Best Glamping near Mount Desert, ME

Absolutely love this campground located on the Mount desert island side of Acadia national park. Amazing seawall directly outside of campground and sound of the ocean can be heard from sites. We stayed in a tent but was located around RV section. Strict generator use only from 8 am-8 pm minimally so very peaceful at night. Bathrooms are very clean. Only downside of shower need you have to go outside of campground to local.pay shower but very clean.

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 the first campground you can reach once you arrive in Mount Desert island. It 11 miles to Bar Harbor town proper and only 8.7 miles to the Hulls Cove Acadia National Park visitors center and the entrance to the Cadillac Mountain Summit Road.

The campground has a lobster cafe on premises with lobster rolls and lunch and breakfast items as well as lobster dinner and beer and wine. Our site was 225 just a stones throw from the beach and waterfront patio. Facing a western exposure over the water for a fabulous sunset view. There are several waterfront spots of you are luck enough to get one. I loved walking along the small beachfront looking for shells and beach glass (hard to find).

We visited in early October 2020 and the fall foliage was just beginning. A week later might have yielded even more fall colors. The weather was in the 60’s in daytime and 50’s at night. Mornings were crisp and sleep was pleasant if you have a good sleeping bag or wool blanket. There was heavy rain when we arrived. 2 days later there was light rain. Bring lots of layers and rain gear just in case.

People in Maine and visitors were very respectful wearing masks and social distancing even while hiking. Everyone was quiet and family oriented.

Koa store allows purchase of propane and camp wood bundles. Some sites have gray water disposal.

This is a nice campground located close to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The campground does not take reservations so you can pick whatever open site you want and if you want to extend your stay, you can. When you arrive, you get a map, find an empty site, get set-up and then go back to the office to register. Once you’re in the park if you want a different site that has a better view or FHU’s, the best thing to do is drive or walk around the section you are interested in and if you see someone packing up put a personal item (chair, table cloth, etc.). Then head to the office and let them know what site you are moving to. Weird system but it seems to work as this is how things have always been done. All different types of sites are available from FHU, electric/water, or privative sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are some sections that are nicely wooded which is great for the shade in the summer and to add a little privacy. Other sites are right on the ocean with great views but these sites are pretty close together and hard to get since the campground is first come, first served. Roads in the park are paved but some corners can be a little tight for big-rigs, best to unhitch your tow car up front in case you have to back up. The camp hosts do a great job of keeping the campground clean and were always out and about cleaning sites, fire pits, and the bathrooms.

This campground is in a good location right off Route 3 and a short drive to Bar Harbor. There is the Island Explorer (free) shuttle that have various routes and stops on Mount Desert Island and Acadia NP. The shuttle stops at the campground so you can hitch a ride downtown or to the park and not have to worry about parking.  The shuttle has a bike rack so you can bring your bike and pets are allowed.  The campground is very clean with no litter and well-maintained. The bathrooms were very clean showers are 25 cents/5 minutes. There is a really nice large swimming pool perched right along the water, nice little nature trails/dog walking areas, laundry, game room, shuffleboard, playground, water access, arcade, and more. 

Just outside the campground (within walking distance) is Utter Heaven an ice cream shop and Mainely Meat a BBQ joint. Across the street is a Pirates Cove– a mini golf course on steroids. During the summer season this place is really busy but calms down when kids go back to school.

My wife and I stayed at Somes Sound for 4 nights on our Maine honeymoon trip in July. We absolutely loved our stay. We set up at camp site 9. Incredible view of the sound/water. Our site was large enough for a 12 person tent with plenty of room for pop up canopy and other gear. We had electricity and water right at the site. The staff is very friendly and informative. The campground has a heated pool which was nice after hikes and being out all day. The grounds also have a small quarry with a paddle boat you can use for free! It's a older boat but was nice to have for a quick boat ride. The bathrooms were some of our favorite we have used, the toilets are separated into their own rooms for maximum privacy. Hot showers are $1 for 5 minuets and were separated into their own rooms as well. Very clean. The campground also offers yurt camping and water sites, which are extremely close to the water and beautiful. We went down to the water at night and sat on the dock, it was an amazing experience with the stars and sky so clear. Kayak rentals are located right at the campground which was so convenient, the views were insane! The campground is located outside of Bar Harbor and is on the quiet side which we enjoyed just as much as Bar Harbor and Acadia. Highly recommend this campground for a getaway or family trip!

