Camping in Maine (where to, time, suggestions)

[tcrackly]

I'm partial to camping in Baxter State Park. But then, camping there in a rustic log lean-to next to a stream is where I met my hubby.

[MRVphotog]

My fav campground in Maine is at Camden Hills SP where the mountains and the ocean come together.

[ribbets]

Camden Hills is excellent and inexpensive,easy online registration through the state site. Jo-Mary campground on Jo-Mary Lake is also real good stay and is at the other extreme, way up in the woods near millinocket with some great views of Mt. Katahdin, and excellent fishing,hiking..
Camden Hills res.can be found at www.maine.gov/doc/parks/reservations/ (http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/reservations/ - broken link)
Jo-Mary at www.northmainewoods.org

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by Ode

arctichomesteader - We have kerosene lamps, but the electric ones are a very bright spotlight for use in emergencies, and small LED lamps that stay bright for a long time while using very little power, and are safer in a tent in general especially for reading. For the most part at night we don't like to use much light because we like watching the stars at night. The kero is ok for outside though. We have been thinking of getting a solar recharger for our small stuff (cell phone, laptop, and the little lights) so we don't have to worry about electric hookups for anything. A generator isn't really practical since we just don't use that kind of electricity to make it worth carrying one around. We are pretty minimalist campers.

Ok, I understand the reasons for the electric lights. I don't spend much time while camping with the lantern burning when it's dark either, I just learned after one unpleasant experience to always have a reliable, bright light available. Gasoline is available everywhere in a pinch, and mantles are easy to get for a Coleman (there's not a lot of shopping in Northern Maine compared to other less rural places but the times I've been there I never had trouble getting these two items). I have the worst luck with electric lanterns, bulbs go out, batteries die, etc., at the worst times. I have a (actually several) 1920's Coleman that's so well made it'll outlast me and I could take it apart in 5 minutes in the field if I had to fix something. Something interesting I was given recently is a brunton "glorb" refillable butane lantern. Fits in a cargo pants pocket and works with or without a mantle, using those butane lighter refills, I might start carrying that with me with the Coleman to use in my tent (I also got a teepee style tent I use that's tall in the center so heat is well away from the tent material). Only burns a couple hours on each fill but it's tiny and light.

Best of luck with your camping trip, Maine has some nice places to camp, not as much public land as some other states but still plenty of nice places to go.

[AliceT]

I don't like campgrounds myself, but have property in the middle of nowhere to camp in north central Maine where I spent the summer of '07. No power, no water, but a propane grill is a real good thing to have for brewing coffee in the morning - a true necessity.

For lights, opt for light sticks, oil lanterns or battery powered ones. Camping is big in Maine, so you can get some really good lighting options at most hardware stores.

Get an inverter or two, some marine or extra auto batteries and charger, then use your car to recharge your batteries for your laptop.

Recharging looks something like this:

And notice the thoroughly private *facilities* off to the right. My camp is not a tent because I need a bit more of a sense of security around me in bear country. Call me a sissy, it's OK.

I had a hot shower most every evening with a 2.5 gallon camp shower that soaked up the sunshine during the day and was adequate for one shower/hair washing. Not too shabby. All you need is a branch over your head to hang it from.


For the mosquitoes and flies, I never had much trouble. Most folks here are sick of hearing how I fought those critters, but the most conventional relief is in the form of:


That is, unless you want to know how I kept bugs at bay while I enjoyed the evening hours after my shower. Brace yourself. This is really high tech stuff...
I know it's not very clear, but hanging from the overhang to the left of the camp post is fly paper with a light stick in the bottom part. Those light sticks are handy little things.


Water was from a spring about 10 miles down the road. I could make my stored water last a few days to about a week

My first recommendation would be that you find a little parcel way out in nowhereville that you can return to time and time again that you want to have and keep for vacations any time you care to and you'll never be crowded or find someone in your favorite spot. I know a real estate agent or two that could fix you right up. Once you've tasted Maine, you won't want to leave. And once you leave, you'll start counting down the days until you can return! So why not just own a piece of the wonderfulness?

[Ode]

Originally Posted by AliceT

I don't like campgrounds myself, but have property in the middle of nowhere to camp in north central Maine where I spent the summer of '07. No power, no water, but a propane grill is a real good thing to have for brewing coffee in the morning - a true necessity.
A morning without coffee is not a good one! We always bring ours along too, lol

And notice the thoroughly private *facilities* off to the right. My camp is not a tent because I need a bit more of a sense of security around me in bear country. Call me a sissy, it's OK. We have a portable shower enclosure that is just about that size that we got from Cabela's. I don't think it will keep out bears though... We have our showers in it in the evening, and during the day keep our portable loo inside.

I had a hot shower most every evening with a 2.5 gallon camp shower that soaked up the sunshine during the day and was adequate for one shower/hair washing. Not too shabby. All you need is a branch over your head to hang it from. I love ours. It's the same except it holds 5 gallons. We use the water for showers and washing up during the day. It's pretty amazing how fast they will heat the water, you have to be careful it doesn't get too hot even.

My first recommendation would be that you find a little parcel way out in nowhereville that you can return to time and time again that you want to have and keep for vacations any time you care to and you'll never be crowded or find someone in your favorite spot. I know a real estate agent or two that could fix you right up. Once you've tasted Maine, you won't want to leave. And once you leave, you'll start counting down the days until you can return! So why not just own a piece of the wonderfulness?

Alice, that is actually our plan! We are in the process of building our savings up to purchase a nice property. We are planning to vacation there until we retire, when we can build our last home and settle in Maine for good. Unfortunately , we just can't manage to swing that now, but if things stay on track we expect to be able to buy in 2-3 years unless land prices take a drastic upswing. I wish we could afford it now, and not have to ask anyone where to go camping!

I love those last 3 lines the best, because it is the exact thing we were thinking when we decided we were going to retire in Maine.

[RANGER.101ST]

baxter state park.

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

baxter state park.

Hey, Ranger.. I may actually get to go there courtesy of mw and elcarim when I'm up!

[gcberry]

Cobscook Bay State Park; minimal bugs, lots of nesting bald eagles, amazing tidal activity, gorgeous views.

[Newdaawn]

We haven't been camping for quite a while but when our kids were growing up our favorite places were Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake in Greenville and Rangeley Lakes State Park on Rangeley Lake. Rangeley Lake may be just a bit more remote with larger campsites that are further apart on a "gorgeous" lake. That area near town is a bit more active now that Saddleback Mt. is more active in recent years. I have never failed to see a moose when in that area on a back road.