has a few restaurants and little shops but no big grocery/big box stores that I saw so stop on the way if you need stuff. The rangers were all very nice and helpful. I can’t wait to go back!

  • R
    Oct. 14, 2020

    Pushaw Lake Campground

    Quick Trip

    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.

  • HThe Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 1, 2025

    Maine Wild Blueberry Bliss

    Bucolic bliss!

    We loved our stay at the blueberry fields!   This is private land that the owner rents to campers.  We stayed in campsite 2, where the land is open and flat, and there was plenty of room for our rv.  There are 4 total campsites, and each  offers a slightly different view and sense of privacy.  The owner met us when we arrived.  Dogs are allowed.  It is dry camping, with no hookups, and generators are not allowed.   The owner had a picnic table set up with flower boxes in it, and there was a nice fire ring. They will sell you wood if you need it.  There was one other camper at site 1, and we could also see the owners house, but both were far enough away that we had a great sense of privacy. There was a shared porta potty available for use for all of the campsites.  The land was quiet and peaceful - it is acres of blueberry fields, which create a special sense of being in nature. The site we were at had a nice tree, which framed the site. The owner was very responsive to questions we had, and responded quickly.   The area was very quiet - at night we only heard the crickets and the wind.

    You are close to Castine, Ellsworth, Blue Hill, Deer Isle and Stonington.  There are numerous hiking trails in the area that can be found on All Trails, as well as easy places to kayak from, the closest of which are the Brooksville Town Landing, or Bucks Harbor public boat launch.

  • i
    Jul. 21, 2018

    Blackwoods Campground — Acadia National Park

    Love this place!!!

    Simple leave no trace campground with carry in carry out laws. Super short walk down a path to the oceans edge complete with cliffs, rocks and waves!! Just really a lovely place to camp. Close to many other attractions in the park!

  • Stacia R.
    Apr. 26, 2019

    Blackwoods Campground — Acadia National Park

    Simply Acadia Style Camping

    Blackwoods campground is a very large, very busy, somewhat rustic campground in the heart of Acadia National Park. We camped here 3 nights in July and every site was full. The sites are fairly standard, with a picnic table and fire ring. There are bathrooms generally within a short walk from each site, but no showers. There is a private shower house just outside the campground, bring your roll of quarters with you. You can also purchase firewood just about everywhere outside the campground itself. There is a shuttle bus that runs to the campground and will take you to various other parts of the park including many trailheads. We camped in site A31 which was directly off the campground loop road, but felt more private than many of the sites located in the inner circles of the campground. We could walk a short trail from camp to the ocean. There is no WiFi, and little cell phone coverage at all within the area. Amenities are few within the campground itself, but this is an area people come to explore and take in the beauty of Acadia, not hang out at camp.

  • Nancy W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 31, 2017

    Schoodic Woods Campground — Acadia National Park

    Acadia National Park's Quieter Side

    This campground is a gem! It is located on the Schoodic Peninsula which is the quieter side section of Acadia National Park but no less breathtaking. Here you get to enjoy the hiking and biking trails, amazing coastal scenery, quaint towns, and a peaceful campground in one of America’s top 10 parks without the crowds and craziness of Bar Harbor and Acadia NP located on Mt. Desert Island (which is only an hour away). I absolutely love the Schoodic Peninsula and the town of Winter Harbor which has such a “Downeast” Maine feel.

    The campground opened in 2015 and has 200 sites all within a 15-minute walk to the ocean. Although most of the campsites are designated for tents, there are some available for RV’s. Sites have a decent amount of privacy so you don’t feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. Since the campground is is relatively new not all the trees have filled in from construction but they did a great job preserving trees and shrubs. It is best to reserve online as this park fills up and very rarely has a walk-up site. The ranger station will not make reservations over the phone so don’t bother calling. (Acadia NP is a “fee” park so you will need to buy a park pass.)  All sites have electric (20/30/50) and some have electric and water only reflected in cheaper prices

    Fee (per site, per night):

