RE: Favorite Campgrounds in Maine & Why!

[garym053]

 
We haven t camped out of New England much, saving that for when we are full timing or half timing. Thought I would start some threads on my favorite CG s in each state. Feel free to add yours! I should tell you up front that we are empty nesters who prefer wildlife and quiet to planned activities. Don t care about hook ups or Pot-Lucks!
 
 MAINE! LOBSTER! STEAMERS! What more needs to be said? Oh yeah, a place to stay! The year before we started camping, we spent 45 days & nights in Maine! We stayed at one resort on the beach in Wells where one nights rate would have paid for 8 nights camping 1/2 a mile down the road! Oh well, live and learn!
 
 Favorite Campgrounds:
 
 Hermit Island CG- Small Point, ME. No hook-ups, no planned activities, just ocean and seafood. 5 beaches. Hiking trails along the cliffs overlooking Casco Bay. Did I mention Seafood? Lobster and steamers cooked over an open campfire. THIS is camping. Fairly large secluded sites. Get a site near a real bathroom, not a pit toilet! Do you remember what pit toilets are like in hot summer weather?
 
 Beach Acres CG- Wells, ME. Hook-ups available. 3/4 mile from ocean. Not very quiet. This is where people decided to take a shortcut through my site. Never had that experience before here! No privacy. Pool, Games, etc. A place to eat and sleep after a day on the beach! Sites along the woods in the back are best.
 
 Haven t tried any sites in the Old Orchard Beach area yet, but intend to. This year I hope to get up to the Moosehead Lake area.

[PI]

 garym053
Garym,
 We had heard that Hermit Island could not accomodate larger popups. We have a Utah....25  opened. Is that really an issue???

[garym053]

 garym053
It is true that some of there sites may not be able to handle a 25  pop-up, BUT some could. We ve used some inventive ways to get our pop-up level in some sites! I would tell them the size camper and ask them for a bigger site, there are plenty that would accomodate your camper.
 It s a hard place to get reservations at! It is very popular, however if you re into hook-ups, pools, and planned activities, this is probably not the place to go! I may just have to call them and see if they have any sites open in August now!

[GaryWT]

 garym053
My all time favorite Maine Campground is Bayley s camp resort.  Old Orchard Beach area, bus to beach, great pools, entertainment, great area to be in.

[GeneF]

 garym053
PI
 
 Looks like Gary and I follow each other around a little bit.
 
 We have camped at Hermit Island a couple of times.  Many people really love the place but it was just okay with us.
 
 The variety of sites available range from the nice ocean front ones to the hard to get in smaller ones.
 
 The ocean view ones were probable booked in January.  
 
 As Gary said, they do have plenty of beaches and I think it was called Sand Dollar beach that was the one we really liked.  Kind of secluded and not that big.
 
 We had a large site with some friends on the adjoining site.  We were down in a little hollow which was a big mistake.  There wasn t a breeze to help cool things down or to get rid of the bugs.  Bugs can be a problem there.  First time I ever went out and bought some yard bug spray.
 
 Other major downer for us were the bathrooms.  They were okay, nothing fancy but our kids were younger then and the amount of graffitti carved into the stalls and woodwork was not what I needed my kids to read.  There didn t seem to be much attempt by the owners to cover it up.  Maybe Gary can comment if this has been taken care of.
 
 The main road around the campground is a narrow dirt road and one way.  Some parts are a bit of a challenge towing the camper.
 
 If you like the ocean and can get a site near it, I would say that the beaches and views make it worth it.

[GeneF]

 garym053
Recompense Shores CG outside of Freeport.
 
 We haven t been there in a few years but it use to be a favorite of ours.
 
 Just a few miles outside of Freeport and LL Bean.  There are some nice ocean view sites.
 
 It is rustic and pit toilets.  Bathroom and showers were about 1/2 mile from camping area.
 
 New owners took it over a few years ago and it seemed to not be as clean as it use to be plus they were starting to get some seasonals in that were not to proud of their campsite.
 
 Just wondering if anyone has been there recently?
 
 DW loved the place because of the ocean.

[PI]

 garym053
Thanks it is good know about Hermit Island. We have heard a lot about it but where we are so last minute, don t know if we d ever get in. I ll think about it in January. We have a cassette potty and a shower tent with an outside shower so we would probably be all set.

[Camperroo]

 garym053
we love Poland Spring Campground.  It s well kept and well run.  Managers stress family campground aspect and don t tolerate folks who bend the rules such as partying or using campground as a speedway.  Nice wooded sites, pretty lake which is great for little ones as it is very gradual, water is very clear.  Great for kayaking or canoeing.  Nice pool which was recently enlarged.  Nice campstore and clean bathrooms.  Lots of kid friendly activities offered during the day.   It s a nice relaxing place to head out to.
 
 www.polandspringcamp.com
 

[BaysideBruce]

 garym053
We just got back from Poland Spring Campground today.  We spent 4 days there and really enjoyed it.  We stayed on site 114 which was a slightly larger site than most of the others.  We really enjoyed the lake.  The swim area is great and the lake is beautiful.  Plus they have a swimming pool for the kids who don t like lake swimming.  The showers cost $0.25 but they last a good 10 mins.  The bathrooms were very clean.  (However they seemed to always clean them between 8-9 AM every morning???)  
 
 The first night we were there (Saturday night) it was a little loud.  A few sites away from ours was a group of drunks that had to yell at each other until after midnight.  However it seemed to be a weekend crowd and by Sunday afternoon all the roudies had left and the rest of the week it was wonderfully quiet.  Really enjoyed our experience there and would recommend it.