Horning's Hideout

We visited Horning's Hideout for Faerieworlds, a large music festival. Camping is very basic, there are lots of sites, many with no auto access and it is very hilly. There is a disk golf course, fishing and lots of peacocks. I would not recommend this site if you have mobile issues, however I have had a stroke, leaving my left side weak, I managed to get around with just a walking stick, there were a few spots where I had to stop and rest. Only a few spots have tables and firepits. There is a large covered site with tables. I think this would be a great spot for groups, reunions or large get togethers. You do have to watch the peacocks as they love to get into food left out. It is out of the way and I would not recommend large RV's as the road down is fairly twisty. They had to close the road out for 2 school buses but it only takes about 10 mins to get there from the main road. If you plan on using a GPS make sure to also print their directions, everyone using their GPS had them taking a road that was actually someone's driveway but the printed instructions are easy to follow.

We stumbled on this random but fun campground nearly on accident while looking for places to camp near Portland. Just outside of town (half an hour) there's a small winding road that brings you to this green, well maintained and fun site. There's peacocks wandering the grounds, including at least two albino ones. Parking right at front, beautiful streams and a great pond for fishing. The kiddos are pretty much guaranteed to catch a fish, which is why we came there, and they offer plenty of help including a "trout shack." They charge for fish by the pound (or hourly if catch and release). There's also lovely covered tables around the pond for lunches and a whole amphitheater apparently for things like Fiddle Fest and Fairy Land festivals. The only two weird things (and the reason for four stars instead of five) is that there's very much a feeling of the whole place being run by a family and/or it being a private campground. There's two or three private houses right in the middle of everything with "keep out/private" signs, which makes it feel a bit like you're trespassing on someone's land, but our interactions with the owner were nice enough that that wasn't much of an issue. They also charge for just about everything, including $4 for parking if you're only staying for a day, and an extra $7 per person beyond the first 3 for camping (so a family of four acutally pays $32 instead of $25 for a site). Worth trying at least once though for the beautiful woods and fields, proximity to Portland, and especially the fishing.