    $22 hike-in tent sites (primitive)

    $30 drive up tent/small RV (20 amp)

    $36 RV with electric only sites (20/30/50 amp)

    $40 RV with electric and water (20/30/50 amp)

    $60 group tent sites

    Picnic tables are at every site but fire pits are only at RV sites as no open fires are allowed in the tent section. Tent sites are allowed to use portable camp stoves such as white gas or iso-butane cartridges. The bathrooms have flush toilets and potable water but there are no showers or laundry facilities. There are some places in the nearby town of Winter Harbor that have shower facilities of which the ranger station has information on.   A dish-washing station if located at the bathrooms which is really handy and kept clean.  There is a dump station located towards the exit of the park if you have an RV. 

    Surrounding the campground are miles of biking and hiking trails that are easily accessible from your campsite. There is a six-mile loop that takes you along the beautiful rocky coast with views of lighthouses, islands, forests, and wetlands. An additional eight miles of carriage roads and four miles of hiking trails wind through the park.

    The town of Winter Harbor is located two miles from the park and a ferry dock which takes you to Mt. Desert Island. The Acadia Island Explorer shuttle provides free transportation between various locations, island attractions, and towns (and is dog-friendly and can accommodate bikes). The shuttle operates from late June to mid-October and is a great way to get around if you don’t have a car or want the hassle of parking.

    Located at the Schoodic Institute is the Education and Research Center which offers interesting programs and has a visitor center. The town of Corea has a great waterside restaurant where you can sit outside and eat lobster while watching the boats go in and out. J. M. Garrish Café in Winter Harbor is a great place to get a bite to eat and an ice cream Sunday.

  • Shari G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 30, 2019

    Pleasant River (Katahdin Ironworks)

    Worth the hike-in, very close to the AT

    Beautiful hike-in sites located along the Pleasant River, and a great access point for hiking on the Appalachian Trail or in Gulf Hagas area!  We didn’t stay at these sites, but came across them while hiking just off the AT. 

    Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, with access to a clean latrine (with TP!).  No potable water is available, but the river is easily accessible for dishwashing and boiling/filtering. Firewood is available for purchase at the access gate at Katahdin Iron Works, but keep in mind you’ll have to carry it about ¾ of a mile, and across a river. 

    For safety, no bikes or ATV’s are allowed beyond the Katahdin Iron Works gate, as these roads belong to the logging companies in the area and there can be many fast-moving logging trucks. The town of Milo is where you’ll find the closest grocery stores and gas stations, but it’s a bit of a drive so come prepared. 

    Note about costs: Located in the Maine North Woods, getting here is quite a journey, but ooohh so worth it. It’s on the way to nowhere, you have to pay to get through the gate at Katahdin Iron Works, pay a daily access fee, and daily camping fee.  Note: If you are planning to backpack on the AT from this location, the pricing is very different, so be sure to ask!

  • Rebecca C.
    Jul. 14, 2017

    Blackwoods Campground — Acadia National Park

    Beautiful Location

    We were at Blackwoods for two weeks - from October 3rd to October 17th in 2016. Perfect timing for fall color. It was beautiful. The campsites are primitive (no electricity, water or sewer) and there are no showers on site - there is a pay shower close by outside the park. But it was worth it to be in this beautiful pristine environment. The campsite is a short walk to an ocean overlook where you can watch the sunrise and the park has lots to do. We enjoyed great ranger talks before they ended for the season and I loved bicycling on the carriage trails. Don't forget your hiking boots! We had the trails to ourselves most of the time we were there.

    The campground is pet-friendly. Most of the trailer sites are pull-through. The sites are not too close together and there are a lot of trees and shrubs between sites. Each site has a fire ring. They run a bus service around the park and there is a stop at the campground.

    I cant wait to go back!

