Looking for the best campgrounds near South China, ME? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Maine camping has to offer. Find the best campgrounds near South China, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$25 - $45 / night
Enjoy the private lakefront setting and hospitality of Sennebec Lake Campground, with 40 beautiful forested acres of lakefront for your camping enjoyment. Our location overlooking the lake and mountains gives our guests a feeling of serenity, tranquility and the chance to reconnect with family and friends.
$42 - $169 / night
Explore the natural beauty of Rockport — Rockland — Camden — while enjoying glorious views of the rugged Maine Coast and the quiet beauty of Megunticook Campground by the Sea. Experience the spectacular views of Penobscot Bay, watch windjammers sail by and enjoy playful porpoises and other sea life, from our Porpoise Point Waterfront. Take a dip in our swimming pool or enjoy local community events such as Rockland’s famous Lobster Festival and North Atlantic Blues Festival. Our campground offers a full array of hookup options for all types of campers (tents, cabins or RV’s) up to 38 feet.
$32 - $58 / night
Penobscot Bay is the deepest body of water in the Gulf of Maine…and I live at its shores with my husband Steven, father Zaven, a flock of sheep and goats, three hives of honey bees, extensive gardens and lots of space to make art and good food. Together we run a family campground that was established in 1965 and steward the land…we provide a place for people to come and relax, wander through the organic gardens, explore the beach and re-connect with themselves and others. We’re proud to be part of the working waterfront of Maine where recreation, fishing and shipping ply the same waters and provide a sense of purpose for all sorts of people.
$14 - $168 / night
Spread out over 626 acres with over three miles of shoreline, the campground has three distinct areas to choose from: East Bay: Inland sites. Electric & Water Hookup sites are here, as well as some of our most private tent sites. Sites 2-56 are shady, and sites 60-70 are in a more open area. This is the closest area to the Camp Store, showers and Snack Shack. Middle Bay: Tents only area. Forested and shady, Middle Bay gives the feeling of being deep in the woods, yet with many waterfront sites. West Bay: Tents and RVs welcome (no hook-ups). West Bay has tall trees along the water line, and open fields and pasture. This area is particularly suited to kids, as it hosts the playground and recreation field. This area was recently improved with our new shower building.
Duck Puddle Campground sits on the edge of Pemaquid Lake just inland of the Southern Maine coast. Duck Puddle hosts tent campers as well as cabin rentals, a lake house rental, and barn weddings. They also rent out boats, dock slips, and golf carts.
$30 - $35 / night
Tiny Cabins of Maine is on 100 acres of wooded land on a 25 acre pond. On the property are two tiny cabins (Roxie and Maybelle) and one tent site. Each cabin is fully insulated and has a tiny wood stove to make it comfortable all 4 seasons!
Each cabin has a comfortable fully sized bed, a mini woodstove, a composting toilet, kitchen essentials, an outside firepit, and plenty of wood. The tent site is a clearing in the woods with a popup tented porta-potty, and a firepit.
2 kayaks, a yak board, 2 paddleboards and a canoe are at the dock for guests to use. There is an outside Pizzeria with a woodfired pizza oven and table for two, an axe throwing target with 6 axes and directions to play as well as a clearing by the water called the Pub. There, guests can sit at a high top table, relax in a hammock, play corn hole or have a fire in the chimenea. There are currently about 1.5 miles of trails cleared, with more added each week!
The pond is surrounded by wooded area and it feels remote but road noise can still be heard.
$50 - $120 / night
Legend
The sites here are nicely wooded and have a decent amount of separation between most of them BUT the campground is located too close to the road and, with the exception of sites 84-87 and cabins 8-10, you will hear road noise in your site. Options are 10 rustic cabins, tent sites, partial and FHU sites.
The bathhouse was very clean and there are both outdoor and indoor showers; both looked nice although we did not use them.
I thought $50 for a tent site was a little steep but it was all the potential extra fees that irked me:
*$30 site lock to ensure you get the site you want when you reserve. I took a chance and was able to get the site I reserved without paying this fee
*$4 weather guarantee (allows you to cancel due to inclement weather). I didn’t bother with this one
*7.95 if you need to hook up to WiFi. We were able to use our own portable WiFi
*$10 to use the dump station (we found another place that charged $5)
Aside from the fees and proximity to the road, this is a nice campground with a host of amenities: pool (which I was surprised was still open on October 1), horseshoes, laundry, dishwashing sink, a playground, and trash pick-up at your site. There is also a path to the shore with picnic tables, and chairs. Repairs to the sea wall are in progress so caution was recommended.
Guide
Tops’l Farm offer the best of glamping. Located in Waldoboro, they create a wonderfully balanced experience between the outdoors and glamp. While their model continues to evolve, camping is not available on all days/weekends. They create special weekend camping events and retreats. We participated in a weekend camping event that included a farm to table meal on Saturday evening in their barn. They had recommendations for places to visit during the rest of the weekend, which we did not do.
