Camping in Acadia National Park

Camping in Acadia National Park

It’s time to go camping in Acadia National Park, Maine! 

Located just 50 miles from Bangor, Maine and about 160 miles from Portland, Acadia National Park offers over 150 miles of trails for hiking and biking, 45 miles of carriage roads, and over 25 miles of historic motor roads!

It’s a dream destination as the oldest National Park on the East Coast and spans over 47K acres! The property includes Mount Desert Island, Isle Au Haut, and the Schoodic Peninsula.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast’, Acadia National Park is home to one of the best outdoor playgrounds the US has to offer. Open year-round, you can plan your visit around a summer road trip, fall leave change, winter ski trip, or spring break!

As one of the top 10 most visited National Parks, Acadia has over 3.5 million visitors each year. 

Camping in Acadia National Park 1
Camping in Acadia National Park means tons of hiking, biking, and exploring.

Camping in Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park offers a variety of scenic terrain from mountains and forests to wetlands and beaches! Whether your trip lasts 1 night or 1 week, you’ll find much to do in the nearby towns, especially Bar Harbor! 

The area offers both private campgrounds and ones located directly inside Acadia National Park making it easy for travelers looking for an overnight campsite!

In this post, we’ll cover camping in Acadia National Park as well as private campgrounds nearby. 

Let’s get started-

Acadia National Park Campgrounds

Acadia National Park offers 3 main camping areas, in addition to five lean-to shelters on Isle Au Haut.

There are two campgrounds on Mount Desert Island and one campground on the Schoodic Peninsula. Depending on your needs for your trip, you might want to choose to stay in one campground over the others, as they offer different amenities and sites.  

Blackwoods Campground Acadia 

Located just 5 miles south of Bar Harbor inside Acadia National Park [Maine] with reasonably cheap camping fees. Grab a tent or RV site for $30 or a group tent site for $60 and bring some friends along.

Non-electric RV sites are also available for only $30 a night. Running water, flush toilets, and a dump station are all available at the campgrounds.

Make sure you plan accordingly, as only one vehicle is allowed to park at each campsite, so prepare to use the overflow parking areas and shuttle your group back and forth if needed. 

Just a 10 minute walk to the beach, Blackwoods Campground offers tourists a ticket to explore Maine’s coast, beautiful scenery, and a variety of recreational activities. Choose to bike, hike or catch the Island Explorer Shuttle to take you around for FREE. 

Blackwood is open from May to October with gates closing for the winter.

Mid-June through mid-October is the prime season for this Acadia campground, so please be sure to make a reservation using the online reservation site. Sites are made available in the online reservation system on a 2-month rolling basis, so you can plan ahead! There are no walk-up sites, reservations are required. 

Blackwoods Campground  Reservations

Camping in Acadia National Park 2
There are miles of coastline to explore when you go camping in Acadia National Park, Maine.

Seawall Campground

18 miles from the quaint town of Bar Harbor inside Acadia National Park, Seawall offers small and large tent sites as well as RV camping for rigs up to 35 ft. Located on the western side of Mount Desert Island, you’ll enjoy the best of Acadia with options for hiking, biking, historic sites, canoeing, and beautiful scenery!

All campsites are within a 10-minute walk to the ocean, which is a wonderful stroll to enjoy. Sites are wooded and do not provide electric service. There is an on-site dump station and dishwashing station for your use during your visit. And although there are no shower facilities located onsite, if you need a bathhouse, there is a fee-based shower facility located just 1 mile from the campground along with a small camping store for supplies!

Site fees range from $22 for a walk-in tent site, to $30 for a drive-in tent or RV site. To book a site for your RV, it must meet the size restrictions since navigating is an issue. Group tent sites are also available for $60 each. 

Seawall does have a Ranger Station and on-site staff available from 9am-8pm. They also offer interpretive programs; which we definitely suggest you consider attending!

The Acadia’s Island Explorer shuttle bus offers FREE shuttle service for travelers back and forth from the park to local destinations, attractions, events, and the regional airport. Shuttle service is only available from late June through mid-October. 

The park itself is open from late May to October and offers reservations on a 2-month rolling basis so book in advance!

Beware: Navigating and maneuvering RVs inside this campground is not the easiest. In fact, let it be known this campground is not big rig friendly and driving inside can be difficult. 

Seawall Campground Reservations

Camping in Acadia National Park 3
Camping in Acadia National Park, Maine means a night in the forest.

Schoodic Woods Campground

Located on the Schoodic Peninsula, inside beautiful Acadia National Park [Maine], the Schoodic Woods Campground offers a 100% wooded campsite just a short walk from the beach! 

With the ability to host large and small RVs and campers as well as the traditional tent camper, this campground does not disappoint. All sites, with the exception of group and hike-in tent sites, have electricity for campers to use during their stay. Some drive-in tent sites and small RVs have 20 amp services, while other sites have 20/30/50 amp. If you grab a site inside the ‘B-loop’ you’ll also have access to water during your stay. 

Nightly rates for Schoodic Woods Campground in Acadia National Park are:

  • Group tent sites- $60
  • RV with water and electric (20/30/50 amp)- $40
  • RV with electric only (20/30/50 amp)- $36
  • Drive-up tent/small RV (20 amp)- $30
  • Hike-in tent sites (primitive)- $22

Discounts are available for Senior and Access pass holders.

The campground offers flush toilets, potable water, and a dump station! Sites are made available on a 2-month rolling term, so booking in advance is highly recommended for this popular Acadia campground. 

The Acadia’s Island Explorer shuttle bus also offers FREE shuttle service for travelers back and forth from this park to local destinations and attractions. Shuttle service is only available from late June through mid-October. 

This campground does not have a shower house for campers to use. A fee-based facility is located nearby in the town of Winter Harbor, along with a laundry mat and grocery store. 

Enjoy almost 10 miles of hiking and biking paths, and amazing views, as well as a 6-mile one-way loop offering fantastic views of lighthouses, islands, and picturesque scenery. If you take the loop, don’t forget your camera, because vehicle turnouts are provided along the route for you to stop and take in the views! 

Schoodic Woods Campground Reservations

Camping in Acadia National Park 4
Check out some of the RV-friendly camping in Acadia National Park.

Camping inside the National Park is always a treat.

Plan ahead, though. Make sure you use those 2-month reservation windows to book early and get a spot during the prime season!

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