Best Campgrounds near Sanford, ME

The area around Sanford, Maine includes access to various types of camping and campgrounds within a 20-mile radius. Established campgrounds like Beaver Dam Campground in Berwick and Sandy Pines Campground in Kennebunkport offer diverse accommodation options including tent sites, RV hookups, cabins, and glamping facilities. Several campgrounds in the region feature family-friendly amenities such as swimming pools, recreation areas, and camp stores. Lebanon hosts multiple camping areas including Cole's Mine RV Resort, Potters Place Adult Camping Area, and Lazy Frog Campground, providing options for different camping preferences and group compositions.

Camping seasons typically run from May through mid-October in most developed campgrounds near Sanford. Many sites require advance reservations or permits, especially during summer weekends and holiday periods when occupancy rates peak. As one visitor noted, "We stayed at this campground to hang out with some friends that were nearby. The owner/manager in the office was super friendly, very nice, easy to talk to." Road access to most established campgrounds is well-maintained, with paved or graded gravel surfaces suitable for passenger vehicles and RVs. Cell phone coverage varies throughout the region, with Verizon service generally available at most developed campgrounds but potentially limited in more remote areas. Weather conditions remain relatively mild during the camping season, though spring and fall can bring cooler temperatures and occasional rain.

Campers report high satisfaction with sites that offer water access or proximity to beaches. The region's location provides convenient access to coastal attractions, with several campgrounds situated within 10-20 miles of popular Maine beaches. A visitor commented, "A beautiful place with a farm, campground and state park all together! There are tenting spots, camper spots and field spots. I recommend any with tree coverage." Campground amenities vary widely, with most offering at minimum drinking water, toilets, and designated fire rings or pits. Higher-end facilities provide full hookups, Wi-Fi access, and organized activities. Families particularly appreciate campgrounds with playgrounds, game rooms, and scheduled events. The proximity to both natural attractions and urban conveniences makes the Sanford area appealing for campers seeking a balance between outdoor recreation and access to services.

Best Camping Sites Near Sanford, Maine (228)

    1. Sandy Pines Campground

    22 Reviews
    Cape Porpoise, ME
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 967-2483

    "Beautiful setting, lots of trees, bordering on beautiful marsh area. Many different types of campsites: rent, RV, seasonal RV, cottages, glamping tents and cabins etc."

    "Sandy Pines is located a very short bike ride from Cape Porpoise, home of Nunann's Restaurant , Mussette, Lost Fire and Pier 77."

    2. Beaver Dam Campground

    8 Reviews
    North Berwick, ME
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 698-2267

    "IT is 9 miles from Wells Maine which is on the ocean.  LOTS OF GREAT restaurants there and nearby, like Ogunquit Maine and York Maine, etc. "

    "Campground is superior in its warmth, cleanliness, dog friendly and access to points of interest."

    3. Cole's Mine RV Resort and Campground

    4 Reviews
    Lebanon, ME
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 457-6050

    $40 - $85 / night

    "Owner was around and super nice! Amazing place. My family has stayed here many times and will again!"

    4. Sun Outdoors Saco Old Orchard Beach

    22 Reviews
    Saco, ME
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 282-0502

    "Just a stones throw away from Old Orchard Beach, fantastic Sandy Maine beach. Staff was friendly. Only thing I would say is there were a lot of people!"

    "Mainly pancakes and bacon. The only problem I had with this campground with no fault of there own is the noise at night."

    5. Bunganut Lake Camping Area

    5 Reviews
    Springvale, ME
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 247-3875

    "It is built on a hill so some sites are a bit of a walk to get to. Linda will try to get you the best/easiest site for your type of camping."

    "The lake looks amazing though it rained all weekend so we didn’t get to utilize it. The store has anything you may have forgotten for fair prices. We had a great time!"

    6. Potters Place Adult Camping Area

    4 Reviews
    Lebanon, ME
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 457-1341

    "Tons of walking trails through the woods, and around the pond. A very relaxing place. The owner Tom is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet. Oh, and he provides firewood for free!"

