Best Cabin Camping near Millinocket, ME

If you enjoy camping cabins on a lake with a wonderful view of Mt. Katahdin, then this campground is for you. This is 1 of the 3 campgrounds in Baxter that stays open for a bit past the normal season (thru the 3rd week of October).

It even has a small library with the best porch view you’ve ever seen. The cabins are simple and there are just pit toilets, but everything is kept very clean. Rangers are assigned to each campground, so there is always someone to chat with if you have questions or emergencies while in the park. 

You can rent a canoe and gear to paddle on Daicey Pond, or bring your mountain bikes for an awesome ride along well-kept gravel roads. Great hiking options to waterfalls, along the Appalachian Trail, and up to Mt. Katahdin. 

Fall is one of the best times to be here…no bugs, less people, and full of autumn color! Be ready for wind and cold days though.

Your last stop for food and gas is in Millinocket, so be sure to stock up before you make your way to the park. Millinocket is about 18 miles from the main entrance to Baxter State Park. 

Note: Dogs are not allowed in the park, but Katahdin Kritters is a pet boarding facility located in East Millinocket.

Located just a few miles outside of Baxter State Park, POC offers a few spots for small RV’s, tent sites, lean-tos, and a few camping cabins, each with a picnic table and fire ring.  And, the property has an amazing view!

There are hot showers, clean bathrooms, a dishwashing sink, and even a game room with pool tables and a small bar. You can rent canoes and gear to paddle on the lake, with a great view of Mt. Katahdin. Or, sign up for a guided canoe or rafting trip.

Fall is one of the best times to be here…no bugs, less people, and full of autumn color! Be ready for wind and cold days though.

Your last stop for groceries and gas is in Millinocket, so be sure to stock up before you make your way to the park. 

All for $11 per person/night! Haven’t seen these amenities for this low price anywhere else in Maine.

Wife and I had an amazing time at this super quite and beautiful lake. They have nice cabins for rent, or great tent sites. They offer boat/canoe/kayak rentals along with having a store that has the essentials. Each site has a potable water hook up. Baxter State park hiking trails are a quick hike away.

General: One of three AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) lodges in Maine’s 100-mile wilderness. This one is located on Long Pond and has 12 cabins plus a bunkhouse. One of the cabins is ADA-accessible. There is a lodge with a living room, dining hall, games, and small store. 

Cabin Quality: Eleven of the cabins are very basic with varying amounts of sleeping arrangements. The ADA-accessible cabin has two bedrooms, electric outlets, and a bathroom with a shower. 

Bath/Shower house: If you are staying in the bunkhouse or a non-ADA-accessible cabin, the bathrooms and showers are in the main lodge. There is also a sauna.

Activities/Amenities: Three meals per day are included. A hearty breakfast and dinner plus a bag lunch. Dietary restrictions are honored. When there is a small group of guests, meals are served family style; for larger groups, they are served buffet style. Rowboats, kayaks, and paddle boards are available at no additional charge, but the wind was too strong for us to get on the water when we were there. In the winter months, snowshoes are available. You can also cross-country ski from but need to bring your own skis. The hikes are awesome! I hiked the Third Mountain Trail directly from the lodge. Signage was excellent. I also hiked the Gulf Hagas Trail, but this requires a drive to get to either of the two trailheads. Don't even try for cell service!

Note that this lodge and cabins are accessible by an approximately 20-mile dirt road from the west and 15 miles from the east. Your fee includes a hefty parking/road use fee. The staff was very present and provided excellent service during our two-night stay.

We recently spent a four-day retreat at Baxter State Park, specifically at the Daicey Pond Campsite, staying in one of their no-frills cabins. I love this place and poppy playtime chapter 3. These cabins offer a truly basic experience, devoid of modern amenities such as internet access, cellular service, plumbing, or public water supply. Visitors are required to bring their own water and rely on outhouses for restroom facilities. While the cabins do provide beds, linens are not included, necessitating guests to bring their own. Additionally, visitors must come prepared with their own water, food, and cooking equipment, such as a Coleman Stove. The park boasts a plethora of scenic trails, offering opportunities for hiking along picturesque rivers to witness cascading waterfalls, exploring serene lakes, or trekking up mountains for breathtaking views. For a nominal fee of$1 per hour, visitors can rent canoes, allowing them to traverse one lake, embark on a short half-mile hike to another lake, continue their journey with another canoe, and eventually reach a remote lake untouched by human development. This experience serves as a refreshing escape from our technology-driven and interconnected lives.

