Best Cabin Camping near Monhegan, ME

This place is like the Ritz Carlton of campgrounds! The owners took a farm and converted into an upscale camping experience. They have thought of everything!

You can choose to stay in a tent or a cabin. The tents are outfitted with two beds and a nice outdoor seating area. Candles and solar lights will keep it illuminated at night. They include special touches such as branded matches and a carafe full of water on the bedside table. Each site has its own firepit and porch.

The common spaces are equally as luxurious. The bathhouse was just like a four-star hotel. They provide you with shampoo, conditioner and body wash. There is even a hair dryer! Bug spray and lotion are also available for your use.

There is a common space that includes picnic tables and a large fire pit. The bathhouse building also has charging stations for each tent so you can stay plugged in during your stay!

Only downfall…There are quite a few of mosquitos. Thankfully they provide various bug spray's that you can use!

Tops’l Farm offer the best of glamping.  Located in Waldoboro, they create a wonderfully balanced experience between the outdoors and glamp.  While their model continues to evolve, camping is not available on all days/weekends.  They create special weekend camping events and retreats.   We participated in a weekend camping event that included a farm to table meal on Saturday evening in their barn.  They had recommendations for places to visit during the rest of the weekend, which we did not do.  

Their model is a stay that costs a price, plus a lot of a la carte “extras” that you can order.  We ordered Friday dinner and wine;  and breakfast for one morning.  Depending on the weekend, ‘extra’ offers could also include yoga, foraging, s’mores kits, etc.  

Tops’l Farm has both cabins and glamping tents.  The bath house is very nice for a camp bath house, with soap and shampoo.    The cabins are full of creature comforts, including nice sheets and blankets, lanterns, and an overall beautifully appointed space that is still rustic.  Each cabin has a fire pit.  

The farm dinners offer delicious food with ingredients from local farms.  The food is delicious, simple and very satisfying all at the same time.  The barn that they hold the dinners in is simple yet elegant.  There is a camp store where you can buy beer, wine, snacks and other basic items.  

They truly curate a lovely glamping experience.  It isn’t cheap, but if you want a glamping weekend, it’s one of the best.

We decided to visit this campground on their “clean-up” weekend. In return for volunteering we would get free food and a campsite for the weekend. That sounded like a pretty good deal for us and turned out to be a great experience and we loved the campground. The reasons we loved the campground so much was because it was on a gorgeous 630-acre working farm (Wolfe’s Neck Farm) nestled into Casco Bay. The grounds are beautiful and just five miles from downtown Freeport (home to the L.L. Bean Flagship Store, assorted outlets shops, restaurants, grocery, etc.) and a couple of miles from Wolfe’s Neck State Park.

Overall, this campground is located in an idyllic Maine setting and offers the feel you would expect to find in a state park – hiking trails, water for kayaking/fishing, and some sites with lots of space between them. You have expansive water views of the bay that provide a great backdrop for some of the campsites. But best of all, the campground is located on a working farm so you are free to tour the barns, pet a goat, visit the community garden or buy fresh chicken eggs.  

Roads and sites are gravel and the overwhelming majority are level. Of the 150+ sites, only 20 have water and electric (50 amp). All sites have picnic tables and fire pits. There is no cable or wifi.  Reservations can be made on-line or by phone. Our Verizon 4G phone and hotspot worked well and we got a half dozen antenna channels (including major stations).

The sites vary widely based on size, privacy, water views, and hook-ups. They discourage RV’s larger than 35’ from coming but I am not sure how strict they are on that because they let our 40’ rig in. There are a scattering of large sites (big enough to fit 40’) but the roads are narrow and the substrate can be soft depending on the amount of rainfall. 

While no sites have sewer there is a dump station. However, the dump station is ill-placed and would have been very hard for us to access. Two shower houses (and a laundry) are located on the property and numerous pit toilets are scattered about. Be aware that this campground is very spread out so in some instances sites are far from flush toilets and showers. Water spigots are located throughout the campground. For those without RV’s, there are great little cabins for rent that have gorgeous views, picnic tables, and fire pits.

There is lots to do without even leaving the campground such as taking a hike, visiting the farm animals, attending a lobster bake, there is a playground, you can rent kayaks/canoes/bikes, or fish in the bay.