Guide to Milford

Primitive tent campsites near Milford, Maine often provide secluded locations accessible via multiple approaches, from drive-in options to hike-in sites requiring additional effort. These backcountry sites typically sit 30-45 miles from larger towns, resulting in limited cell service and necessitating thorough trip planning. Summer temperatures range from 60-80°F during peak season, while spring and fall camping brings cooler evenings requiring additional layers and appropriate sleeping gear.

What to do

Hike to waterfalls: Little Wilson Falls trail offers a moderate 2.4-mile round trip hike with swimming holes along the route. Nancy W. notes, "The trail follows water with a few nice swimming holes and crosses the AT. About five miles away is the small town of Monson which has an Appalachian Trail Visitor Center, some galleries, restaurants, and a great general store."

Kayak on lakes: Donnell Pond provides excellent paddling opportunities with mountain views. Amanda F. reports, "This lake is huge so keep that in mind. We boated to the boat with our gear and camped there. We parked at the public dock that has public parking and boated over to the beach."

Blueberry picking: Maine Wild Blueberry Bliss offers campers the unique opportunity to harvest wild blueberries in season. Korie M. shared, "We swam in the water everyday, and picked/ate the blueberries! It was so quiet, private, and beautiful."

What campers like

Secluded sites: Wilson Streams Area provides primitive streamside camping with natural boundaries. Nancy W. explains, "Sites 1, 2, 3, and 6 are right along the stream with access to the water and nice tall trees for shade. Sites 1 and 2 are pretty close together so there is shared space."

Privacy level: Gassabias Lake campsites offers three separate sites with minimal crowds. Ingrid W. reports, "3 secluded spots on a dead-end road. Wooded, path to the lake. Each site includes fire ring and picnic table, and share a pit toilet. I have never seen all 3 sites in use at one time."

Wildlife viewing: Loons and other wildlife provide natural soundscapes at many campsites. Ingrid W. mentioned, "If you enjoy listening to Loons, they put on quite a symphony. The lake would be great for kayaking or SUPs and fishing."

What you should know

Registration requirements: Most primitive sites require self-registration at information boards. At Wilson Streams Area, campers must "obtain a fire permit before kindling a fire. The information board has a number you can call to get a permit from the forest service."

Limited amenities: Prepare to bring or filter all drinking water. Nancy W. cautions, "There is a vault toilet located along the road but no potable water spigots. The waterfront campsites seemed pretty well used as there was lots of evidence of people not practicing carry in, carry out."

Road conditions: Rough and Raw and other primitive sites require careful navigation. Ingrid W. warns about Gassabias Lake access: "Road into camp is dirt and some of it can be rough. Cars can make it just go slow. Over 20 miles from paved road."

Tips for camping with families

Short hiking options: Donnell Pond offers family-friendly hiking distances. Erik C. explains, "The hike in is only about 1/2 mile so it's totally doable even if you need to make two trips. The spots are secluded enough but not isolated."

Swimming opportunities: Several sites offer safe swimming options for children. Amanda F. notes about Donnell Pond, "There are two beaches that you can camp on that have sites with fire rings and picnic tables. We were able to swim here as well."

ATV trail access: The Hawnets Nest provides A-frame cabin options for families wanting more structure than tent camping. Nearby, Ingrid W. notes, "Atv trail access from camp - can ride to Lincoln, Ellsworth, Grand Lake Stream, Machias and all points downeast from here."

Tips from RVers

Level site selection: Choose sites carefully for RV parking. Heather C. from Maine Wild Blueberry Bliss reports, "We stayed in campsite 2, where the land is open and flat, and there was plenty of room for our rv. There are 4 total campsites, and each offers a slightly different view and sense of privacy."

Generator restrictions: Plan for dry camping without electrical support. Heather C. notes, "It is dry camping, with no hookups, and generators are not allowed. The owner had a picnic table set up with flower boxes in it, and there was a nice fire ring."

Size limitations: Most primitive sites accommodate smaller RVs only. At Wilson Streams Area, "The sites are considered 'walk in' but there are parking spaces adjacent to the campsites that will accommodate cars (no RVs)."

Frequently Asked Questions

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