We’ve stayed here in cabins a tent sites when hiking Mt Katahdin. Both were clean and tent sites were spacious. Bathrooms are tidy with all the hot water a smelly tired pack of hikers could ask for. Staff is always friendly and they almost always have spaces available.

This cabin was so cute, right on the pond and even had a gas lamp inside. We only stayed here 1 night but I will definitely be coming back. There are canoes for rent and outhouses nearby. Waking up to rolling fog on the pond was absolutely stunning.

Though not open during the off season, this Baxter State Park campground offers tent sites and lean-tos, each with a picnic table and fire ring. There are no sites for RV's here.

There is no running/drinking water, but the stream nearby is perfect for filtering. The pit toilets are cleaned daily. There is no electricity, so bring your solar panel. Rangers are assigned to each campground, so there is always someone to chat with if you have questions or emergencies while in the park. 

You can start the 8-12 hour round trip to the summit of Mt. Katahdin from this campground, as it sits right at the base of the mountain.  Or, choose from variety of other trail options if a 4000 ft elevation gain hike isn’t your thing.

Fall is one of the best times to be here…no bugs, less people, and full of autumn color! Be ready for wind and cold days though. You are sure to see many Appalachian Trail through hikers as they use this campground as their final base camp before summiting!

Your last stop for food and gas is in Millinocket, so be sure to stock up before you make your way to the park. Millinocket is about 18 miles from the main entrance to Baxter State Park.

Note: Dogs are not allowed in the park, but Katahdin Kritters is a pet boarding facility located in East Millinocket.

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.

Find amazing dispersed rustic campsites around Second Roach Pond at AMC's Medawisla Lodge - call ahead for more info. 

Medawisla is a new lodge within northern Maine's 100-mile wilderness, a dark sky preserve. 

Sites are self-serve and are accessible via water or by car. Beautiful waterfront sites - bring your own kayak/canoe/SUP and you can paddle over to the main lodge or explore the lake while listening to the loons call. Moose sitings are frequent too.

Main lodge is new and gorgeous! Call ahead to reserve meals: breakfast and dinner available at additional cost (when available - call to reserve and inquire about current COVID 19 restrictions)

Also availble via Medawisla Lodge: guided hikes, fishing, kids activities (fee-based services). First priority reservations are given to paying lodge/cabin/bunkhouse guests, so call in advance to arrange or try your luck once you're there. 

Glamping experience (an AMC guide will set up your campsite and get your campfire ready for your arrival) may also be available - call to inquire. 

When we found these sites, my buddy immediately called them Narnia. I can't disagree!

This is the first campsite you will come upon as you drive down the road in Baxter State Park and it is the first parking lot where you are able to park for the Abol Trail up Mt. Katahdin. Keep in mind that the road in Baxter is unpaved if you're driving here and that there is electricity in the park at sites! That being said, I camped here the night before I hiked up Katahdin and it was perfect for what I needed. Open spaces with tables and a fire ring and nothing else really. There is a ranger cabin on site to assist you with maps and firewood and anything else you may need. They were super helpful! Other than that there were composting toilets and there is parking near the sites for you to keep your car at.

Baxter State Park is “forever wild” meaning primitive with no potable water, pit toilets, no wifi or cell service. Spectacularly beautiful with many mountains to climb and trails to hike, including Katahdin—the conclusion to the AT. No RVs or pets permitted. There are moose and black bears.

Nesowadnehunk Campground is the most remote accessible campground in the Park. The Nesowadnehunk Stream is excellent for fly fishing. The trailhead for Doubletop Mountain is here as well. There are grassy fields and incredible night skies. The tent sites are of two types: grassy field or in the woods along the Stream. The lean-tos are generally 4 person AT type with a fire pit and picnic table at each site. There are 2 cabins, one ADA accessible and a bunkhouse. Reservations for all sites must be made through Baxter State Park. There is an entrance fee to the Park itself for non-Mainers.

