Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Sanford, ME

We stayed At Wakeda Campground overnight during a trip from Maine back to Long Island, NY. It was located very close off of 95 and allows pets. We were overwhelmed by the beautiful massive forest. The campground was splendid with old tall, pine trees everywhere. They offered electric, water, and sewer hook up, trading post that had camping goods and snacks, WiFi hotspot, pool table, and lounging area. They also had a game room, miniature golf, coffee shop and dog park.

The first campsite they assigned to us was very secluded but unfortunately, we were coming in during a major rainstorm. That site was a little flooded so we chose another. It still had beautiful trees surrounding it but not as secluded from neighbors. There are also many seasonal campers there but all of their sites were beautifully decorated with flowers and such. Everyone was friendly that we encountered during our stay.

We had bathrooms located near our site. They were four separate bathrooms that had a sink and toilet and were clean. They did offer showers in another area but I did not use them.

Walking around we saw wild turkeys, bunnies, and a hummingbird. It would have been great if they offered a nature trail in the campground since the forest was so beautiful. There were paths that went into the woods but they were marked for employees only.

The next day we wanted to go for a hike before we hit the road. Unfortunately, the state parks near the campsite do not allow dogs during late Spring to early Fall. Using our Bring Fido App, we found Rails to Trails nearby that we could bring our dog and hiking cat. We did the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail that was nice and shady, though flat, but a nice leisurely walk for all of us.

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.

The campground has good proximity to Orchard Beach and Portland. However, the spots are pretty tight, and the WiFi is awful away from the registration office. We were in the wooded area, but those camping on the outskirts seemed able to utilize their Starlink.

The dog park and pool were small but nice. The bathroom facilities were pretty good, though they weren't cleaned as often as they should be.

The Chocorua KOA is a great campground with super friendly staff, a variety of sites and lots of activities and things to do for everyone in the family.

We stayed with two other families on pull-through full hook-up sites 43, 45, and 47. Although we were on the main road, we really enjoyed these sites. They were wooded and in a central location close to the playgrounds, pavilion, beach and nature trails. Site 45 was pretty narrow but the other two sites had a bit more space so we mostly used 43 and 47 to hang out. We especially loved that the pull-through road behind our sites was not a main access road so we had a nice long stretch of road that was just for us. We played games and the kids road bikes without having to worry about cars driving through.

There are also a lot of really nice tent sites along the water, cabins, teepees, lodges and great areas for groups to camp. They are fairly strict with quiet hours so it is a very quiet campground at night.

The facilities are nice and clean. The pavilion and fire pit area are a nice place to gather with games and a mining station to enjoy. There are two playgrounds for little and big kids. The bathrooms are quite dated but clean. The pool is freezing cold so the kids didn’t swim much. The beach area is small and not deep enough to swim but the kids enjoyed playing in the sand and water. There are a lot of options for boat rentals- paddle boats, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and row boats. There is a beautiful board walk that leads through the marsh to a system of short nature trails. We really enjoyed walking the trails though some need a lot of work due to fallen trees and overgrowth. There were also a lot of free activities for the kids like crafts, wagon rides and games with a full schedule of events. You really never have to leave this campground!

This is also an incredibly dog-friendly campground with a fun dog park, a special swimming pond just for dogs and doggie day care available. This is one of the most pet loving campgrounds we’ve ever camped in and our pup loved it!!

We had a great trip and will definitely be back!

I came here last year with my dog.  We only stayed two nights.  It was his first time camping, so I made a note in my reservation request that I'd like a fairly remote site - just in case he got loud.  They put me in the perfect site, near the dog park (they have a dog park!).  When the forecast changed to thunderstorms, they let me switch my dates without any hassle.  The location is convenient for Newburyport, Portsmouth, and the Seacoast.   We ended up having a lovely stay.

Just a note, I took my dog for a walk around the campground and noticed that many of the other sites were rather close together - including the cabins.  Some people don't mind, and even enjoy, close neighbors.  If you're like me, however, you'll want to ask for a more remote site.

One more thing to note; I booked through Rover Pass and ended up paying them a fee.  Next time I'll contact the park directly.

I'm looking forward to another trip soon!