What we really liked about this campground was being in the picturesque coastal farm setting. We often visited the barn to watch the baby goats and lambs and Spirit was intrigued with the cows. There is plenty of room to walk your dog and enjoy a stroll outdoors.

The proximity to L.L. Bean and downtown Freeport can’t be beat. We especially loved hiking at Wolfe’s Neck State Park and there were plenty of places for Spirit to swim. Casco Bay is amazing for kayaking – just mind the tides.

The not so good things about this park are the lack of sewer and that our patio was in a low, wet spot. Also, some of the water/electric campsites are on very soft substrate which may pose a problem for large RV’s. There are very few flush toilets for this size RV park and I’m sure they are quite crowded in the busy season.

The sites here are nicely wooded and have a decent amount of separation between most of them BUT the campground is located too close to the road and, with the exception of sites 84-87 and cabins 8-10, you will hear road noise in your site. Options are 10 rustic cabins, tent sites, partial and FHU sites. 

The bathhouse was very clean and there are both outdoor and indoor showers; both looked nice although we did not use them. 

I thought $50 for a tent site was a little steep but it was all the potential extra fees that irked me:

*$30 site lock to ensure you get the site you want when you reserve. I took a chance and was able to get the site I reserved without paying this fee

*$4 weather guarantee (allows you to cancel due to inclement weather). I didn’t bother with this one

*7.95 if you need to hook up to WiFi. We were able to use our own portable WiFi

*$10 to use the dump station (we found another place that charged $5) 

Aside from the fees and proximity to the road, this is a nice campground with a host of amenities: pool (which I was surprised was still open on October 1), horseshoes, laundry, dishwashing sink, a playground, and trash pick-up at your site. There is also a path to the shore with picnic tables, and chairs. Repairs to the sea wall are in progress so caution was recommended.

I’ve been to nearby Popham Beach SP a few times and wanted to check out camping in the area. I’d read good things about Hermit Island. If you camp here, you won't need to venture over to Popham Beach because the beaches are on site.

This large coastal campground has campsites nestled among trees or dunes. Where natural separation of trees and grasses are insufficient, they’ve provided visual separation between sites, adding small fences where necessary. Some are expansive with plenty of space while others you’ll be cozy with your single vehicle and tent; others are walk-in sites. Sites have picnic tables and fire rings. There are lots of narrow curvy roads to the sites; you’ll want the map and read the street signs! Pop-ups are permitted on some sites, but absolutely no hard-sided trailers, no, not even teardrops(I mention this because I’ve seen some teardroppers expect to be treated like a tent, but that’s not an option here). With all the water around, have a plan for dealing with insects.

It’s a bit of a haul to get here once you turn off the main road, so plan to do any last minute shopping in Bath or Brunswick(30 minutes to Bath without summer traffic). I could not get cell service at the campground, though I had spotty phone coverage on the road before the turnoff, but calls dropped randomly even when I was standing still.

Reservations are by snail mail or phone months in advance and the prices are steep compared to a no-frills campground elsewhere; you’re paying for the privilege of being on the beach. There’s a large open to the public beach near the entrance and a few smaller beaches along the island. Bring your bikes and/or wagons…you’ll want them to get to the beach, explore the trails, or ride up to the camp store/snack shop. There are places to launch a kayak.

I have a love– hate relationship with KOA campgrounds. They tend to be overpriced and not consistent. You will find one that has nice sites at a decent price. Then, there are the others which are complete opposite. This KOA is on my good side.  There are lots of site choices, cabins, yurts, and tent sites to choose from.  The location is good as it is about 10-15 minutes far from the town of Freeport(home to L.L. Bean and tons of outlet stores), the pretty coastal town of South Freeport, four craft breweries and a cidery, and Bradbury Mountain State Park. The owners and work campers are very friendly and the super welcoming. Normally I am not concerned how nice people are but they go out of their way to make sure you get all the discounts you can and put you in a site that you prefer. 

