Base Camp — Umbagog Lake State Park

As we got about a mile from the campground we had a moose walk out in the street in front of us. It looked at us for a few minutes and took off. That was a great sign. We were there for 14 nights over the 4th of July. We were in site 42 which has a waterview. You can kayak right from your campsite. It's a little tight trying to back in, yet the site itself is big. We had water & electric and there is a dump station onsite. Our site was shaded and private. They sell ice & firewood there along with a small store with a few supplies. We had a great sunset view and then the lighting bugs come out. The bullfrogs would sing and the Loons are nice to hear & see.

The staff  and volunteers were amazing, helpful and you can tell they love their jobs.

There are some waterfront sites near the swim beach too some do not have any shade.

Site 1D is right on the water and has a little shade. Site 1 C next to 1 D isn't bad either. Site 41 is nice yet it's more for a tent camper. Site 43 backs up to the boat house so you don't have water access yet it's a big shaded site. 

They have primitive sites you can boat to or you can hire the park to take you back & forth. I believe some are as far as 12 miles from the park. They have these metal boats that the front end drops down you can walk stuff right on & off the boat. There are side bar kayak/canoe carriers too so you can take your kayak with you.  The park also rents kayaks & canoes.

We really enjoyed sitting on our chairs in the water at our site watching the boat take people out. 

There is a nice bath house and laundry room. There are some cabins too. 

When you leave the park and go left your in Maine within a few miles. There is a little  store called Upton's that has some food, beer & wine, water and items for sale along with they do lunches and breakfast sandwiches. We bought some chicken salad, potato salad and fresh carrot cake cupcakes from there it was good. If you pass the store you will come to Grafton Notch state park. There are some overlooks and hiking trails. Screw Auger falls was nice and the beautiful wildflowers were in full bloom. 

When you leave the park and turn right toward Errol there is a small grocery store that was just opening they had some groceries and Liquor. There is large outfitter/grocery/ Ace hardware store and a gas station. It was packed. We needed propane so Ace filled our tank. The outfitter store sells hunting/fishing permits and any sporting good item you can think of. There are a few little stores to shop for a souvenir. 

Before you get to Errol you can take a right onto route 16 and drive to rangeley Maine. What a cute town with shops and good places to eat. There was a fresh market  on wednesdays and a fresh seafood truck that sold good seafood from the truck. We bought native scallops, Salmon & shrimp and made a excellent dinner. The first 7 miles of 16 were a little rough yet once you hit the border of Main it's all new paved road. We ate at Parkside & main. Had a lobster roll of coarse and the clam chowder was the best.  On the way back to camp we got some farm fresh eggs for $3.00 a dozen. There is an IGA grocery store there too. 

We really enjoyed just sitting in our chairs in the water at our site and chilling. There were a lot of baby ducks that would visit everyday. They would swim around us & between us while we sat in the water. Very peaceful and quiet. 

On the 4th of July someone had some great fireworks and put on a good show. We loved this campground it was a beautiful place to spend time.

General: 27 sites with electricity and water, two cabins, 33 remote campsites, and four remote cabins in isolated locations around Umbagog Lake accessible only by boat. 

Site Quality: Some sites have a lake view while some are tucked in among the trees. Site 1A was the fourth up from the lakeshore but still gave us a decent view of the lake. A fire ring and picnic table were at the site. My one complaint is that the electric hookup was so far from where we had to park that we were unable to access it without a very long extension cord (which we did not have). Fortunately, we did not need electricity.

Bathhouse: Quite possibly the most immaculate campground bathroom I’ve ever encountered! They are cleaned at 8 am but when we arrived at 6:30 pm, they were still very clean. Soap and paper towels are appreciated. There was also a vault toilet closer to the wooded sites, although it would not be an unreasonable walk to the main bathhouse. 

Activities/Amenities: Boat launch and slips, fishing, and swimming. Canoe and kayak rentals are available. The building that has restrooms, laundry, and showers also has a large deck with chairs so you can enjoy the view. The sunsets can be spectacular! There is a small store at the office. 

Although just an overnight stay for us, it was very enjoyable. We conversed with a ranger in the morning, and he told us that even when the campground was full (in the summer months), it is a very quiet campground.

