Since 1958, Mount Desert Campground has been providing clean and quiet grounds for campers to enjoy! While you won't find frills and gimmicks here, you will find beautiful wooded sites located along the salt water shore of Somes Sound. We take great pride in ensuring our camper's stay is a pleasant one, which is why we also provide the most up-to-date facilities. For more information, please contact us today or visit our website for more details!
We visited Mount Desert Campground this summer and were so impressed with all the steps taken to keep visitors safe during these trying times. Bathrooms were immaculate and very well ventilated, with appropriate configurations for social distancing. Office transactions and purchases of coffee and baked goods were contactless, as were any purchases of ice and firewood. Disinfecting and cleaning were done regularly. The campground itself is gorgeous, located on Somes Sound, with large, private and well maintained sites. Staff is fantastic and always helpful. My family was so grateful for the measures taken by Mount Desert Campground that let us have peace of mind and a much needed restful vacation.
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Date of stay: August 2020
Value
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Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I never thought I would spend 55$ a night for a campsite. There are sites that are more expensive, and sites that are cheaper but I figured why not spend the money to stay right on the water. Even sites that don't sit on the water have a great amount of space and trees. Due to Covid this was all I could find for a planned Acadia trip in the fall (park campgrounds did not open). After my stay, I can honestly say it was worth the cost and I would highly recommend the campground.
Since the campground sits among the rocky and mountainous coast line, they have spent the time and money building leveled platforms for all the sites. Without the platforms, the campsites would be quite miserable. I have a hard time believing any other campgrounds in the area have invested so much to make their land so comfortable for their guests.
The bathrooms are amazing. Built with wood and lots of ventilation, the open air prevents them from getting musty or moldy. Bathrooms have outlets (or at least the women's do). They are very clean and well kept.
They sell firewood, ice, and have a coffee shop. Brilliantly, you get whatever you need and they simply use your campsite as a "tab". Usually they rent kayaks as well but this was on hold this year due to covid.
Its a great location relative to Acadia. It's only about 15 minutes to popular areas of the park (Cadillac mountain, Jordan pond, etc.). Bar Harbor is also easily accessible. The campground is equally convenient to get to the less popular areas of the park such as the Schoodic region or Bass Head Island.
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I loved Mount Desert Campground! we got to crab a lot and really enjoyed watching the sea gulls try and eat crabs. I loved it! The campsite was centrally located to Acadia Park attractions and was extremely well-kept and clean, especially appreciated during COVID-19 times. We'll be back!
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Date of stay: August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We truly enjoyed everything about this campground.
Location, Location, Location - on the water, in the woods and near Cadillac Mountain, lakes, hiking, Bar Harbor etc. Plenty of bathroom facilities with showers...all kept very clean.
You feel like you are in the north woods, yet right on the water. The docks are great for viewing the sunset, taking out one of their kayaks or canoes or tying up your own. There is also a boat landing to launch your kayak/canoe/paddle board.
So close to Cadillac Mountain which was great for the sunrise pass which was 4:30am.
The staff were very helpful and friendly.
We can't wait to book for 2022!
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Date of stay: June 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Owen Craighead, Owner at Mount Desert Campground
Responded Jun 17, 2021
Thanks so much for your kind review!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We loved everything about this campground. Our spot was near the water and while at first the spots seemed close together, it never felt cramped. The shower house was clean and just a short walk from our site (there are 6 spread throughout). We rented the canoe one day and paddled the sound. We even got to see an eagle nest with a juvenile still in the nest. The location was great, we were a short drive from all the hiking we wanted to do on both sides of the island as well as Bar Harbor for a couple of dinners out. The only thing that could have made our stay better would have been if the shuttle were running while we were there.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have been camping at Mount Desert Campground for 20 years. The sites are large, with water and clean bathrooms nearby. While it's very family friendly (kids ride their bikes and hunt for crabs on Sommes Sound), it's quiet after dark and throughout the night. The Gathering Place has pastries from local bakeries each morning, as well as coffee and tea, and Giffords ice cream at night. It's close to both downtown Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I can't imagine camping anywhere else.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just packed up, on the road and thinking about the fun we had. Next year will mark a decade of coming to Mount Desert Campground! And, I am already excited and looking forward to it.