Campground Review

I headed to the Millinocket area because I wanted to explore the new Katahdin Woods & Waters (KWW)National Monument, Baxter SP, ponds and byways. Staying at Wilderness Edge proved to be an ideal location with full amenities. It’s convenient to each of these areas without requiring an extensive drive to any of them. My visit was very early in the season ( late May/early June) and the trails to peaks at Baxter state Park were still closed, so it was quiet. The sites are in two sections, with tenters up the hill in an area I did not have time to explore, and a lower section with hookups for RVs. The RV sites offer electrical and water. The location of the hookups is somewhat unusual and inconsistent. My site had the connections on the right side of my camper once I had backed it in, so I had to be careful about placement or have longer cords. It then made sense why Marcel explained that some campers like to park parallel to the camp road to create some privacy,

My site (6) was large and level, backing up to the woods and with trees between the sites providing some privacy. There were no sites directly opposite mine as the loop road turned and went up a hill. The very clean bathrooms are up the hill, providing free hot showers and also a dishwashing sink.

There’s a small camp store with a selection of necessities, just in case you need a map or forgot a backpack, etc. They’ll deliver firewood to your site. There was wi-fi available, strongest near the bathroom, but I had more than adequate cell phone coverage (Verizon) at my site, that I did not need to use the wifi. There’s a pool and a play area near the entrance.

This is not a campground packed with seasonal sites; they only have 2 seasonal campers. Instead, the campground fills with families, singles, couples, looking for a quiet camp setting with amenities. The amenities do come at a price, costing more than other campgrounds, but also providing more.

If you want to explore, the Discover Katahdin app is great for identifying hikes or paddles, etc. so be sure to install it to help with your planning. It’s also worth stopping by the Moose Prints Gallery in Millinocket. Anita provided some excellent suggestions for wildlife watching and paddling. If you’d like a guide, Marcel is happy to offer small tours.

In town there are a variety of shops, including groceries, dollar stores, and hardware.

Product Review: GCI Outdoors Compact Camp Table 20

As a ranger with The Dyrt I sometimes get to test and review camping equipment. On this trip, I was able to review the GCI Outdoors Compact Camp Table 20 (it also comes in a larger, 25” size). This is a great little table with telescoping legs (love the squeeze mechanism to get them to collapse), giving you two height options while occupying very small space in your vehicle while traveling. You may find yourself using it for more than just camping (I saw one in a picture of a recent tailgate party). It’s aluminum top allows you to place a hot pot on it. It can handle a substantial weight and doesn’t feel wiggly. It’s great for dinner by the campfire!

We are a full-time traveling family (2 kids - 8 & 13) and 2 English Bulldogs. We have a Class A motorhome and flat tow a Jeep. We stayed here in June for 11 nights in site B6 and loved it! Owners Matt & Jamie are wonderful and we left feeling like we had stayed at a friend's place. Our site was great because we could see the kids at the playground and the pool, but there were many great sites a bit more tucked away as well. The kids also loved the Saturday night movie they would play on the big screen as well as the movie rental options available for personal use while there. We did not use the ATV trails that are directly off the campground, but they were great! We did, however, rent an ATV from Northwoods Outfitters in Greenville (just 20 minutes away) and it was our favorite activity yet! 

The campground is within 20 minutes drive or so to Hannaford grocery and there is a great little market, Whitney's Market, even closer in Guilford. Greenville is also about 20 minutes away and is a wonderful little town to visit with great restaurants and boating/ATVing options. 

Highly recommend visiting Central Maine and definitely stay at Balsam Woods!

We were in site # AB. It backed up to the road yet was nice other than the traffic. The traffic slowed down at night. The owner Laurie is nice and her staff was great. Roger was a big help with us getting into the site & settled. The site we were in you need 2 water hoses so he brought us a second one. It was a little tight backing in yet the site was big. 

We had water & electric and the dump station is in town on the way out. It's at the visitor center and there is a small fee for using it. There is a bar & restaurant onsite. They aren't open all week yet more towards the weekend. The food is good and the bar (the loose Moose) had lots of people in it. Love the fried beets and wings.  They have entertainment on the weekends. The girls working in the bar were busy working hard to keep everyone happy.

There is a big pull through site near our site you get the entire road and several sites. 

There is a small boat launch onsite and a captain that does moose boat tours. The cabins looked nice too there are several on the water. The lodge is very nice too.

Next door is the Northern Woods trading post. Great lobster l, oysters, charcuterie platter and a good Margarita. The little store has some nice souvenirs and meats, cheeses, pizzas, sandwiches and drinks. 

