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67 waterfront campsites including mainland, Students Island, Toothaker Island and Western Shore. Wilderness Campsites are located on the Mainland, Students Island, Toothaker, and along the Western Shore. All sites include water views, a picnic table, a fire pit and access to an outhouse.
$28 / night
MAINE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
Located in western Maine just east of the village of Stratton about 40 miles north of Farmington, Bigelow Preserve includes over 36,000 acres of public land. The preserve encompasses the entire Bigelow Range, which includes seven summits. The highest of these at 4,150 feet is West Peak, one of only 10 Maine summits over 4,000 feet in elevation. Bounded on the north by 20,000-acre Flagstaff Lake, the preserve offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Flagstaff Lake is part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is an historic 740-mile watertrail through New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parksearch/PropertyGuides/PDF_GUIDE/bigelow-preserve-flagstaff-lake.pdf
$28 / night
Legend
I tent camped at site 6 for two nights in early September for a trail volunteer event for the Cohos Trail I and had an awesome stay.
For facilities, there is a camp office (though hours were not consistent), basic camp store, coin op showers, coin op laundry, a big dish cleaning station, and clean bathrooms.
For activities, this site is awesome for fly fishing folks since it’s a short walk from one of the best spots in NH.
I saw lots of folks kayaking and canoeing and there’s a public boat ramp a short walk from the campground. There was a sign for rentals but I didn’t see any available. This may be for earlier in the season.
The sites vary in terms of privacy. The lakefront sites were spectacular but you are close to your neighbors. I was in site 6, in one of the small loops off the waterfront drive. These spots were close together but were separated by some brush to make them feel more secluded. The tent sites in the outer loops looked to offer more privacy.
This campsite was full the weekend I was there and very lively during the day but very quiet and peaceful in the evening.
Lake Francis is way up in NH so this does feel remote. The main activities are hiking, fishing (both fly and from the boat), and I saw a host of folks ATVing.
I would definitely come back on account of the great fishing and peacefulness at night.
Traveler
First time tent camping in the most beautiful place! Would highly recommend if you are looking for a place to recharge.
TravelerRoom for a few vehicles. Small sandy stream bank, right next to the road. More flat camping tucked in back... possibly a tent site or two.
Scout
Large, new Adirondack shelters and tent sites. Get the shelter....only $4 more per day ahd huge! All the facilities are phenomenally well maintained.Clean bathrooms and awesome showers! Love this place!
Scout
Round barn campsites offers a dozen or so tent sites with two big group sites. It will pretty consistently have some campers, but I've never seen all the sites full before. It is right next to the stafford brook trail to hike to the top of Bigelow and you can easily hike from your campsite to the top of the mountain and back within a day. Multiple sites including both group sites are right on the water and there is a nice beach area big enough to accomodate however many people you bring. The best tent site is on the island just offshore accessible by sandbar which is usually just knee deep. The cove makes for safe swimming away from the wind and waves offshore. Great secluded spot where you won't feel crowded like at Baxter or Grafton notch areas.
Legend
Basically this is a small independent RV park split between season RV campers and regular RV campers. The only reason for a tent camper to go is to take advantage of the laundry room and the nicely scrubbed showers. It’s 5 minutes from Skowhegan and a short 2 minutes from Kennebec Banks rest area on route 2.
There are about 5 tent sites– two of which are on a small point stretching into the confluence of the great Kennebec River and the small Wesserunsett River.
The only two tent sites I would recommend are #50 & #51 on the point with # 51 being most desirable. I absolutely would not recommend any of the other tent sites for various reasons. I used site #51 and pitched my tent about 20ft from the Kennebec. At 6:45am I saw two bald eagles patrolling the Kennebec.
The RV sites that are interesting are the ones directly along the Kennebec. They are sites 39-45; 47A; 47B; 47C; 48; and, they park parallel to the river. Otherwise, it’s a very tight center filled with RV’s and very large motor homes. Sites # 52– 58 may look like they are water sites… but the water feature on the map is only a brushy swamp.
The 2 showers are very good, clean and include a bench. There are 2 flush toilets also sparkling clean; but, they are some distance from The Point. The 24hour self-operated laundry is housed in a small, dedicated bungalow. There are 2-3 docks and canoes to use.