    7. Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park™ Camp Resort, Lakes Region

    6 Reviews
    Milton, NH
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (603) 652-9022

    $64 / night

    "Started with really expensive sites, and we had 4 of them next to one another. Rained the whole time we were there. Wouldnt even consider a discount, nothing."

    "This is a glampground, keep this in mind, if your looking for a peacful Shangri-La seek another campground, if your looking to let loose and enjoy an amenity filled experience around other people, give"

    8. Salmon Falls / Lebanon KOA

    7 Reviews
    Rochester, ME
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 339-9465

    "We were able to book last minute and got a great tenting site, next to a running river that was great to sleep to. Very buggy, but it's outside, what do you expect?"

    "Staff was very friendly and extremely cautious about their surroundings. Plenty of things to do to stay busy during the rainy days."

    9. Lazy Frog Campground

    4 Reviews
    Berwick, ME
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (207) 457-1260

    "Lazy Frog is a cute campground, just off the beaten path. The owners have worked hard to improve this little gem.

    We stayed in August when it is was hot."

    "The BEST campground in Lebanon Maine!!! Everyone is very friendly, have fun themed weekends that both the kids and adults participate in!! Nice pool area where the sun hits all day!"

    10. Thousand Trails Moody Beach

    10 Reviews
    Ogunquit, ME
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 707-1477

    "Consider the Thousand Trails membership when booking this site. Our annual membership fees basically covered what it would cost to camp here for two weeks."

    "We stayed in the newer area with larger spots near the entrance to the park. There are activities and food within walking distance."

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Recent Reviews near Sanford, ME

1007 Reviews of 228 Sanford Campgrounds


  • alicianlv The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 9, 2025

    Bradbury Mountain State Park Campground

    Bradbury Mountain Campground

    Bradbury Mountain Campground

    Nice trail that borders campground. Saw group of cyclists and hikers use it during stay. No WiFi but T-Mobile accessible. Toilet is rustic, short wooden walls surrounding vault toilet. Various sized campsites yet not crowded. Kitchen area is a cool feature & offers campers use of community utensils & pans (although we didn't need to use). Kitchen has hot water to wash dishes and microwave to warm food. Town of Freeport is popular and LL Bean has huge shopping campus.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 6, 2025

    Beach Rose RV Park

    Nice park

    Owners were helpful on arrival, level concrete pad full hookups. Sites close together but quiet.

  • Utshob A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Bear Brook State Park Campground

    Convenient and fun

    The park was easy to get to, only about half an hour from Manchester. It has kayak rentals and a very well stocked camp store, that was close to the camp sites. Our campsite was only about a hundred feet away from the camp store but still felt private.

    Our campsite also had a fire pit and a picnic table which were great.

    The size of the sites varies quite a bit though as well as their isolation, some were out in the open.

    For cell service: ATT seems to have pretty decent coverage but not Verizon.

  • Julie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 26, 2025

    Wassamki Springs Campground

    Great Family campground!

    The amenities here make it a wonderful place for kids and adults!!   Nice,  clean and quiet!    I stayed on a spot by the water, that was totally worth the upgrade.

  • Kaileigh K.
    Aug. 25, 2025

    Sandy Pines Campground

    Amazing location and campground amenities

    We had an amazing long weekend at Sandy Pines and will definitely plan to return. I loved that there was a tent only area that felt a little more secluded and quiet with some nice privacy between sites. The playground and pool were a hit with the kids. The bathrooms were always clean and single user, some had showers as well. The proximity to goose rocks beach was a major plus!

  • R
    Aug. 15, 2025

    Sun Outdoors Wells Beach

    Zero wifi or cell signal

    Stayed back in 2023 with travel trailer and experienced almost zero wifi signal as well as verizon cell signal. Returned this past week and found no improvement whatsoever. This on back half of property. Manager stated they are awar and working on it. (For 2 years?). Could not plan anything, check weather unless you walked or drive up front. Light globes at various sites next to campers lit all night and were annoying so covered with bag. Some sites are just bad..huge pine tree at 428 caused camper to park his angled. Fire wood being sold is all pine & burns up immediately.

