One of America’s most beautiful national parks, Acadia National Park is an incredible place to explore by doing outdoor recreation activities like hiking, biking, horseback riding, and rock climbing. To make your visit to the park especially memorable and spend as much time as possible here, there are camping options both inside the park and in the surrounding areas. You can choose a national park campground or a private RV park to meet your needs and get the dose of nature that you’ve been craving either by yourself or with your favorite people.
Here are some options for the best camping near Acadia National Park!
Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort, Bar Harbor
You can book a site at the Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort for your coastal Maine trip and enjoy lots of amenities with your family. A top camping site near Bar Harbor, this RV park has options to put your RV or tent right on the water. It’s a pet-friendly resort with a playground, sports courts, Wi-Fi hotspot, swimming pool, store, and laundry facilities. You’ll occasionally find magic shows and ice cream socials hosted here by the staff as well.
Narrows Too Camping Resort, Trenton
You can bring your RV to the Narrows Too Camping Resort or rent a cabin to be especially comfortable here. This RV resort features 200 long and level campsites with views of the ocean. It’s in a great location overlooking Mt. Desert Island and to go hiking at Acadia National Park nearby. The resort amenities here include a dog park, clubhouse, water frontage, swimming pool, laundry facilities, Wi-Fi, and camp store. Fun things to look forward to here are community campfire socials, ice cream socials, and community potlucks.
Acadia Seashore Camping & Cabins, Sullivan
Acadia Seashore Camping & Cabins is located along U.S. Route 1 between Mount Desert and the Schoodic Peninsula. It’s a convenient place to stay near Acadia National Park and that also offers “honeywagon” service, laundry machines, and free Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, the Donnell Pond Beach is just 12 minutes away. The rates for sites vary based on whether you want a pull-through, back-in, or primitive site. For summer rentals, there is also the option of renting a tiny house that sleeps up to four people.
Bar Harbor Campground, Bar Harbor
The Bar Harbor Campground is the closest campground to the town of Bar Harbor and a great place to be when you want to visit Acadia National Park. The quiet, family-owned campground is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day and accommodates both RVs and tents. It does not take advance reservations or credit cards. From the campground, you can use the free shuttle service between June and October because the shuttle stops here about 24 times per day during that time.
Bass Harbor Campground, Bass Harbor
For your Downeast camping experience, consider staying at the Bass Harbor Campground, which is a half-mile from the lighthouse and two miles from the seawall. There are 120 sites here for tents, pop-ups, and TVs, as well as eight cabins and three yurts. Amenities offered at the Bass Harbor Campground include a heated pool, dog run, laundromat, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, recreation room, camp store, and dump station. This is a pet-friendly campground where you pay an extra $5 per day for your pet and follow the rules.
Acadia East Campground, Gouldsboro
The Acadia East Campground is a backcountry-style tent campground near Acadia National Park that is rustic and peaceful. It is not located inside the park but is rather about 10 minutes away from the park’s Schoodic District. It’s dog-friendly, self-serve, and away from the crowds. This campground cannot accommodate RVs, travel trailers, or vans. You’ll need to put your vehicle in the main parking area and then hike to your campsite with your tent about 50 to 300 feet from your parking spot. This is a carry-in/carry-out campground, which means you’ll need to take your trash with you when you leave. A restroom is available here but there is no drinkable water on site, so make sure to bring your own water.
Blackwoods Campground, Mount Desert
One of the several campgrounds located right inside Acadia National Park is the Blackwoods Campground. This is a good campground for small and large tents, although some sites can accommodate small RVs. The campground offers flush toilets, running water, a dump station, picnic tables, and fire rings. There are no showers here, but you can use the shower facilities a half mile away for a fee. Stay here to be in a wooded area and a 10-minute walk from the ocean. The campground is six miles south of Bar Harbor.
Somes Sound View Campground, Mount Desert
The Somes Sound View Campground is a quiet, private family campground that is open for business between May and October. It is under new ownership and offers camping for RVs, tents, and cabin campers. The campground is on Mount Desert Island and is a peaceful retreat along the Atlantic Ocean shore. It welcomes dogs and has sites that are nestled among hardwood and evergreen trees. There is a centrally located bath house onsite, for which you’ll need to purchase shower tokens at the office to use. Fun things to do while staying here are rent kayaks, use the free paddle boat in the quarry, take a swim in the heated swimming pool, and go hiking and biking nearby.
Schoodic Woods Campground, Winter Harbor
The Schoodic Woods Campground is located in Acadia National Park and is open for camping between late May and October. It’s the only campground on the mainland section of the park and three miles southeast of Winter Harbor on the Schoodic Peninsula. Camping options here are hike-in tent sites, drive-up tent or small RV sites, RV with electric-only sites, RV with water and electric sites, and group tent sites. This campground is about 60 to 70 minutes from Bar Harbor and does not have cell phone reception; however, there is internet connectivity seasonally.
Smuggler's Den Campground, Southwest Harbor
Another option is to stay at the Smuggler’s Den Campground, which is a third-generation, family-owned campground with over 100 sites. This is a great spot for RVs, campers, pop-ups, tents, and weekly rentals. It’s a Mount Desert Island campground with shade trees and sunny areas to enjoy. You can participate in family-friendly activities on site, walk to the many local hiking trails, and drive to island attractions during your vacation. Perks of staying here are the heated pool, kiddie pool, free hot showers, and easy access to Acadia National Park. The campground borders the park and is a 20-minute drive to Bar Harbor.
Hadley's Point Campground, Bar Harbor
Hadley’s Point Campground is on the northernmost point of Mount Desert Island and just minutes from the main entrance of Acadia National Park. It has RV sites with full hookups, tent sites, and cabins to rent. There are many amenities to enjoy at this family-friendly campground, as well as Sunday church services offered on the grounds seasonally. The facilities at Hadley’s include a heated swimming pool, shuttle bus service, modern bathrooms, playground, basketball court, and camp store. The visitor’s center and entrance to Acadia National Park is just four miles from this campground.
Bar Harbor / Oceanside KOA Holiday, Bar Harbor
When you stay at the Bar Harbor / Oceanside KOA Holiday, you’ll be on the west side of the island and can hop on the shuttle to get right from the campground to Acadia National Park. There are lots of activities for families here, including s’mores nights, theme weekends, white water rafting, holiday fun, and bike rentals. The sites can accommodate rigs up to 70 feet long, and there are also tent sites and cabins available here. At this KOA, you’ll also have a dog park, Wi-Fi, snack bar, and firewood available for purchase.
Seawall Campground, Southwest Harbor
The Seawall Campground is a campground located within Acadia National Park. It is a family-friendly campground that has sites for tents and RVs up to 35 feet long. However, maneuvering larger RVs around the campground can be a challenge. At Seawall, you’ll find running water, flush toilets, a dump station, picnic tables, and fire rings. The closest shower facilities and camping supply stores are about a mile from this campground. Plan to stay in this camping area when you want to be in a quiet and wooded spot near many lovely hiking trails and Echo Lake.
Quietside Campground & Cabins, Bernard
You’ll enjoy a little extra space and room to relax when you book a site at the Quietside Campground. This campground has 37 wooded sites, seven camping cabins, two rustic non-electric cabins, a two-story camping cabin, three hobbit huts, water/electric sites, tent sites, and two full-service bathrooms. There is no dump station or sewer hookups onsite, as this is a better place for tents and small campers and pop-ups rather than large RVs. The camping season here runs from mid-July through Columbus Day, so it really is a summertime place to camp. Dogs are allowed here as long as they are quiet and cleaned up after.