Their model is a stay that costs a price, plus a lot of a la carte “extras” that you can order. We ordered Friday dinner and wine; and breakfast for one morning. Depending on the weekend, ‘extra’ offers could also include yoga, foraging, s’mores kits, etc.
Tops’l Farm has both cabins and glamping tents. The bath house is very nice for a camp bath house, with soap and shampoo. The cabins are full of creature comforts, including nice sheets and blankets, lanterns, and an overall beautifully appointed space that is still rustic. Each cabin has a fire pit.
The farm dinners offer delicious food with ingredients from local farms. The food is delicious, simple and very satisfying all at the same time. The barn that they hold the dinners in is simple yet elegant. There is a camp store where you can buy beer, wine, snacks and other basic items.
They truly curate a lovely glamping experience. It isn’t cheap, but if you want a glamping weekend, it’s one of the best.
Guide
This is private land that the owner rents to campers. It is a lovely single camp site with great views and fields. It is relatively close to the road but there is very little traffic and no noise. The space is level. There is a picnic table, fire ring, full hook ups, and box with an information sheet that includes things to do and places to eat for the surrounding area. The view was expansive and beautiful, with wonderful sunsets. The walking trails that have been cut are lovely, and a great place for a short walk, or to walk with your dog. The owner met us immediately upon our arrival and was very friendly. The only challenge is we stayed in July, and the horse flys were viscous. They were not by the campsite, but were abundant on the trails, and I literally had to run to get back to the camper to minimize the bites. If you are susceptible to horse fly bites, be aware during the horse fly season. My husband did not get bit.
This area is very rural. Skowhegan, which is just over 20 minutes away, is the closest town, and has a few restaurants and a nice farmers market. There are many hiking and atv trails in the general area. I would recommend this spot for a weekend in the area, or passing through for the night.
Guide
We loved our stay at the blueberry fields! This is private land that the owner rents to campers. We stayed in campsite 2, where the land is open and flat, and there was plenty of room for our rv. There are 4 total campsites, and each offers a slightly different view and sense of privacy. The owner met us when we arrived. Dogs are allowed. It is dry camping, with no hookups, and generators are not allowed. The owner had a picnic table set up with flower boxes in it, and there was a nice fire ring. They will sell you wood if you need it. There was one other camper at site 1, and we could also see the owners house, but both were far enough away that we had a great sense of privacy. There was a shared porta potty available for use for all of the campsites. The land was quiet and peaceful - it is acres of blueberry fields, which create a special sense of being in nature. The site we were at had a nice tree, which framed the site. The owner was very responsive to questions we had, and responded quickly. The area was very quiet - at night we only heard the crickets and the wind.
You are close to Castine, Ellsworth, Blue Hill, Deer Isle and Stonington. There are numerous hiking trails in the area that can be found on All Trails, as well as easy places to kayak from, the closest of which are the Brooksville Town Landing, or Bucks Harbor public boat launch.
Guide
Camden Hills State park is centrally located, just at the edge of downtown Camden. It provides a great home base for hiking, biking, kayaking and exploring the Camden/Rockland area.
The park has around 100 sites that are categorized by size, and allows rvs and tents. There are no tent specific sites, and a tent camper could choose a large rv site. Each site has a picnic table and fireplace. Most spots are wooded, but there are 8 non wooded, open grassy sites at the front of the park, which have little shade. About half of the sites have water and electric. There is a bathhouse, multiple water stations and a dump station. The park sits on both sides of Rt. 1, and the bottom side is more of a day use area with a pavilion and walking trails and sits on the water. The bottom part does not, however, have true water access for swimming or kayaking. The closest place for this the Camden City Park, which is 2.5 miles away, and is a great place to launch a kayak. Rockport Marine Park at Rockport Harbor is another - it has easy kayak launch access and a very very small beach, which is mostly used for kids to splash around in the water. The top portion of the park, where all the campsites are, has direct access to Mount Megunticook, and Mount Battie, and offers easy to advanced hikes. It’s great to be able to do numerous hikes without having to leave the park.
We liked our site, 61, because it was open, grassy and level, had water and electric and was reservable. The park rangers were very friendly. There is a charge for Wi-Fi, and cell service is good enough.
There are many quality restaurants in the Camden, Rockland, Rockport area, as well as good bakeries and coffee shops. The Camden Farmers market is right downtown. You are less than 10 minutes from central Camden, and 20 minutes to Rockland.
Traveler
Small beautiful campground right on the water. Away from the busy stuff but close enough to visit it if you want.
Scout
Tried to ask about winter camping and the lady was wicked rude
Scout
I flew out from Minnesota this December to ski in Maine. Had some good riding at Sunday River!
I really enjoyed my stay at Runaround Woods in Bobcat for three nights! The lodging was warm and comfortable with great views. I was able to watch the moon rise each night as I was falling asleep.
The campground was set in the woods with lots of wildlife and amazing views of the night sky. Fun walking trail around the property. I played multiple rounds of disk golf and stopped at the proshop for a runaround woods branded disk. The wood fired sauna was really nice after a day of snowboarding. The host Ryan was very accommodating and helped me get the most of my stay. Ryan help heat up the sauna and also had great recommendations for local dining and shopping.