At night, one can clearly hear the noise from route 2 just at the edge of the campground. The river amplifies the sound of cars passing by.
Legend
Rudy's looked mostly to be an RV park, so my stop was maybe not the usual for this campground. I stopped for one night while I was thru-hiking the Cohos Trail in New Hampshire and had a great experience. There seemed to be much more space at this campground for RV and van travelers, though I didn't check out that part of the facility
I booked a tent site beforehand and on arrival had the choice of right next to Clarksville Pond or another area that I didn't check out since pondside sounded amazing, so my review is specific to the tenting experience.
I stopped by Rudy's before my hike, and they held onto a food drop for me (in a sealed big plastic container) for free, and held onto some extra gear for me so that I didn't need to carry it
There are maybe ~3-4 tent sites right along the edge of the pond, in front of a few permanent cabins. They are basic tent sites right on the grass, with a fire ring and a picnic bench. The sites were flat and the views were amazing along the pond.
I was able to get in a morning fly fishing session 5 feet from my tent! The wind was a bit high so no luck for me, but I saw the fish jumping when I stopped by after my hike to pick up some gear I left. Kathleen, the owner of the property, offered a free fly fishing lesson during my stay, but I had to decline to keep up the pace of my hike.
There was also access to the bathhouse with free heated showers, full bathrooms, and coin-op laundry. This was a great free amenity after 7 days on my hike for a necessary refresh.
The owner and other residents of the campground were super friendly. This was a great stop along my hike to refresh and connect with a few folks along the way.
Guide
This place is amazing!! Nice tent sites. Rv sites. There are electric and water hook ups. Nice pool and clean bathrooms with showers!! Playground for the kids and a rec hall with games and TV. There is a volleyball net as well. They have tiny home rentals also through airbnb. My family loves this place!! They even have a small restaurant/store on site!! Amazing staff!!!!
Traveler
We went tent camping and seemed to be one of the few tenters. We stayed at base camp 1C. It was a very nice site near the water with water and electric. However not a lot (any) privacy. The bathrooms were very nice and there were showers, though not a lot of water pressure. The camp office folk were very nice. The site was large enough for my 10x12 tent and an ez up and to park the van. Site also had a picnic table and fire ring with Cook rack on it. Gorgeous view of the lake, just wished for more privacy
Ranger
This campground was small and quiet with majority of sites for tents only. The river was super calm so we were able to take our paddle board out and explore the waters. They have a small camp store and vault toilets but they were pretty clean. Overall a great campground in the northern area of NH! We stayed at site 18 which was next to a large field with tent sites on the river. Luckily no one was camping around us this weekend and it felt like we had the place to ourselves
Legend
I've stayed here a number of times and have enjoyed my stays. This is a good campground to use as a base location when doing other things. It is a small campground, but the tent sites are nicely dispersed in a small field. In the late summer the grass will be 4' tall, it's a fun location.
The RV sites are stacked about as tight as I've ever seen them though. Facilities are dated, but there are outhouses at the tent group sites.
If you stay here check out the suspension bridge and the island.
Legend
Stayed here in May 2018 and really enjoyed the quiet town of Gorham in the White Mountains. We came in early May so it was still early in the season but we had a wooded tent site in the back of the campground and felt very secluded from the rest. Lot's of great hiking within an hour of the property including Mt Madison, Mt Washington and a little further out is the Flume Gorge in Lincoln that I highly recommend.
Guide
My wife and I stayed for 3 nights in late June. New campground and new owners. Bathrooms and showers were very clean and well maintained, a must on the list for my wife. We stayed at the far end of the campground on the river. Although there had been such little rain it was more of a stream, but non the less nice to stay on the water. I will say those tent sites are every close with very little trees separating the site. When we stayed there was no other tent campers. Ellis pond public beach is fantastic and only 10 minutes or so drive away.
