Best Dispersed Camping near Rangeley, ME

There are three free campsites off Route 16 between Rangeley and Stratton, ME, located on the Dead River. Head northeast out of Rangeley toward Stratton. They are located just after you cross the bridge over the Dead River on the left side of the road. You only need a permit if you plan to have a fire.

This location is Beautiful, but it comes at the cost of privacy.  When I first discovered this spot, it wasn't an official campsite, people just came here to swim and there was a fire ring. That was over 20yrs ago.

There are 4 sites, 3 have no separation between them, 1 is at the entrance, all are on the access road with 0 privacy.  This area is overused, and it shows, sites are warn in and if there was room relocating fire pits and allowing some nature to come back would be nice.  I managed to tuck myself into a private alcove of trees on the #1 site, but still was in full view of headlights and people driving in to see if there was space.  The site I had was big enough that I shared it with a couple that had a small child, and they had their own section. 

There are no service, no water, no electricity, no to little cell coverage.  There is one pit toilet.  

The access road in is rough, not for normal street cars.

Did I mention lack of privacy?

See pics.

The main camping area has about 10 long narrow sites that have large rocks bordering each site. Each site is bordered by the road. There is a single vaulted toilet.

The paved area of the road ends just past the campground. Lots of people drive just past the pavement and then they turn around.

Across the road from the campground is a beautiful river. The sound of the river put us to sleep and greeted us the next morning.

Very wooded. Road is passable for most any vehicle. Not larger RV friendly but was comfortable enough to get the 27' foot trailer in. Some fire rings and tables available. Cannot be beat for zero dollars. Posted up to 14 days max. Even an out-house.

Another small site at one of the rapids on the Moose River. Depending on the water level and your skill, you can paddle the rapid or line your boat. We chose to line given we were traveling with our dogs. Depending on your plans, this site may be a good stopping point for the day. The site is small and impacted but has a nice picnic table, fire pit and outhouse. It isn’t the best site along the Moose Bow Loop but it fits the bill if you just need a place to sleep for the night and isn’t already occupied.

Note: you need a fire permit in order to have a fire. You can obtain a permit at the Fire Department in the town of Jackman.

amazing lil spot, a pull off the wild rocky road. very private. right next to a serene view of the lake. very mild highway traffic sounds in the distance. there was another spot at the posted coordinates for this area but someone got to it before me last night. no fires allowed here. only saw one biker and one truck full of local boys pass by in the last 16 hrs

About 1km (.6 miles) of gravel road, easy enough for a big road bike, but don’t go any further as it gets rough. Plenty of trees to hang your hammock. Enough space to put up to 3-5 tents. No fire allowed. Would be really quiet if not for the road across the lake. I saw one truck in the evening and one in the morning.

Well drove all the way out here. And it's closed. Gonna look for something else

Went for a couple night, was real comfortable and relaxing.

We arrived pretty late on June 22 and got one of the last available spots for the night. There were a number of decently spaced out sites. We drive an e150 and had no trouble getting to the site, and we saw some other vans, along with RVs and tents. Be careful of ticks! We woke up to one in our bed and had to shake everything out. It wasnt an issue in the end but you do need to be aware of them. It was a quiet and peaceful night there otherwise, even with all the other sites full.

Closed due to logging