  • Cassie G.
    Aug. 12, 2025

    Winding River Campground

    Fun laid back place. This campground has a lot of potential. Some info on their website and Facebook isn’t accurate.

    I would like to share my experience this past weekend at Winding River in Exeter NH. My family of 3 Stayed at tent site 523 in the Oak area. We also had family at 553 and 554 and Cabin 2.

    About site 523: I clearly had one of the largest and most private tent sites. It was set back with a long driveway tucked between 522 and 524. It’s a very steep drop into the river making most sites a little nerve wracking with a little one. Online it said water available nearby. Most sites had a hookup but there wasn’t a one on my site. It looked like there may have been one to share on the road, but I didn’t end up needing to figure that out.

    Tent sites 522 and 524: Along with most of the tent sites these sites were very close to each other, much smaller and closer to the road. I wished my family members had gotten 552 and 553 as they blended together nicely if you are tenting in side by side spaces. The ground was very rocky making staking tents down difficult. They were right next to the bathroom which was convenient but loud. Ventilation in the bathroom was not good so the doors were propped open much of the time and loud hand dryers.

    Shower:

    • This is the smaller of the two bathrooms in the campground. There are 2 showers there. Each with a single insufficient curtain and no hooks on the wall or bench to place things down. Water was hot enough, pressure was ok if you set it to the high power massage-like setting.
    • The showers in other bathroom (near the town center area) had a door and two curtains. Some had hooks (some of which were broken). I almost tripped going in and out of these bathroom stalls because they are raised up but there is no marking on the ground to indicate that.

    Cabin 2: Ac worked well. There was a good sized bed downstairs, smaller beds in two lofts. I was surprised the couch didn’t pull out. Fridge and all dishes were nice and clean. All the cabins seem to have different back porch setups. This porch was smaller than C1. There was a propane grill that smelled rancid with sooo much caked on The burners. The location of the ceiling fan under the other lights in the ceiling gave them a flashing effect that really bothered me.

    Pros:

    • Lower price compared to other campgrounds (but I don’t feel like I got everything advertised on the website)
    • Two playgrounds, both were nice.
    • Water slide was fun
    • We arrived Thursday at the gate and were told how to get to our site, to set up and then come over to the office which was nice.

    Cons:

    • The river is very low and yucky so none of the boating or fishing advertised was possible. likely causing the massive amount of mosquitos.
    • The whole arcade building was was “out of order”
    • The laundry room had two washers (one was broken) and two dryers 2.50 each per load. Not sufficient for a campground this size (especially when people leave their clothes in the machine for 30 mins after they’re done!)
    • Camp store was poorly stocked (multiple empty coolers).
    • Ice $3 per SMALL bag.
    • Wood $10 per bundle and rules say you can’t bring from off-site. I saw people with huge metal bins of wood but was never offered that option when I payed for multiple bundles.
    • Camp store closes at 3 on Sunday and doesn’t open until 11 am during the week (which is also checkout). This made it a little confusing when I wanted to return the golf cart. They have a small area with icecream that is scooped and maybe a kitchen. I never saw it open but I think the sign said open morning to 12 and then again in the evening.
    • The pool was green and cloudy on day 3. I called the office and was told they had just shocked it and that was a result of the copper. I am not informed enough on pool safety so I opted out of swimming on the hottest day of our stay. My son was bummed.
    • Planned activities were only scheduled for Friday and Saturday, when online mentions “daily”. During adult kareoke there were plenty of kids and really poor wifi (wasting so much time between songs).