Traveler
We have tent camped in several of the sites 4X in the past 3 years. 10/28/23 was last visit for the year. We never see many trucks or people. The sites are quiet, peaceful, very clean and outhouses are always in excellent condition. We thank the folks who care so well for the sites. We got there in a compact SUV 3 years ago, but go by truck now. The road in off the Capital Road has deteriorated a fair amount in past year, due to rains, we believe. Don't make the trip if you expect good roads, but if you like logging roads, this area is wonderful.
LegendThis Camping Park has something for just about everyone. Whether you have an RV (small, medium or large), tent, are looking for a cabin or want a little more of a wilderness feel, this place has something to offer.
While the campground looks to be primarily RV camping from the road, there are many tent sites tucked away in the trees and even two sites that are walk-in only and are situated right on the Androscoggin River. Additionally, the campground has several nice cabins available as well.
Let's start with the RV sites: there are a bunch! This campground also hosts many seasonal campers who have sites situated around the perimeter of both sides of the campground (split by Route 2). Seasonal campers have some pretty sweet set-ups for sure. The only downside to some of the RV spots is that they can be in the sun almost all day which can be a bit much in the heart of the summer. Otherwise, sites are well maintained and have all the normal hookups for RVs.
Tent sites are well spaced and almost all of them are in the shade which is a huge bonus! Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and nice level spot to pitch your tent. Bath houses are conveniently located throughout the campground and are well maintained.
The two walk-in tent sites are very secluded and offer fire rings, picnic tables, a bear box and one of the two sites has a wooden tent platform. The second site's tent platform is currently being built (July 2020) and should be at the site and ready for use soon. These sites sit right on the beautiful Androscoggin River, offering a serene backdrop for your camping adventure.
The campground is situated in-between two large tracts of the White Mountain National Forest. Great hiking is available at the campground as well as a short drive away. If hiking is a hobby of yours, look no further! This is a great location to base yourself out of to get some solid miles under your belt. There is a campground office that has a small store as well as laundry facilities. They also offer an AT Hiker Hostel. They also have a nice heated swimming pool, playground and many other amenities. When there isn't a global health pandemic, they have a bouncy house for the kids. They often show movies on the lawn when the weather cooperates. They also rent kayaks and you can launch from the campground or they will shuttle you some place near by.
It really is a campground with a little bit of everything! Owned by locals of the community who have run the place for over 25 years.
Guide
Truly nice folks who built this campground 39 years ago, still run it. Well maintained and full of nice folks. Mostly rv camping with some tent sites. A lot of seasonal rv occupants. Great for families with children but nice for all folks. Two bath areas and a laundry room. Free baths and inexpensive laundry prices. There must be many atv trails nearby as plenty of campers had theirs up and running. About 12 miles south of a point on the AT so plenty of hiking nearby as well. Lots of planned activities and live entertainment on Saturday night. A warm community environment.
Traveler
Was not aware of how small the actual campgrounds was I believe like 5 tent sites. Not much to do everything was far. it was pretty cold so we couldn’t enjoy the pond . On the other hand clean site pretty sight we just sat at the campground & decent bathroom but Personally I found the smell of the water and shower/sink drain pipe unpleasant very overwhelming. The staff were nice enough tho. Was not aware that they did have kayaks to rent until late the day before check out so that was a bummer for me
GuideWe spent the second week of May at this lovely campground. It’s a campground in its second year. The owners and the nicest people. There are hookups: water and electric available on some sites. There is a dump station with water. The bathrooms and showers are new and beautiful. There are tent sites under the trees and a little beach along the river. They do have a cabin tent which is fully furnished in the field. This is an equestrian campground as well. Pets are welcomed. There is plenty of areas, caves and hiking trails to explore. There is a diner down the street that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Appalachian Trail runs through this area. We look forward to spending a week here in July. Come and partake of all this beauty in Andover, Maine. Check out their website. They have 30 & 50 amp power available. We were in a pull through site. We really appreciated having hookups!
Guide
The campground is alright. The tenting sites are small and have very little privacy. The campground is next to a highways and train tracks. The only upside is they do have showers that are 50 cents for 8 minutes. There was a river walk, I did not walk down. There is also a store in the front.
Legend
One of the furthest north campgrounds in New Hampshire is a great place to stay. If you don't mind the sound of ATVs this place is great. I stayed here on Sept 11th and we had a nice quiet stay.
