Best Cabin Camping near Winter Harbor, ME

our family of four (my Husband and I and our 2 boys) stayed in a camping cabin for 5 days at the end of June. The cabin contained a queen sized bed and a set of bunk beds. It also had a private bathroom with metered shower. 50 cents got you a hot, 7 minute shower, which was plenty of time! You need to supply your own linens and towels. Toilet paper, garbage bags and a broom/dustpan are supplied. There was a fire ring outside of the cabin and a picnic table. We purchased firewood at a stand close to the campground. We found the cabins to be spaced far enough apart that we had peace and quiet and privacy. If you had wanted to make friends with your neighbors, you could. We noticed lots of families with children staying in the cabins area. The campground itself had a heated swimming pool. Best of all, the campground was on the Island Explorer bus route, which is a series of busses that take you to different areas of Acadia National Park and into the surrounding towns. Once you arrive at the campground, you wouldn’t need to use your car again!

Great place to stay. Sue and Peter are wonderful and make you feel like family! The grounds are kept in immaculate shape. It's away from Bar Harbor but close enough to go visit. We liked going to the Winter Harbor area to hike and ride bikes. Corea Wharf was a great place to eat and LobStore is a good place to get fresh seafood!

This campground is a gem! It is located on the Schoodic Peninsula which is the quieter side section of Acadia National Park but no less breathtaking. Here you get to enjoy the hiking and biking trails, amazing coastal scenery, quaint towns, and a peaceful campground in one of America’s top 10 parks without the crowds and craziness of Bar Harbor and Acadia NP located on Mt. Desert Island (which is only an hour away). I absolutely love the Schoodic Peninsula and the town of Winter Harbor which has such a “Downeast” Maine feel.

The campground opened in 2015 and has 200 sites all within a 15-minute walk to the ocean. Although most of the campsites are designated for tents, there are some available for RV’s. Sites have a decent amount of privacy so you don’t feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. Since the campground is is relatively new not all the trees have filled in from construction but they did a great job preserving trees and shrubs. It is best to reserve online as this park fills up and very rarely has a walk-up site. The ranger station will not make reservations over the phone so don’t bother calling. (Acadia NP is a “fee” park so you will need to buy a park pass.)  All sites have electric (20/30/50) and some have electric and water only reflected in cheaper prices

Fee (per site, per night):

$22 hike-in tent sites (primitive)

$30 drive up tent/small RV (20 amp)

$36 RV with electric only sites (20/30/50 amp)

$40 RV with electric and water (20/30/50 amp)

$60 group tent sites

Picnic tables are at every site but fire pits are only at RV sites as no open fires are allowed in the tent section. Tent sites are allowed to use portable camp stoves such as white gas or iso-butane cartridges. The bathrooms have flush toilets and potable water but there are no showers or laundry facilities. There are some places in the nearby town of Winter Harbor that have shower facilities of which the ranger station has information on.   A dish-washing station if located at the bathrooms which is really handy and kept clean.  There is a dump station located towards the exit of the park if you have an RV. 

Surrounding the campground are miles of biking and hiking trails that are easily accessible from your campsite. There is a six-mile loop that takes you along the beautiful rocky coast with views of lighthouses, islands, forests, and wetlands. An additional eight miles of carriage roads and four miles of hiking trails wind through the park.

The town of Winter Harbor is located two miles from the park and a ferry dock which takes you to Mt. Desert Island. The Acadia Island Explorer shuttle provides free transportation between various locations, island attractions, and towns (and is dog-friendly and can accommodate bikes). The shuttle operates from late June to mid-October and is a great way to get around if you don’t have a car or want the hassle of parking.

Located at the Schoodic Institute is the Education and Research Center which offers interesting programs and has a visitor center. The town of Corea has a great waterside restaurant where you can sit outside and eat lobster while watching the boats go in and out. J. M. Garrish Café in Winter Harbor is a great place to get a bite to eat and an ice cream Sunday.