Onsite is Northern outfitters they take people white water rafting. You can do it right from the campground. People do come from all over to raft there. Across the street on the other side of the dyke there is a small swim beach and a sea plane ride operation. 

As you leave the campground and you go right Baxter state park is on the same road and not far from the campground. There is a swim beach at Baxter and hiking trails. Mt Katahdin is close by. The park is mostly dirt road yet not bad. It was $16.00 to enter the park for a day. If your going to go into the park 3 times or more buy the pass it's cheaper. 

Across the street from the campground we took the Golden road north to compass pond for a bit. People were picking wild blueberries. We were looking for moose around the bogs. 

To the left leaving the campground there is a place called River divers which had specials on their meals. People were not too excited about the food but they had an excellent spicy margarita. 

There's not much in town but we needed a hardware store and found one and grocery stores.

I always struggle with the notion of rating a full amenities campground with a no-frills place like this, so when it comes down to it, I'm rating the experience. If you want to get off the grid (no wi-fi, cell service, or running water) to a quiet, dark campground with opportunities to bag some peaks, see some wildlife, and cool off in a river after a long day on the trail, and you don't mind traveling over miles of dirt roads to get there, then it is hard to beat Nesowadnehunk Field campground.

I stayed in a lean-to, drove up to it and pitched my tent inside…grateful for a little extra protection in the tent as I listened to animals scratching around the lean-to at night. There was a large bush in front of the lean to and woods behind. I could see and hear my neighbors, but wasn't disturbed by them. The site also had a picnic table. Trails led to the river behind the lean tos. There are also a number of tent sites that you park and walk back to, plus a small bunkhouse.

As the sun sets, it is the sky that catches your attention and doesn't want to let it go. Without light pollution, you'll see more than stars than you imagined you could see (tip: if you need a light, use the red setting on your headlamp so your eyes don't have to re-acclimate to the dark).

I used this as a base for bagging Coe, South, and North Brother, finishing the Maine 4000-footers here. It was so windy I decided to forego the bushwhack to Fort. It's nice to be able to get an early start because you're already in the park.

Things you need to know about low frills Baxter State Park:

1. Make reservations online, though if you want a group site or a bunkhouse, give them a call or send a letter. Reservations open 4 months ahead of time.
2. Plan to arrive before 8:30. It takes a while to get to the campgrounds from the gates, wildlife starts moving around at dusk, and you don't want to have to set up camp in the dark
3. Bring either water or a filtration/treatment system so you can use surface water.
4. Bring what you'll need…don't expect a convenient store to replace that missing item! It's a long way back to Millinocket. Pack out your trash.
5. The general camping season is May-Oct, though winter camping (Dec-Mar) and activities are also possible. Snow may arrive early (which is why they sometimes have thru-hikers jump ahead to Katahdin and hike backwards if they aren't likely to make it to Katahdin ahead of the snow)
6. No pets. No alcohol in public places (i.e. don't celebrate on a summit with a sip of your favorite beverage)
7. There are a lot of rules, conditions of the donation. Take time to read the rules on the website.

I have been going there for a long time. I go 3 times a year for 5 weeks. It is a rustic campground with beautiful views of the mountains in Baxter State Park. They have a store and water and showers. The lake is fly fishing only and it only has native maine brook trout and it doesn't get stocked. They also have a boat launch.

I had never heard of Maine Huts and Trails (a small non-profit organization) and likely would not have if we had not traveled with an organized group for a three-day hut to hut experience. Poplar Flat is one of four gorgeous huts (and huts do not begin to describe these accommodations– they are more like lodges) on a trail system. The huts were constructed 11 years ago, and Poplar Stream was the first one completed. The main “hut” has showers, radiant heat floors, and compostable toilets. There are no electrical outlets or cell service, so this is an off-grid experience. There is a pack-in, pack-out policy. 

The bunkhouses are shared and each one accommodates up to eight people. When it is open and staffed, meals are provided, and the food is good. Dietary needs are taken into account. 

Now for the bad news: Poplar Flats hut is currently not open to the public (we stayed there as part of a group) and all of the huts are in jeopardy of not operating during the winter due to a severe financial shortfall. The catch 22 is that they likely do not have money for advertising so very few people know about them. I’m hopeful that by spreading the word on The Dyrt, more people will discover how beautiful they are, become a member, donate to them, volunteer, and hopefully enjoy time spent in one of the huts (I believe that the other three are still open).

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.