Best Glamping near Southwest Harbor, ME

My cousins, my husband and our dog rented a deluxe cabin in September, and it was perfect. The cabin provided all of the amenities of a home including linens, dishes, cookware, heat, a/c and even cable tv. Outside we had a small deck with a grill and a fire pit on the ground. It was the perfect place for our group of six to retire at the end of a day of hiking.

The cabin we stayed in was not secluded in any way. Our neighbors were right next to us on all sides, but it wasn't a problem for us at all. Just something to keep in mind if you're looking for a more rustic experience.

We stayed at this campground unexpectedly as two places I was looking at would not accept reservations less than 24 hours in advance. They had availability, offered wooded tent spots, and were affordable as some campgrounds anymore are charging an arm and leg to camp. When we arrived, the girls in the office were super sweet. They had the essentials needed if you are in a pinch, a cute gift shop for the Bass Harbor Lighthhouse (bring your lighthouse passport with you to get stamped here), have coffee/muffins in the morning, washrooms were very clean, laundry, dog park, dog run, small rec center, and pool. Tent sites are nicely wooded and spaced out, so you are not on top of one another. Quiet hours are between 10 PM and 7 AM, and it was so nice to camp in peace and quiet with others wanting the same thing. There are homes close by, but they are fenced off and really are out of sight, so it's not really an issue. The Bass Harbor Lighthhouse is literally 500 feet away. We could hear the bouy ding from our campsite. There are two beautiful hiking trails .7 miles away from the campgrounds: Ship Harbor and Wonderland, that bring you to beautiful ocean views. One of the Acadia Park entrances is 5 minutes away. Southwest Harbor is a short ride away to grab an ice cream or a nice dinner. There is a brand new mini golf center further down the road that is amazing!! The Acadia Mountain trail is not far nor is the Cranberry Island Ferry. This was a prime location to see another side of Bar Harbor, see beautiful sites and avoid the crowds of downtown Bar Harbor. So happy I stumbled across this campground by accident. I would highly recommend and will definitely return!

Hadley's Point is a private campground just outside Acadia National Park. This campground prides itself on being family-friendly and welcoming to pets.

Children are allowed to bike throughout the campground until dusk. While we stayed, there was a campground-wide Fourth of July bike parade. The kids loved it. 

Pets are welcome but cannot be abandoned in the motorhome when you leave. Plan to take your pet with you everywhere.

Hadley's Point offers laundry facilities, showers, a heated pool, cornhole, and shuffleboard. While the pool is heated, it is not hot -- or even very warm. But this is Maine we are talking about, and I'm sure that the water was warmer than it would otherwise have been. 

The campground is primarily designed to accommodate RVs and motorhomes. The large fields and open lots for RVs provide ample parking and the campground offered electricity as well as other hookups. 

Cute cabins offer cozy sleeping (but no running water) for visitors without tents or RVs. 

We brought our tent and felt a little like second-class citizens at this RV-focused campground. The tent sites were tiny. Our large van, tent, and screened-in pavilion covered the entire site, leaving very little walking space. Our site also lacked trees for shade and hammocks. 

Worse yet, the campground has an infestation of Black-Legged Deer Ticks -- the ticks responsible for Lyme disease. We found two on our son during our stay. I hope they treat for these ticks soon because it poses a huge risk to their campers. 

There is a lot of potential for this campground but they need to spray the grounds for ticks and create more comfortable sites. They could be awesome if they shifted their focus from trying to fit as many people as possible to creating a comfortable camping experience for all. 

Pros:

- Heated pool

- Bathrooms cleaned regularly

- Laundry

- Good price

- Good location

- Playground

- Kid and pet friendly

- Island Explorer Bus stops at the campground

Cons:

- Cramped sites

- Ticks

- Crowded

Since the campground is closing this fall to renovate I will focus mostly on what the park has to offer. Our family of four plus one pet was impressed with the transportation system provided by Acadia in partnership with L.L Bean. Free buses are pet-friendly which allowed for maximum exploration. Activities within walking distance from the campground included hiking, beach combing, and picnicking. Waking up to see the beautifully painted sky over the ocean at sunrise is well worth it! Rock climbing and various boat excursions were also available. Southwest Harbor neighbors the campground and has adorable coffee houses and restaurants. Also, be sure to seek out one of Ms. Frances' blueberry pies from the Quietside Cafe. Hoping renovations keep walk-in woodsy sites, but update bathrooms and maybe include showers, although a clean pay facility exists a mile towards Southwest Harbor. All together, the gorgeous geography, National Park Service and kind neighboring towns made tent-camping in Acadia an outstanding and affordable experience. This will not be our last visit!

