The location is right outside of the national park, and is a motel / campground. You could get a room, RV or tent site. We reserved a tent site and picked once we arrived. The staff was friendly and they do have a store with ice / wood / etc if needed. They also had a breakfast option.
The tent sites are just on a field of grass. They are right next to one another without any separation so proximity to neighbors is very close. However, the view was great as you could see the badlands.
The bathrooms and showers were rough, and we refrained from using them. Not very well maintained or cleaned often it seems. Also, bugs. Especially at night when the beatles come out.
For RV users, looks like they had full hookups but unsure of the amps. Probably the usual 50.
Overall we wouldn’t mind coming back!
This review is for the campground on Big Island, we stayed in spot 21.
The spots are very well maintained, but close to neighbors. The facilities are brand new, and very clean. Had a toilet, shower, and dish washing area. The park office does sell firewood and other things, so definitely take a look when you check in!
We dropped our kayak into the lake at the boat launch, which was a 2 minute drive to the other side of the island from the campsite. The lake was great, and calm.
We really enjoyed it here! Except for the mosquitoes, so pack repellent!
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!