I stayed here for the first time in August last year, but returned in October this year to enjoy the autumn colors. This is a lovely state park on a large lake, offering drive-in sites with and without water/electric hookups plus a number of primitive boat-in sites around the lake. In 2019 the bathhouse was renovated, delaying the season opening, but it was worth the weight. Bathrooms are clean and bright, offering hot showers ($) and laundry. 

Site fill up on weekends, especially prime lakefront sites.  You can choose something more open and grassy or a wooded site. There's a swimming area and boat rentals. The office has limited hours. If you arrive after 5 or 6 (depending on the day/month), you'll need to check in in the morning and won't be able to buy firewood on site.

Off site, it's a short drive to Grafton Notch State Park (ME) for hiking and waterfalls, a little farther to Bethel, ME for canoeing, biking, and other outdoor activities. The Umbabog National Wildlife Refuge also offers hiking and boating opportunities with moose, loons, eagles, and beavers, to name a few.

It was bitterly cold overnight (24-27 degrees), so I was grateful for my trailer, but it made for some beautiful, if foggy, mornings and brilliantly clear skies for stargazing. If a tent or trailer isn't your chohice, there are cabins available, too.

I had heard about Umbagog Lake for years from my father who had taken multiple canoe camping trips in the area, but had never been here myself. Although it was my first time, it won't be my last. My review addresses the base camp, because I haven't been to the remote sites. This was a private campground converted to a state park about 20 years ago. Reservations are available online via Reserve America. It's also one of the few NH state parks that offers hookups (water & electric) if that matters to you. They have small bathrooms with flush toilets and showers (cold water free, hot water $0.25 for 5min; water pressure inconsistent. In addition, there are a few pit toilets scattered around.

Sites are generally small and wooded, but sites 1a-d and 3-4 are open/sunny and near the beach. Sites 41-43 are also lakefront, but wooded, large and level. I started in site 7 (the numbering system here makes no sense) and moved to site 48 after a couple of days. I had space for my teardrop trailer, but site 48 was much smaller. It was also close to the entrance and the parking lot. Avoid site 49 unless that's you're only option (it's on the point at the entrance)

The lake is a bright spot here and rowboat/kayak/canoe rentals are available as well as boat slips. Bring your own boat and there is a separate lot for parking your trailer. If you want a fire, buy your firewood when you arrive. I made the mistake of waiting and the office closed by 5pm on a weeknight and there weren't many options outside the campground.

Things to do: canoeing, kayaking, boating. In addition to Umbagog Lake itself, the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge has multiple boat launches. I recommend heading over to Steamer Diamond Landing for early morning paddle with the loons. UNWR provides waterproof maps at the launches or at the visitor center (heard toward Errol and turn right/north on 16)

Moosewatching: pick up same map mentioned above from UNWR and look for the moose icons to give you a heads up where to look. Then as you drive along, look for the muddy wallows on the side of the road.You're most likely to see moose very early (sunrise) or as dusk. I saw 5 during my 5 days there.

Birdwatching: I loved the loons, bald eagles, and herons

Stargazing: it's be great if it weren't from the lights shining from the big trailers near the waterfront. Enjoy the dark sky during a new moon.

Grafton Notch State Park (Screw Auger Falls, Old Speck Mtn, Baldpate Mtn, AT crosses here); Step Falls Reserve (waterfall/swimming); and Bethel Maine are 30-60 minutes away in the opposite direction.

My family and I stayed on site 1C Lakefront in a 15 ft. travel trailer. We found our campsite to be smaller than expected, and the water and electric hookup were in a rather difficult spot to get to. Not much privacy between campsites, but neighbors were friendly. Our site was close enough to the lake, which made it easy to drop in our kayaks and canoe. The campground does have boat slips, as well as a gas pump, so there were larger boats, but that didn't get in the way at all. We were minutes from Grafton Notch State Park, which had 2 hikes that had waterfalls and swimming holes, Step Falls Preserve, and Screw Auger Falls. There are also several turnouts and a parking lot leading to trails, and a picnic area. We enjoyed early morning and late evening kayak/canoe trips, that were filled with fishing, and wildlife viewing. The beach is shallow, and perfect for young children. The staff were friendly, the coin operated showers were hot, and the bathrooms were clean. Would definitely recommend coming, and enjoying the beautiful lake.