We have stayed here a few times and are always impressed how well-cared for the grounds are and how and clean the common areas, bathrooms, and pool are. The grass is always cut, weeds trimmed, fire pits cleaned and there is no trash lying on the ground. There are lots of seasonal sites but they are in the back portion of the park with the transients being in the front. The park has nice super long 50 amp FHU pull-thrus in the front of the park which will fit any length RV and tow vehicle. Some of these sites are “buddy” sites with a shared patio, but are so wide that even if you don’t know your neighbors, it would not be a bother because you are far enough apart. The only downside to these pull thrus is there is no shade. We tend to be there in cooler months so shade is not a problem. However, the rest of the campground has a very park-like feel with over 50 acres there is plenty of room to roam and even a short nature trail through a wooded area. Many sites backup against the woods or are in wooded areas so keep that in mind when making your reservation. We give this park two thumbs up for their dog park which is ten times the size of the average KOA dog park. My lab had plenty of room to run and chase a ball and there were never any other dogs there which was nice. Plus, it was clean and free of dog poop! Normally, there are plenty of activities like s’mores by the fire, crafts, pony rides (yes, they have their own ponies on site), ice cream social, hay rides but this year they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We don’t use those amenities anyway so that wasn’t a problem but can see that would be fun activities for kids. We were in a buddy sites with our friends and liked the shared patio. Since we were in the open area, we were able to get both satellite with our roof-mounted dome and some over-the-air channels from Portland which is about 45 minutes away. All of our hook-ups were in an accessible place but we were also in a long pull thru and could position the RV in the site accordingly. 

Some of the cons for this park are the lack of cable, so-so wifi, and the dusty gravel roads and pot holes. There are a few restrooms buildings scattered around the park which may not be close depending on what site you are in.

Gear Review

As Rangers for The Dyrt, we often receive gear to review. My husband is passionate about being out on the water in any way possible, and this wetsuit is helping him enjoy being there even when it’s cold, or in this case, in Maine’s frigid gulf waters. While on the coast of Maine this summer, he's been learning how to surf a stand-up paddle board on the wave created during the tide change at Blue Hill Falls. Let's just say, this wetsuit has kept him trying to master it! Enjoy the video below…

What he likes about this product:

• Very comfortable, and very warm, the 4 /3 mil neoprene is soft and thick enough for most days during the summer in the Gulf of Maine.
• Simple design and easy zip-in closure. The zipper is short and easy to access, you don’t need a friend or zipper pull tether to close yourself in.
• Flexible enough to move around and swim in without feeling constrained.
• Reinforced knee pads and chest area which take a beating when surfing.

What could be improved:

• All wetsuits are difficult to get into, and the Siroko is no different. It manages to maximize performance and comfort when wearing it while sacrificing the ease of getting it on your body.
• The cinch helps keep the zippered flap tight against the body, I wish there was an adjustment for the neck gasket, as sometimes a little cold water comes into the front of the suit while swimming.

Product Link: https://www.bodyglove.com/collections/mens-wetsuits/products/16111-blu-siroko-4-3mm-slant-zip-fullsuit

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnvqTGLchw8

Campground Review

What an unbelievably beautiful, comprehensive campground and activity center! The campground is small and quaint and sits right on Webb Cove near Stonington Harbor. Each site is equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, and some lawn chairs…a nice bonus! The bathrooms are clean and showers are nice and hot. There is also a quality dishwashing sink behind the bathrooms. There are also bunkhouses, suites, and bunk rooms for those who want to enjoy the activities without sleeping in a tent.

The grounds are spectacular and well kept, with gorgeous flowering bushes as well as spruce, pine, and hardwoods. Most sites are very private, with just a few that experience walk-by traffic. Three sites are dedicated to RV’s which need water and electrical hook-ups and there are a handful of waterfront sites. Picnicking areas are scattered throughout the campground and down by the waterfront next to the boat ramp. It’s also a great campground to start/end from if you are camping along the Maine Island Trail. Check out our article on Sea Kayak Camping.

In addition to an adorable campground, Captain Bill offers everything from kayak rentals and guided trips to ferry service to Isle au Haut (part of Acadia National Park) to puffin and eco-boat tours to sailing lessons. If it can be done on water or land, this place rents it, guides it, and/or teaches you how to do it.

This campground is located near the quaint village of Stonington which has most things you might need for your camping trip. It also has relatively comprehensive camp store and a small kitchen which will make you everything from lobster to an egg sandwich.

While you can walk-in without a reservation in the off season, this place books up in the summer (July 1 through Labor Day), so reserve early and be sure to get on a guided trip or charter boat tour if you plan to come during the silly season.