Best Cabin Camping near Mount Desert, ME

our family of four (my Husband and I and our 2 boys) stayed in a camping cabin for 5 days at the end of June. The cabin contained a queen sized bed and a set of bunk beds. It also had a private bathroom with metered shower. 50 cents got you a hot, 7 minute shower, which was plenty of time! You need to supply your own linens and towels. Toilet paper, garbage bags and a broom/dustpan are supplied. There was a fire ring outside of the cabin and a picnic table. We purchased firewood at a stand close to the campground. We found the cabins to be spaced far enough apart that we had peace and quiet and privacy. If you had wanted to make friends with your neighbors, you could. We noticed lots of families with children staying in the cabins area. The campground itself had a heated swimming pool. Best of all, the campground was on the Island Explorer bus route, which is a series of busses that take you to different areas of Acadia National Park and into the surrounding towns. Once you arrive at the campground, you wouldn’t need to use your car again!

My cousins, my husband and our dog rented a deluxe cabin in September, and it was perfect. The cabin provided all of the amenities of a home including linens, dishes, cookware, heat, a/c and even cable tv. Outside we had a small deck with a grill and a fire pit on the ground. It was the perfect place for our group of six to retire at the end of a day of hiking.

The cabin we stayed in was not secluded in any way. Our neighbors were right next to us on all sides, but it wasn't a problem for us at all. Just something to keep in mind if you're looking for a more rustic experience.

Hadley's Point is a private campground just outside Acadia National Park. This campground prides itself on being family-friendly and welcoming to pets.

Children are allowed to bike throughout the campground until dusk. While we stayed, there was a campground-wide Fourth of July bike parade. The kids loved it. 

Pets are welcome but cannot be abandoned in the motorhome when you leave. Plan to take your pet with you everywhere.

Hadley's Point offers laundry facilities, showers, a heated pool, cornhole, and shuffleboard. While the pool is heated, it is not hot -- or even very warm. But this is Maine we are talking about, and I'm sure that the water was warmer than it would otherwise have been. 

The campground is primarily designed to accommodate RVs and motorhomes. The large fields and open lots for RVs provide ample parking and the campground offered electricity as well as other hookups. 

Cute cabins offer cozy sleeping (but no running water) for visitors without tents or RVs. 

We brought our tent and felt a little like second-class citizens at this RV-focused campground. The tent sites were tiny. Our large van, tent, and screened-in pavilion covered the entire site, leaving very little walking space. Our site also lacked trees for shade and hammocks. 

Worse yet, the campground has an infestation of Black-Legged Deer Ticks -- the ticks responsible for Lyme disease. We found two on our son during our stay. I hope they treat for these ticks soon because it poses a huge risk to their campers. 

There is a lot of potential for this campground but they need to spray the grounds for ticks and create more comfortable sites. They could be awesome if they shifted their focus from trying to fit as many people as possible to creating a comfortable camping experience for all. 

Pros:

- Heated pool

- Bathrooms cleaned regularly

- Laundry

- Good price

- Good location

- Playground

- Kid and pet friendly

- Island Explorer Bus stops at the campground

Cons:

- Cramped sites

- Ticks

- Crowded

Amazing campground. Staff is extremely friendly. Campground has a small camp store, a heated pool and children's pool, large home style gas grills with picnic area, horseshoe pits, a large playground for children and a large field for anything from badminton to football. Multiple sights with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. This campground has every possible kind of sight, RV, pop-up, tent, Cabin, Rustic Cabin, and tents on platforms. All sights are decently leveled having some slight grades for drainage so no sights are flooded. Camp store has firewood, ice and other essentials including live lobsters. Campground is extremely close to Acadia Nation Park and does have access to a few parts of the park within walking distance. Local brewery and Winery within a 15 minute drive of the camp ground. There is a local grocery store and ice cream shop within walking distance of the campground. Downtown Bar Harbor is only a 25 minute drive away.

We stayed here for 5 nights in August, and loved it for so many reasons. Our campsite had a fire ring and picnic table and room for our car. It felt a bit secluded from our neighbors thanks to the trees, but we could sometimes easily hear the neighbors to the back of us. There is firewood and ice available (even block ice!), laundry, showers, bathrooms (all of which were clean and nice), as well as a pool! The campground is on the Island Explorer bus loop, which is the bus that takes you all around Mount Desert Island, to Acadia, and Bar Harbor. We used the bus almost every day, and it was super helpful because you do not want to try and find parking in Acadia in the peak season. Two days in a row our car battery didn't start, so one of the staff came with a battery pack to help us. They were super helpful and nice, and got us on our way! We would definitely stay here again.

This is a national park campsite. First impressions, really good!

When you enter you pass by a ranger booth to register, etc. Definitely grab the campground map! Why? Because you are given a free handful of wood and the map will show you where to pick it up. We didn’t realize until later and bought some on the way in. Don’t be us.

We stayed in D loop, which are all walk-up. Some are closer to the parking lot than others. Ours was D84. It had a pretty good sized space, and plenty of good area for our tent. Had a picnic table and a fire ring with a grate you could place over for cooking, if so inclined.

The bathrooms. We noticed they were cleaned every morning, and we stayed during the weekend. During the day of course they can get somewhat dirty but nothing crazy. No showers. Water spouts were ample and spread across the campground. They also had a dish washing station in the bathroom building, in a separate room. Trash bins were also right in the parking lot.

The space itself was kind of close to our neighbors but not like we were on top of each other. Everyone was courteous and the noise level was fine. Seemed like around 10/11, everyone went to bed and it was very quiet.

The campground location itself. It’s actually kind of great. It is not right next to the actual park, in a not heavily trafficked area. As a result, it’s peaceful. And you have the town of Southwest Harbor right next to it. You actually have to drive through it to get here. It’s got some shops and restaurants but a lot less people than Bar Harbor. It took us ~25 min to get to the other side and to the park itself.

The only con. Mosquitoes. Everywhere. All the time. The fire will scare them off or fry em, but no fire = you become a delicious blood flavored snack bar. Bring bug spray!

I showed up to Maine unprepared with a place to stay. Somes Sound View Campground was the only campground I could find in the area with availability. The entire staff during my 6 nights was very friendly. I stayed at two different sites during my stay due to my first one being reserved after my fourth night. Both sites were very nice. The sites were equipped with hammock trees, fire rings, picnic tables, and even running water and electricity! One of the nights we heard a bunch of coyotes howling nearby which was pretty cool. Very clean and nice showers too