Mid-Coast Maine is a place where you can spend a day on any body of water, club mountains, scale rocks, camp, and more. From Acadia to downeast, Maine is sure to keep you busy. Seawall campground is a great stop camp for a summer of activities. A little expensive but worth the price. If you want to save a buck save your trip for the off-season. Quieter camping, less traffic, and still I am ton to do!

the campground was normal with nothing special, however, the park continues across the street and onto Maine rocky shoreline with access along the water which makes the entire thing more than worth it! the town is also quaint and everything Maine with ice cream on a pier and lobster boats galore! I’d go again!

A good stop for a quick night. its about 30-40 mins from the main park but had nice size spaces and clean facilities. A little buggy but met expectations as a national park.

Stayed here on a trip around Maine last summer, 2014. This site was quiet and had plenty of room between camps. Bathrooms and showers were clean. The Rangers were very nice.
Stayed with a group of four and we had a great time!
Highly recommended!

We stayed at the tent walk in sites (D25) The sites are close together but otherwise, well maintained. There are two wheelbarrows usually loated near the bathroom to help move gear as many of the sites are walk in.

Back behind D25 area there is a path that leads to the RV sites (which are even closer together). On that path is a mound o free firewood to take an armfull each day. But I would bring firewood as a backup as it sometimes is empty.

No showers at the campground, but there is a store just up the road towards Southwest Harbor. They have hot showers *bring quarters) and most camping items you may have forgotten or broken.

The seawall area also gets very good sunrise and sunset views out on the rocks. There are a bunch of day use sites out there with fire rings, so you can cook on the wall at sunset.

There's also a lot of good hiking you can get to on that side of the island without going all the way back to the main park.

You can buy your park pass at the ranger station when you check in so you don't need to go to the main gate or visitor center to get one.

This campground is a slice of heaven. Owners are terrific, and although the campground seemed full, everyone was quiet and respectful. Lots of fun stuff for the kids including live music. Try to snag the oceanfront sites - they are incredible. Location is great too for exploring mid coast Maine.

We stayed in one of the walk in sites (D97) and it wasn’t a bad walk at all. We could see the car from our site. The restrooms and the site were clean. The campground was quiet but the sites are small and close together. I really didn’t want to hear the book that my neighbor was reading to her children, but I had no choice.

Acadia is a beautiful park with hiking, biking, kayaking, and swimming. Seawall is located on the quiet side of the island, a little drive from the main(e) attractions, but the calmness of the campground and the surrounding area is worth it. I even said to my husband shortly after we arrived how Id heard Acadia is so busy in the summer, but this isn’t bad. Then we drove to the Hull’s Cove visitor center and found all the people.

There is no cell signal in most of the park so I recommend bringing a guide book with you or downloading information ahead of time. I also recommend making use of the Island Explorer buses. Many of the areas along the Park Loop Road have limited parking. There were no spots at Sand Beach at 9am. Overall, I would stay at this Campground again on my next trip to Acadia.

This was the perfect location to explore the mid Maine coast. The camp sites are large and well spaced apart. Bathrooms were clean. We loved the view from the top of Mt. Battie. Definitely check out the trails along the ocean. Mt. Battie Take Out is a great stop after a long day of exploring.

This was my second time going to Seawall campground, I had such a great experience last year I wanted to go back! I love the back-country feel of the hike-in campsites (loop D). For stargazers, the short walk across the street to the beach will give you some unbelievable views of the milky way when the night is at peak darkness. 

A short drive to the main part of the park & far enough away so that it's not crowded during busy weekends. Just remember to bring a ton of bug repellent, or opt to go during the months where bugs are less mild.