Highly recommend this stay for anyone looking to get out and explore Maine! Fun and comfortable lodging with a great host!
RangerI really like that the campground has easy access to the hiking trails. Clean bathroom facilities and the free showers were nice and hot. Unfortunately, you can hear quite a bit of road noise.
Legend
Everything was fine , except the owner, very weird !
Ranger
I was nervous at first when I pulled up in a camper van--the "campground" was very much geared towards seasonal campers in large RVs. However, I was able to grab one of just a couple open spots on a Thursday afternoon. The staff (and residents) were so friendly and helpful. There were restrooms with coin-op showers and also a laundry room. Knocked off one star for the lack of privacy between sites and for the price ($70+ for essentially a parking spot with water/electricity is a bit much imo--at least make the showers free! lol)
Ranger
The campground was nice and quiet during our stay, but the pit toilets near our campsite were quite rough--super smelly and an endless amount of flies flying out of the toilet.
Scout
Advertising a private beach that belongs to a private neighborhood. Sent us into a private neighborhood to a beach that's not their property.
ScoutSuch a cute little spot for a nice get away, wood fired hot tub, and sauna. Would recommend this place to anyone!
Traveler
Stayed 5 nights with family on the next sight, great place for kids with lots of variety, animals and low traffic back roads for bike riding. Reserve early if you want hookups.
Guide
The reception at this campground is very friendly. Pitches are fairly spacious, but still a bit close together. Garbage is picked up in the morning, which is very nice.
The sanitary facilities are quite outdated and, in addition, could definitely be a bit cleaner.
The pool is clean, but everything around it also looks very outdated and worn.
We had a pleasant time here and would definitely recommend this place for a few days.
Scout
I value the reviews left here, so I felt I needed to leave an honest review in hopes it will help someone else. We stayed here for almost 2 weeks. During that time there was a sewage smell near the bathhouse. The sites are not level and most are not shaded or very wide. We also had brown water and were extremely thankful for our multiple water filters. We paid for a 30 amp service, but had low voltage the entirety of our stay. The solution that was proposed, was that we remove our Watchdog EMS and Surge protector. We decided to keep our Watchdog on. They had several campsites on the same breaker, something we have never seen at any campground in our 3 years of travel. On our last day, we didn't even have enough voltage to keep fans running inside our RV. Please be aware that low voltage seems to be an ongoing problem as an RV behind us had an electrical cord burn up while we were there.
Scout
There are no sewer hookups(which is fine) but you are only allowed ONE use at dump station upon leaving the campground. I arrived with a 1/3 tanks and wanted to dump on way into park because I was staying 3 days/nights and they said ok but you can’t dump on the way out(seriously?). I asked if I could pay for a second dump and it was$30. I’ll never go back.
ScoutWe were greeted with the most amazing, kind and service oriented staff! Just wonderful to see these days. Our site was a pull through and it was wooded and flattish. Some rocks on boulders, but we fit in fine. We were right next to a tenting site. Kind of close, but we managed to put the back of the RV toward their site. It is dog friendly!!! Lots of things to do on grounds and around this area. We had a great time. Plus, they have nice hot showers for free. No quarters here! lol In short, we loved our time here.
Scout
Very friendly and helpful
ScoutA beautiful location!
ScoutSuch a great place for families. West Bay has a playground, a great shower house, water access, and kayak rentals.
Scout
We stayed in a large tent site. Very quiet and clean. We also fished off the dock.
ScoutSuper comfortable and cozy sleeping cabins in forest setting. Loved all the extras: wood-fire sauna, solar shower, cold plunge, picnic/eating space, outdoor seating spaces, games, fire pit, etc. We played the woodland disc golf course multiple times! Great way to experience the forest and end the day in cozy bed!! Ryan is an amazing host.
Scout
I recently stayed at the Tiny Cabins of Maine with my family for two nights, opting for their tent camping site. From the moment we arrived, the host's warm welcome made us feel right at home. Despite some distant road noise at night, the overall ambiance was serene and beautiful. The tent camping amenities, including the pop-up toilet and sturdy wooden platform, were thoughtfully provided. The fire pit and picnic table were perfect for evening gatherings, and the hammock added an extra touch of relaxation. We enjoyed the pub's games and even tried our hand at axe throwing. Kayaking in the pond was a highlight, thanks to the convenient dock. While the trails required attention to follow, the directional signs helped. Overall, I highly recommend Tiny Cabins of Maine for a memorable small family retreat, and we're already looking forward to returning in the future.
Scout
Shore hills has good prices and great views. The sites are large. The people are nice. It is the only place we have stayed at more than once.
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! We're excited to have this campground on the Dyrt and ready for you to book, check them out and make sure to leave a review!
Camping near South China, 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 plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping around South China, Maine, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Make sure to check out the local campgrounds and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near South China, ME?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near South China, ME is Camden Hills State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 30 reviews.
What parks are near South China, ME?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 4 parks near South China, ME that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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