As others have mentioned you need to check in at the cabins a little down the road but sites can be reserved online easily. Most of the sites are nice, there are a few near the road that I would not recommend on high traffic weekends, due to the fact that they are right on the road.
The mix of site types is one of a kind for the area, Lodges, Cabins, Lean-to and tent sites. There is one main facility building with laundry and bathrooms and then a remote outhouse as well. There are also some recreational buildings that look like they can be rented for events.
The pond is wonderful, the sounds of loons - Magical.
We stayed at site 17 and it was nicely tucked into the trees. I was amazed to see the cabins that were in the woods behind us, they were very cute and I might consider those for another weekend.
If you enjoy exploring the woods, fishing and being in the wild this is a good clean option.
LegendStopped in to try and camp here, all the spots were taken. There were even people camping in their rooftop tents.
Sites that I saw looked great, trails need some maintenance though, and some of the sites need clean up.
The Road is rough, but with care you can get there, just go slow.
There are pit toilets, but no running water or electricity.
All of the sites are walk-in sites.
Bussy place!
LegendThis little campground is tucked just off of Route 16 as you travel north from Berlin, NH to Errol, NH. The drive is also quite scenic! The campground is small and sits sandwhiched between the road and the Androscoggin River. I was worried that the road noise would impeded my serene camping experience but I have to admit, I didn't hear much. However, I camped here in October just before the final camping weekend of the season so traffic was perhaps less than normal.
There is a small campground office staffed with a friendly host who is attentive and more than happy to chat. There are several tent sites and two sites with nicely built lean-tos. We stayed in one of the lean-tos during this particular visit. The sites are well maintained with picninc tables and fire rings. Many of the sites are on the grassy bank of the river with a few a bit further away. Most are shaded at some point in the day. There are several pit toilets, all well maintained during the season.
You can fish right from your site, too!
LegendWhile this is close to the road, there is a good buffer of vegetation between the road and the campsites. I've camped here multiple times and never hear the road. Most sites are right on the Androscoggin River and the serenity is priceless. There are many grassy tent sites that can also accommodate small campers, like pop ups. There are a few lean-tos (2) and a few sites with wooden platforms.
The gentleman working the office was super kind and helpful. There was good signage indicating how to proceed for various needs in his absence, including how to purchase firewood and checking in/out. There is recycling available near most sites next to the various pit toilets. At this time, there are no showers or flush toilets but according to park staff, a facility for these items will be built in the near future.
Most sites are grassy but a few are hard packed dirt and a few had newly dispersed wood chips. Bathrooms were clean, water spigots are readily available as well. Sites are well maintained and some are closer together than others. Many have direct access to the river. There's really not a bad site.
LegendThis is a small privately owned campground located at the confluence of the Kennebec and the Wesserunsett Rivers just a few minutes from downtown Skowhegan. Campers are a mix of seasonals and transients with sites varying from pull-thru, back-in, tent and one rental cabin.
We had a long pull-thru site that was located under pine trees which provided welcomed shade since the temperatures were in the high 80’s. The first site we were assigned was in the direct sun so we asked to move to a shady site and they were very accommodating. Some of the RV sites are located parallel to the river so your patio is open to the river and you have an unobstructed water view. However, these sites are fairly short and would not accommodate larger RVs. All other sites are pretty close to each other without much privacy between them. RV sites have cable with 70+ channels. There are a handful of tent sites at the far end of the campground set off on their own and right along the river. The only downside is that they are pretty far away from the bathrooms. The restrooms and laundry were spotless and cleaned daily.
There is a small playground and a nice swimming pool which was clean and had lots of chairs around it for relaxing. There is a nice dock along the river where you can tie up boats and launch a kayak or canoe. One of the nice features is that they offer free use of their canoes/kayaks/peddle boats. You reserve a 2-hour time slot, and they provide you with the paddles and life jackets. There is a game room/arcade for kids to hang out in and there is a pavilion that is open to the public for gathering. One of the downsides is the loud road noise from Route 2. The other thing we didn’t like was that our patio was a mix and sand and dirt which made for a mess in the RV and not a great place for our dog to lay in. We paid$59/night for our full hook-up site which seems a little high for the area, but it was a full hookup site with cable and (pretty poor Wi-Fi).