Clean, orderly and peaceful. Great campground for small rigs, pull behinds, vans and tents. Water view sites are very limited so book ahead. Sites 12 and 10 offer good water views. Other sites range from secluded to close. A very quiet and peaceful rocky beach is found down a nice path with two metal bridges. Sunset views were great. The CG showers are located at the office with two enclosed outdoor showers and one indoor shower. Hubby used the outdoor shower and thought it was great. Rather than toilets, the CG provides “privies” - basically permanent porta-potties in nice large wood sheds. All were exceptionally clean, but flies can be bothersome to some. The location is very rural so little nearby things to do or places to eat. But that was part of the charm.

Great campground. Bigger than we expected. Our site looked right over the water. Direct access to Maine's rocky shore. Everything you need to be comfortable including hot showers and bathrooms cleaned three times a day. A basic rec room, playground, beautiful gardens, clean sites. Rvs are so close together and some seasonal snobs, but also tent sites some drive up and some walk to more private/dispersed. Small store friendly staff. Some sites have a wooden deck for picnic area overlooking water. Laundry, wifi, made it an easy week. We had rain and wind a couple nights, tarp went over tent as not permitted in trees. Just fine. We will definitely be coming back.

We discovered this campsite in 2020 and just returned from our third year in a row camping here with 2 kids. We have only tented, but hope to bring a small camper next year. There is a small arcade, store, and 24/7 laundry. Bathrooms/showers are clean and not very busy as most guests are in RVs. Activities started up again this year, with events such as kids’ crafts, a kids vs adults water gun fight, cornhole competition, and a DJ for an evening of dancing - just on the weekend we were there. We love the proximity to the lake with easy access for kayaking and swimming. New ownership this year resulted in some updates, as well as the addition of glamping tents near the beach. The sites are a decent size and the campground is fairly quiet at night.

This is a national park campsite. First impressions, really good!

When you enter you pass by a ranger booth to register, etc. Definitely grab the campground map! Why? Because you are given a free handful of wood and the map will show you where to pick it up. We didn’t realize until later and bought some on the way in. Don’t be us.

We stayed in D loop, which are all walk-up. Some are closer to the parking lot than others. Ours was D84. It had a pretty good sized space, and plenty of good area for our tent. Had a picnic table and a fire ring with a grate you could place over for cooking, if so inclined.

The bathrooms. We noticed they were cleaned every morning, and we stayed during the weekend. During the day of course they can get somewhat dirty but nothing crazy. No showers. Water spouts were ample and spread across the campground. They also had a dish washing station in the bathroom building, in a separate room. Trash bins were also right in the parking lot.

The space itself was kind of close to our neighbors but not like we were on top of each other. Everyone was courteous and the noise level was fine. Seemed like around 10/11, everyone went to bed and it was very quiet.

The campground location itself. It’s actually kind of great. It is not right next to the actual park, in a not heavily trafficked area. As a result, it’s peaceful. And you have the town of Southwest Harbor right next to it. You actually have to drive through it to get here. It’s got some shops and restaurants but a lot less people than Bar Harbor. It took us ~25 min to get to the other side and to the park itself.

The only con. Mosquitoes. Everywhere. All the time. The fire will scare them off or fry em, but no fire = you become a delicious blood flavored snack bar. Bring bug spray!

This is a nice campground located close to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The campground does not take reservations so you can pick whatever open site you want and if you want to extend your stay, you can. When you arrive, you get a map, find an empty site, get set-up and then go back to the office to register. Once you’re in the park if you want a different site that has a better view or FHU’s, the best thing to do is drive or walk around the section you are interested in and if you see someone packing up put a personal item (chair, table cloth, etc.). Then head to the office and let them know what site you are moving to. Weird system but it seems to work as this is how things have always been done. All different types of sites are available from FHU, electric/water, or privative sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are some sections that are nicely wooded which is great for the shade in the summer and to add a little privacy. Other sites are right on the ocean with great views but these sites are pretty close together and hard to get since the campground is first come, first served. Roads in the park are paved but some corners can be a little tight for big-rigs, best to unhitch your tow car up front in case you have to back up. The camp hosts do a great job of keeping the campground clean and were always out and about cleaning sites, fire pits, and the bathrooms.

This campground is in a good location right off Route 3 and a short drive to Bar Harbor. There is the Island Explorer (free) shuttle that have various routes and stops on Mount Desert Island and Acadia NP. The shuttle stops at the campground so you can hitch a ride downtown or to the park and not have to worry about parking.  The shuttle has a bike rack so you can bring your bike and pets are allowed.  The campground is very clean with no litter and well-maintained. The bathrooms were very clean showers are 25 cents/5 minutes. There is a really nice large swimming pool perched right along the water, nice little nature trails/dog walking areas, laundry, game room, shuffleboard, playground, water access, arcade, and more. 

Just outside the campground (within walking distance) is Utter Heaven an ice cream shop and Mainely Meat a BBQ joint. Across the street is a Pirates Cove– a mini golf course on steroids. During the summer season this place is really busy but calms down when kids go back to school.