This campground is special and is the bar I measure other campgrounds by. It is the perfect blend of being with nature and have some comforts. Platforms for tents, clean bathrooms, and a Gathering Place to get fire wood, breakfast and ice cream. The views! They are incredible! The campground sites provide enough privacy, yet have shared space to be friendly with your neighbors.
The owners of the campground make the place special. They have put a lot of thought into the grounds over years and it shows. They have not just slapped together a campground. The owners make you feel welcome and honestly appreciate your support of their business. This is why they are booked out well in advance and why we keep coming back year after year.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Been going for 15+ years with my family, grandparents have being going for decades, love it more and more every year. Staff treats us like their own, sites and facilities are always clean, beautiful views. Definitely perfect for families and couples. If you’re going to be sleeping in a tent instead of a trailer, i do suggest getting a site with a platform. (Photos are from a water front site)
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Date of stay: July 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camp host was extremely rude and combative. We were quietly listening to baseball game on our JBL speaker at ~10:30pm. When she came to check the bathrooms, she came over to us and told us we had to turn the speaker off because it was quiet hours.
I told her that we would happily turn it down (I cannot stress how reasonable our volume was - there was another camp host directly next to us all week that never confronted us about the volume of the speaker and we used it every night) - but she said we weren’t permitted to listen to anything after quiet hours. I referred to the posted camp rules and the rules in my email inbox that said no “loud” speakers during quiet hours. She reiterated that we weren’t allowed to listen at all.
Frustrated, I went into the camper to turn off the game and uttered that it was “bull sh*t” because it was and I was understandably frustrated.
She proceeded to tell us that we had to either “go to bed now or leave the campground”. I couldn’t believe it. Over a game (that I turned off) that wasn’t even loud!
She called the owner of the camp who came and told us that, indeed, we were allowed to listen to a speaker quietly at a low volume during quiet hours. By that time, however, she already demanded that I put out the fire and go to bed. So I had already dumped water on the fire.
All of this could have been avoided had the camp host been non-combative or even had the slightest idea of how to speak with guests in the hospitality industry. Or, at bare minimum, known the rules of the campground she was tasked with enforcing.
So, if you go to this campground, be ready for a compulsory bed time!
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Don’t go with small kids. People (including staff) drive WAY too fast down the narrow camp roads...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mount Desert Campground remains our favorite place to camp with our family. Beautiful, well-kept grounds and sites, great staff, amazing Maine location overlooking Somes Sound, paddle and kayak rentals available, and impeccably clean bathrooms. Close to Acadia National Park entrances, hiking, biking on the Carriage Roads, the towns of Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor, among many other places of interest. The Gathering Place on the campground is such a plus, pastries and coffee for sale in the morning and ice cream for sale in the evening. Can't wait to return!
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Date of stay: August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You'd likely have to call/email the campground to coordinate it with them, Just to make sure they A) will be alright with holding your stuff and B) to make sure they don't accidentally send it back to the post office (thinking it was sent to the wrong address)
They have a building called the Gathering Place that sells ice cream at night and coffee, donuts, etc, in the mornings. Not sure if they sell gatorades. There's a gas station a minute down the road though. They sell all of that
Hello! While A5 may not be a good site to portage your canoe or kayak down to the water, it has some of the best views. I have been working here at the campground for 36 years now and I can tell you that A5 is my favorite site.
There are more places to choose from in the Mount Desert area.
LOCATION
United StatesMaineDownEast and Acadia MaineMount Desert IslandMount Desert
NUMBER OF ROOMS
163
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