Overall, we liked this campground and it was a good three-night stay for us as we were traveling through Maine. Downtown is interesting with restored historic buildings housing antique shops, artisan galleries, and restaurants. There is a grist mill and restaurant located in an old jail that sells a wide variety of grains and other Maine-made products. We especially loved the Bankery which is a bakery located in an old bank. Just outside of town is Bigelow Brewery which we recommend visiting. There are a few nature preserves in the area that offer hiking if you are looking for a nice short walk in the woods.
LegendWe chose to stay at this campground because it was close to downtown Bethel, had river access, and had a full hook-up site for our 45’ RV. Campsites vary from full hook-up pull through to grassy shaded private sites perfect for tent camping. The sites are pretty close together and ours was a buddy site which meant our patio faced our neighbor’s patio. Since the sites were so close, we were practically sitting next to them. Luckily, they were nice people and we enjoyed talking to them.
Not all sites are level and we found it difficult to get into because of the tight roads and dangling tree limbs. Some of the best sites are unfortunately reserved for work campers. These are pull-ins with a view of a grassy field. The wifi at our site (#21) was horrible and we never used it. There is no cable and we were not able to pick up any over-the-air television channels. The campground is pretty wooded which was nice for the shade but meant we were not able to get satellite reception with our dome mounted receiver. We ended up using our portable receiver and after two days of moving the unit we were finally able to lock into the satellites.
We selected a 50-amp full hookup pull through site which was $46/night. Our sewer was uphill at our site which is a big pet peeve of ours and super annoying when it comes to empty the tanks. The 50-amp worked well and it was well-placed in the site as was the water. The roads and campsites are gravel and the patios are a mix of gravel and grass. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. The campground is adjacent to a paved walking/biking path that leads to downtown Bethel. We used the path to walk over to the farmers market and found it very convenient to walk our dog. There is also a mowed path through a field that we also liked for walking our dog.
The best aspect of this campground is the access to the Androscoggin River. The park rents kayaks, canoes, and tubes and has a shuttle service that will take you up river for so you can float back to the campground. We used the campgrounds shuttle livery service to take our kayak and paddleboard up river for a leisurely float down the river so we could enjoy the scenery, have a picnic, and fish. (Since we used our own boats, the coast was cheaper.) The campground offers this service to non-campers which meant there were a lot of people walking through the campground. The bathroom in the campground was old and tired and heavily used by people floating the river which and was pretty dirty. They also have a sluice on the property, where (for a fee) you can get a bucket of mined material and get to sort through it looking for minerals and gems. Whatever you find, you keep.
The campground is located off Route 2 which is fairly convenient but the road noise was pretty loud as this is a heavily trafficed road. Downtown Bethel is just a few minutes away and has a brewery, grocery, restaurants, shops, and the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. About five miles away is Sunday River which is a ski area. We took the chair lift up the mountain so we could hike around and take in the beautiful views. On the way, we stopped at Sunday River Brewery and had a delicious meal and great beer.
Legend
This campsite is along the Forest Legacy Trail and while the trail is managed by one entity, the remote campsites are managed by another. The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust maintains the trails in and out while Cupsuptic Campground manages the campsites.
There is a tent platform at Smudge Cove but it is in desperate need of repair and it sounds like that's in the plans for next summer. There is a nice picnic table available as well as an established fire ring. The site is just off the water and there is a nice long dock that makes it super easy to boat into and unload. You can also backpack in and enjoy some pretty cool Maine forests along the way. There is also relatively easy access to the water by way of the rocks, beside the dock.
These sites are secluded and offer a lovely amount of privacy and rest assured, the only sounds you will hear at night are the loons!
Guide
Quiet 50 site campground on Rangeley Lake. Sites are well spaced with plenty of woods in between for privacy. We were not able to get a water site so we missed out on kayaking. Chris, the manager at check in was extremely nice and helpful.
Nestled in the stunning landscapes of Maine, Rangeley offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to nature lovers seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Rangeley, ME is Stephen Phillips Memorial Preserve Wilderness with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
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