We loved this campground! The sites are large and private. The restrooms and dishwashing stations are kept clean. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Schoodic Point and Frazier Point offer breathtaking views and are just a short drive or bike ride away. Our kids loved Frazier Point at low tide and spent hours searching in the tide pools. Sunsets are amazing here as well. Winter and Birch Harbor offer plenty of local dining options and most importantly, ice cream! Although there arent showers here, you can pay to shower in Winter Harbor in a new building which also houses 4 washers and dryers. Can’t wait to go back!

When we made the decision to visit Acadia National Park, I blindly made a reservation for a site at one of the campgrounds, not really paying attention to where specifically in the park the campground was located. The Schoodic Woods Campground is located on the Schoodic Peninsula, which is east of Mt. Desert Island. It’s still within Acadia National Park but is located outside Winter Harbor and is not near Bar Harbor like the majority of the park. At first I was a little bummed we were about an hour away from the main part of the park, but my mood immediately changed once we arrived. Oh my goodness, if you’re looking to connect w/the wonders of Acadia & avoid the crowds, stay here! It was amazing & the lack of light pollution at night made the star-gazing spectacular! There’s biking, hiking, a ferry that runs seasonally to Bar Harbor, and quaint harbor communities nearby. We loved it!

We stayed for a week at one of the hike in sites, specifically the one furthest from the car/RV camping area. The sites are newer looking with nice tent pads, a bear box, and a picnic table. It’s a few minutes’ walk from the campsite to an immaculately clean vault toilet. The bathroom for the car camping area with running water, the dishwashing area, and WiFi were maybe a 2 minute walk beyond that. We had such an amazing time and spent the majority of our time on the Schoodic peninsula. We only went to the main part of the park twice the whole week. Plenty of trails, scenic views, and things to do just in Schoodic Woods. It’s also WAY less crowded than the main part of the park. Winter Harbor has a few restaurants and little shops but no big grocery/big box stores that I saw so stop on the way if you need stuff. The rangers were all very nice and helpful. I can’t wait to go back!

We lucked out and snagged a long weekend reservation during peak weekend. This was one of the best campgrounds I have ever stayed at. The grounds were super clean and impeccably maintained. The rangers were helpful and kind. Sites are spaced far enough apart that you have some privacy.

This National Park campground is on the quiet side and section of the park. It’s about an hours drive from the main/popular trails and Bar Harbor. We loved the sleepy and peaceful vibe of Winter Harbor. It’s about a 10 minute drive away from Schoodic point - which was a bonus for us to see the sunrise without any crowds and for stargazing. There is almost no light pollution on the point and the Milky Way was visible around 10pm on a clear night we were there. Also saw shooting stars walking around the grounds at night with my headlamp off which was delightful.

Bathrooms here are plentiful and clean, but no shower facilities. Each bathroom building also has a very nice dishwashing station outside so we never had fo wait to do camp dishes.

Make sure to book in advance as this is a popular place and fills up as soon as the reservations open (60 days in advance of your start date).

We tried out this campground when it was relatively new, only been in service about 4-5 years now. It’s off the beaten path and not near the hubbub of Bar Harbor, but is near Schoodic point and in a quieter area. Many opportunities for hiking and ocean viewing. The campground itself has a nice layout, sites are spacious, each with picnic table and fire ring. Many have electric. Bathrooms are adequate, just toilets and sinks, no showers in the campground, no laundry or other amenities, so bring all your groceries and supplies with you. Most of the sites are level and spacious. Unfortunately, this beautiful place and our experience there was ruined by a really disrespectful family that was next to us who didn’t understand any of the protocols for camping and behaved like animals. We left early because we couldn’t take it. I recommend going and hope they don’t show up in the the site next to you! If you want the best lobster roll EVER, go to the Winter Harbor Fisherman’s co-op which is on the way!! https://winterharborlobstercoop.com

This campground is out of the way and far away from the crowds on Mt Desert Island!  It's fairly compact, and the campsites a little close to each other, but each site still manages to feel private.  The campsite is brand new, and the amenities are very nice.  The welcome center even has free wifi (though, leave your devices at home!).  The bathhouses are clean and have flush toilets and running water in the sinks, but they do not have showers, which seems like an odd choice.

There are some good hiking trails nearby, and the sky is DARK at night!  On a clear night, this is the perfect place for some stargazing.