    And just to add:

    • Staff I encountered was friendly enough, but It would be nice if they wore shirts to identify themselves.
    • Golf cart was great, but cost more than the site per night.
    • Pedal go-carts were available for rent (I didn’t ask a price).
  • Rae Y.
    Aug. 11, 2025

    Saddleback Campground

    Uncomfortable feeling for my girls

    I made everyone stay in the trailer every night , we just didn’t feel comfortable with our girls being out after dark. There was def a lot of questionable rif raf that were definitely on something and it was obvious that there were a few girls there that were working.   Always men working on vehicles.  Family will not go back. Don’t want my daughter around that

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 9, 2025

    Sebago Lake State Park Campground

    Campground on Beautiful Lake

    I was lucky to score a nice site mid week just before the 4th of July. My site was large and fit my large tent but it was clear that it can get muddy based on the deep tire tracks left on the site by a previous camper. The selling point of this campground is the lake for sure. Sebago Lake is beautiful. Sites are very close together. Luckily many of the sites around me were not occupied but I get the feeling that is rare. Bathrooms were clean. Beach areas were very nice for relaxing.


Guide to Sanford

Camping near Sanford, Maine, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are several campgrounds to choose from.

What to do

What campers like

What you should know

  • Site Proximity: Some campgrounds, like Crawford Notch Campground, have sites that are close together. One camper warned, "Every site is surrounded by other campers close enough to make eye contact."
  • Limited Amenities: At Winslow Park And Campground, some amenities may not meet expectations. A visitor shared, "The showers were not very clean."
  • Pet Policies: If you're bringing a furry friend, check the pet policies. For example, Pawtuckaway State Park Campground allows leashed pets on trails but not in the campground or beach area during summer.

Tips for camping with families

Tips from RVers

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure your RV fits the site. A reviewer at Dry River — Crawford Notch State Park mentioned, "Some sites have a view of the road, which isn’t too pleasant."
  • Be Mindful of Noise: If you're sensitive to noise, consider sites further from roads. A camper at Crawford Notch Campground said, "The noise from cars and trucks zipping by on route 302 is loud."
  • Plan for Limited Hookups: Some campgrounds, like Bear Brook State Park Campground, do not offer electric hookups. A visitor noted, "No electric hookup, but the campground is peaceful."

Camping around Sanford, Maine, has something for everyone, whether you're looking for a quiet retreat or a fun family adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What campgrounds are available in Sanford, Maine?

Sanford and its surrounding area offer several camping options. Beaver Dam Campground in nearby Berwick provides drive-in access with water, toilets, and is big-rig friendly. For those willing to travel a short distance, Cole's Mine RV Resort and Campground in Lebanon offers well-maintained sites with full hookups. Other nearby options include Bunganut Lake Camping Area in Alfred and Potters Place Adult Camping Area in Lebanon. The region provides a mix of family-friendly and adult-only campgrounds, with varying levels of amenities from basic to full-service facilities.

Are there affordable camping options near Sanford with lake or water access?

Bunganut Lake Camping Area in nearby Alfred offers affordable camping with excellent lake access, featuring swimming areas and boat launches. Sites are reasonably priced, particularly during off-peak seasons. Another budget-friendly option is Lakeside Pines Campground, which provides lakeside sites with easy water access on Long Lake. Many sites are wooded and offer privacy while maintaining proximity to swimming areas. Both campgrounds have basic amenities including water and toilets, with Lakeside Pines featuring a mix of seasonal and transient campsites. These locations provide excellent value for campers seeking water recreation without breaking the bank.

Where is Rivers Edge Campground in Sanford, Maine and what amenities does it offer?

Rivers Edge Campground is situated in Sanford, Maine along the Mousam River. This family-friendly campground offers wooded sites with water and electric hookups, fire rings, and picnic tables. Amenities include clean restrooms with hot showers, a camp store for essentials, and recreational facilities like a playground and game room. For outdoor enthusiasts, the campground provides river access for fishing and kayaking. While specific information about Rivers Edge is limited in recent reviews, nearby Salmon Falls / Lebanon KOA offers similar riverside camping experiences with full hookup sites and modern facilities.