Seawall Campground is the quieter of the two main island campgrounds in Acadia National Park and as a campground experience, for us, the middle experience of the three in quality.

This is a very quiet campground that tends to attract quieter and more respectful campers, and a larger percentage of tent campers than the other two locations. Sites are close together and densely wooded. Privacy is a bit of a lottery here. While campsites are deep and set off the road, some of them open up to each other at the rear points of each site, providing the illusion of privacy toward the road but much less privacy in reality. Others are very private and would feel as if you had no neighbors at all.

For privacy concerns, avoid the interior campsites however possible: They are completely open not only to one another, but the restroom trails actually go through the middle of many of these campsites, meaning you can expect foot traffic within a few yards of your site at all hours of the day. The exterior loops are the way to go here.

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INTERNET: Of the three campgrounds at Acadia National Park, internet here was the most challenging. We were able to find a spot in our campsite that allowed Starlink to work with 23% obstructions. That is far too high a percentage of obstructions for use without intermittent down time rendering it unusable for video chats, streaming, and other related work, though it's good enough for quick tasks if you don't mind frequent drops in service. T-Mobile and Verizon did not provide any service here.

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MAJOR PROS: Welcome 2 the Quiet Side! That's the sign that a nearby roadside business flashes at you as you enter the Seawall camping area, and it is accurate. Seawall Campground is very quiet compared with its sister site Blackwoods on the other side of the island. So quiet, in fact, that you can hear the ocean breeze and the crash of waves from the exterior campsites during quiet hours. A very pleasant way to sleep.

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Like Blackwoods, the restrooms at Seawall are dated and about half of them were out of order during our stay. The lack of internet is frustrating for full-timers who might need it for work or use it more heavily for recreation while traveling, but there are several roadside pull-offs with spectacular ocean views, as well as the Seawall Picnic area just outside the campground, where Starlink will work flawlessly. But cell service is basically a no-go here, at least for T-Mobile and Verizon.

Many other reviewers have reported seeing Moose near or in the campground here. No such luck for us, but we did see dozens of deer (big and small) in this location; by far the most wildlife of any of the three Acadia campgrounds.

There are several nice and easy hikes nearby, but all the hikes in this area are very heavily trafficked from dawn on, seemingly every day.

Seawall is a 30-40 minute drive to the main attractions at Acadia, putting it behind Blackwoods but ahead of Schoodic Woods for convenience.

The nearby town of Southwest Harbor is smaller and less busy than Bar Harbor on the other side of the island, but provides access to all necessary provisions. Ellsworth, where you'll find the nearest Wal Mart, Home Depot, and several restaurants, is about 35 minutes away.

Like Schoodic Woods and Blackwoods, Seawall does not host any campground showers, but there are privately owned and highly-rated pay showers about 1 mile outside the campground that run about $3 for 5 minutes of hot water in private stalls. This is also a place to grab ice and vending snacks.

Overall, Seawall is a good-but-not-great campground with dated facilities and variable privacy depending on your site selection. Minus points for lack of internet access and older amenities, plus points for living up to its name as the "quiet" side of the main Acadia Island. This would not be my first choice for camping in Acadia National Park (that'd go to Schoodic), but is an excellent middle ground for those who still want peace-and-quiet and don't mind a bit of a drive to the main attractions, without having to make that drive an all day, gas guzzling affair.

Lamoine State Park represents the way most Maine state parks should operate. Way ahead of both Camden Hills and Cobscook with regard to cleanliness and upkeep. Showers were surprisingly good and often cleaned.

There are two non-reservable sites right on the Bay--- do try for one of those when you check in…just in case.

The public dock is an interesting spot to watch in the evening as boats are unloaded.

One more thing-- bring your charcoal for the grills along the Bayfront. 

RV's seem to be up higher on the hill while tents prevail lower down.

46 & 48 seem like good sites. Many sites are not level. Some also are grass covered rather than gravel so you might inquire if it is important to avoid a grassy site.