Each site has a campfire ring, but the rings do not have grill grates.  So bring your own or bring some roasting sticks if you want to cook over the campfire.  

You are not allowed to collect downed wood for fires, but there is a self service firewood stand in the nearby town of Winter Harbor, so bring some small bills for the payment box.

All-in-all, this is a highly recommended campsite!  Have fun!

We spent 3 nights in Acadia National Park. Our first night was at the Blackwoods Campground and the last 2 were at the Schoodic Woods Campground. This review is for Schoodic Woods. 

Before visiting Acadia I didn't realize that the 2 areas of Acadia National Park are pretty far from each other. Blackwoods Campground is on Mount Desert Island and is only about a 10 minute drive to Bar Harbor whereas Schoodic Woods Campground is on the Schoodic Peninsula and is closer to an hour away. I found Schoodic Woods to be more peaceful and more spaced out than Blackwoods. It felt further removed from the usual action of a national park. The sites were large and private. We stayed in a long, pull through site which I honestly tend to avoid because they sometimes feel less private but that was definitely not the case here. Our site had electricity, water hook ups and a fire ring. 

The bathroom (no showers) was probably the nicest and cleanest I've ever been to at a campground. 

There are several hiking paths from the campground including one that takes you down to the bay which is about a mile away. The Schoodic Peninsula has a ring road which you can drive around and we stopped at Schoodic Point which was spectacular- huge waves crashing against the rocks. The small town of Winter Harbor is also only about a 5 minute drive from the campground. 

All in all, I really loved this campground. We had a very peaceful time!

Schoodic Woods NPS campground is state of the art for the Park Service. Not only is this new Acadia campground wired for wifi and electric boxes, but the bathrooms are shockingly well-conceived. No showers, but excellent dish washing set-up. 

Sites are generally private and well-cared for. Rangers here seem more engaged & experienced than at Seawall on Mount Desert Island and actually circulate in this section of the park. Driving the one way loop is a joy compared to the loop road on Mount Desert … one feels that you almost have the park to yourself. This branch of Acadia requires a full hour's journey from the Mount Desert side by car. Sometimes there is a ferry that goes between Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor, but it was disabled by motor failure when I visited and wanted to ride to Bar Harbor.

I stayed in site A-49 on the edge of loop A. It was a good site with a large fire ring and was level but directly faces site A-50 where a halogen light was left burning all night long spoiling the dark sky effect. 

Most of Loop A seems to be for RV's with sites A-24 to A-36 and the A-50 section being more suitable for tents. Sites A-40 to A-50 seem to have more shade than sun but it's variable. I would include A-31;A-32; A 34 as shaded sites. My impression is that A-27; A-37; A-43 are mostly sunny. A-39 was small, sloped- not level.

Schoodic Woods is the best of the three Acadia National Park Campgrounds for camping, though the worst for convenience to major attractions. Opened only in 2015, the facilities here are ample, new, and well-maintained compared to the two other Acadia campgrounds.

Schoodic Woods lives off the "main island" of Acadia, on a large, adjacent inlet and operates as a separate National Park district called, surprise, "The Schoodic District".

There are a couple short, easy trails accessible by foot from within the campground. Schoodic Loop Road -- less popular than the main park "Park Loop Road", provides access to gorgeous shore line views and more hiking trails, but RVs and trailers aren't allowed past the campground entrance, which is fairly early on the road. If you have a campervan, you may be able to pass as a car for full access to the Schoodic Loop Road, however the Schoodic District, being newer, is the most heavily trafficked and closely enforced area of Acadia National Park by the Park Rangers, and so the more you look like an "RV", the less likely you are to make the cut.

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INTERNET: Access here varies quite a bit. The "Standard" site loops have 1-2 bars of T-Mobile and Verizon LTE that seems usable for basic e-mail and slow web-browsing, but little else. There is a good amount of tree coverage, but the campsites are well laid out and fairly open toward the road. Our Starlink worked flawlessly here for 6 straight days. In the "RV" classified sites, there is also campground WiFi with its own password provided free-of-charge by the National Park, but the service is so slow as to be basically unusable.

