The Best Tent Camping on Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Campground
Tent camping. While fun, and to some, authentic – it can also have times that aren’t so fun. We have certainly had our ups and downs with sleeping in tents, but our time at Mount Desert Campground was definitely one of the best experiences we have ever had! If you’re looking for camping options in the Bar Harbor/ Acadia National Park area, consider Mount Desert Campground for your Maine vacation! We will even deem this campground as the best tent camping on Mount Desert Island. Here are some reasons we loved it:
The Sites
The best tent camping on Mount Desert Island would of course come with some of the best sites around. Not only were they laid out with beautiful views, but they came with some sweet amenities as well. As tent campers, we appreciated the wooden platforms to pitch our tent on.
Since a lot of the campground is on rock, the platforms make it easier to stake down your tent. The office will give you nails if you need to hammer them into the wood. We never had an issue with the weather, as our late September trip was perfect, lacking rain and most nights were free of wind, and it was as if it was the week where summer and fall collided into a happy place for both worlds.
The platforms had a space for our tent, and another deck for our picnic table and eating area. Most sites had a platform for your tent, and some for the table as well. It was great for keeping our tent clean and eating area organized.
The sites came equipped with firepits and a grill to cook over. A water spigot was only a few feet away, which made our clean up easier. The sites definitely had all of the essentials plus added conveniences to make our time there even more comfortable, which is why we deem it as the best tent camping on Mount Desert Island.
The Ambiance and Vibe
I am not even kidding when I tell you that the campground smelled like how you would expect Maine to smell. You know when you recall a certain smell that brings you back to a place and time in your life, and there is no way you can recreate that smell yourself if you tried? Mount Desert Campground has a certain smell that was so pleasing and satisfying, and it was an added accent of scent that created the entire picture of what this campground was. There was the sparkling pine aroma met with the saltiness that wafted off of Somes Sound that truly set off a sense of relaxing and wilderness.
The sunrises showed the extended views of trees and rock as they mirrored on the sound without a skewed interruption, and ripples merely adding to the picture painted. Each morning we would open our tent door to an unfathomable picture of morning on the sound. Sunset was a vibrant picture of orange and blues, and it was magical each night to watch the the sky fade from a rich pallet a day collapsing into a crisp night sky scintillating stars and fireflies.
Mount Desert Island Campground only allows tents and trailers under 20 feet, meaning it is full of trees and it is very quiet, both of which we love. This is one of the major reasons it is considered as the best tent camping on Mount Desert Island to us.
The Bathrooms
Yes, I said it. The bathrooms were amazing. As a mom to a young daughter, I was relieved (no pun intended) that the bathrooms were clean, not scary, and actually really unique. I married a man who has no problem pooping by a tree stump for an entire vacation. In fact, our first year we camped like this. By year 2, I gently informed him that while I have no problem pooping in the woods, crouching next to whatever leaves those are, making friends with the spiders on the stump, I would REALLY enjoy our vacations if I had an actual toilet and some sort of water to wash up after.
The bathrooms at Mount Desert Campground take campground bathrooms to a unique level. I never thought camping would ever have bathrooms this nice. One thing to note is that the showers are coin-operated, but that was never a problem for us. Just make sure you have some quarters on hand, or trade in for some at the office.
For me, having decent bathrooms aren’t a make or break for a vacation spot, but they are an added bonus and just take another worry off of my plate as a mom needing a place to take our kiddo, and to get cleaned up.
Location Makes This The Best Tent Camping on Mount Desert Island
As said before, the campground is on gorgeous Somes Sound, right in the middle of Mount Desert Island. My husband and daughter would go fishing right down from our campsite, which not only made memories, but gave them something to do without even leaving the site.
Mount Desert Campground is located right in the center of all of the things to do on Mount Desert Island, making it a key place to stay in order to get to those must see and do spots there. Bar Harbor, a charming ocean-side town that is a must while there, is only 7 miles away. Depending which spots you want to see of Acadia National Park, you can access them anywhere from a mile and up from the campground. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is about 12 miles. Everything is within reach from Mount Desert Campground!
Not only fishing was available at the campground itself, but you could do so much more! Explore the shallow waters as the tide goes out for neat sea creatures. Rent a kayak and explore the beautiful sound and views you can’t see any other way. Check out the campground’s community building called The Gathering Place, filled with rainy day activities like board games, books, and even some shopping for your campground merch. It was also our go to for coffee emergencies, tasty baked goods, and wifi needs. The location and things to do make this place some of the best tent camping on Mount Desert Island.
Mount Desert Campground is the best tent camping on Mount Desert Island for us
We were so pleasantly surprised by this beautiful campground on our trip to Maine. As tent campers trying to have a relaxing, quiet, and memorable vacation, we found all of those at Mount Desert Campground!
The location was truly a sweet spot for getting to all of the places we wanted to while we had a short time checking Maine off our travel bucket list. We were able to hit up so much of our list because the must dos were within very convenient proximity of the campground.
The amenities were above and beyond our essential needs, and we found ourselves relaxed and not worrying about anything because of the comforts in reach. The bathrooms can’t be beat for tent camping, and we loved the platforms to pitch our tent on.
Best of all, the sights and vibes of this campground can’t be found many other places. From sun up to sun down and into the night, you will find beauty at all hours here. Experience Maine in all senses simply by camping at Mount Desert Campground. It is a place we deem as one of our best tent camping experiences, and the best tent camping on Mount Desert Island.
Check out some other places we’ve found beauty in and how we go about our trip planning!
