We stayed for 4 nights at the start of August. Our site had shade, an amazing ocean view but was off the beach. The next site (T2) was very close, but thankfully was only occupied one night of our stay. Site T3 was more private and up a bit further on the hill. This place is off the beater path, was mostly quiet and had gorgeous views and lots of options to camp. Well centered for exploring Olympic NP.

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).

The campground is down a 3 mile road with nothing but woods. It sets a peaceful tone. The sides here are spaced out and some are very secluded. We stayed at a more open site (A1) with a road on both sides, but it wasn’t a problem due to it only being campground traffic. Our site was large enough for our giant tent and a friends normal sized one, with extra room to spare. There are stairs and/or incline roads to get around and to the bathroom/showers. The bathrooms were clean and the site hosts were very friendly and helpful.

Mostly people were respectful of quiet hours and by midnight on Friday and Saturday all you could hear were loons on the lake.

When you’re at Russel Pond it feels so wonderfully peaceful but the campground is close to lots of great hikes and attraction.