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MAJOR PROS: The newest, most quiet, relaxed, well maintained and well Rangered of the three Acadia campgrounds. Bathrooms are less than a decade old and the campground overall resolves virtually all of the issues you find at Blackwoods and Seawall. The bathrooms also have fully functional exterior dishwashing areas outside where they even provide Dawn dish soap.

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What Schoodic Woods Campground lacks in accessibility to Acadia's main attractions, it makes up for as a campground experience. Although you'll be doing quite a bit more driving to all the park's best features (close to an hour each way), you'll also have the most pleasant, clean, accommodating camping experience in the National Park here.

There are a few trails accessible within or nearby the Campground, including a very well maintained bike loop, a 4.7 mile trail accessible from behind the Group Camping loop, and the highlight, the Schoodic Harbor Trail accessible from just past the Campground visitor center.

The nearby town of Winter Harbor is the smallest and least useful of nearby towns for provisions, but there are a few small roadside grocers and gas stations. As with the other two campgrounds, firewood is not available in the park itself, but is available from multiple nearby roadside vendors for $3 to $5 a bundle and the park will even encourage you to use these.

An excellent camping experience overall, minus one star for the lack of showers -- not available in any Acadia NP campground -- and for the distance of travel required to reach some of the park's high points. Other than that, this is the place to choose.

we stayed here last year on our vacation to maine,we actually made a wrong turn,ended up getting there very late,they left the key for us to find and were very hospitable the entire visit. we stayed for 2 days,ready to go back again,we stayed in a cabin,it was very clean...the park was very quiet and they had all the supplies we needed... excellent campground!!

We stayed 7 nights here and really enjoyed the campground and surrounding area. We were in B loop, site # B19 we had water & electric hook up. Our site was very private most of them are in this loop were in.  We were across from the bathrooms which the bathroom area has Wi-Fi. Since we were close we had Wi-Fi at our site which was nice. The sites are very big and all in this loop are pull through sites. Big tall trees, lots of song birds and no bugs the week we were there. There is a visitor center onsite and clean restrooms. No showers onsite so come prepared. If you have the senior lifetime National Park pass the sites are 1/2 off. 

Loop A the sites weren't as nice or as big and most not private. We liked the B loop much better.

As you leave the campground and take a left Frazer Point is about a 5 minute drive. Excellent place to see a sunset. There are picnic tables and fire pits if you want to just hang out there. The sunsets were amazing. We had a hard rain at sunset that only lasted a few minutes. When I turned around there was an amazing double rainbow. As it faded it became a big pink dome. We had never seen anything like it. I showed it to a ranger and she asked me to post it on the Acadia NP Hiking group on facebook. I have shared it in this review.  

There are lots of trails for hiking in the park. This part of Acadia is peaceful and laidback. 

Once you pass Frazer point it becomes a one way loop that goes along the shoreline with overlooks and Schoodic Point. Beautiful drive. It's 2 lane so a great place to ride your bike or walk. I believe it's about 5 or 6 miles through the National Park. 

 When you come out of the park there is the Bunkers seafood & Spirits. WE had a lobster roll and steamed mussels. It was good. A little further down the road is the pickled Wrinkle, next door to Me & Ben's dairy Creme. Great Ice cream. There's always a line so be patient. 

There is a small grocery store in town (Winter Harbor Provisions) they had a great selection from meats to veggies. There are a few shops in town yet not much. We ate at Chases it was ok. The mudslides were amazing yet the food was just Ok. 

We drove to Prospect Harbor & Milbridge (there's a grocery (Bayside) in Milbridge too).  Driving 186 back from Prospect Harbor we stopped at a farm that had a little fresh farm stand/store that had a sign out on the road. We bought fresh lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, beets and local honey.  Then we passed a Fresh pie farm stand that had pies and slices of pies and cookies for sale. We also saw a sign for farm fresh eggs and Ray's Meats. Ray's meats was amazing. The best big ham steak, ground beef, Ribeye steaks and more. They cut everything while you wait. It was all so good.

Great camp ground all the host we’re great and pleasant. We sleep in a tent the first year, site was good size with good fire place placement. The second time we rented a cabin. Clean and hey it was very clean and comfortable.