SP Campground Review – Camden Hills State Park, Camden, ME

September 27, 2017 by libertatemamo 7 Comments

A small and hilly, but very well-located state park just outside of Camden on the central Maine Coast. Only a few sites for bigger rigs here.

Link to campground here: Camden Hills State Park, ME
Link to map location here: Camden Hills State Park, ME

1. Site Quality = 2.5/5
   This is a smaller campground with 107 sites located on a hillside. Sites are a mostly back-ins with gravel base (a few are grassy) and a mix of hookups from 50A/water to 30A/water to primitive (no hookups). Separation is very good throughout and each site has picnic table and fire-pit. Main ding is the huge variation in size and levelness. Sites are rated by size from S (tent or 20′ max) through M (25′ max), L (30′ max), X (35′ max) to U (40′ max). There are plenty of smaller sites, but only a very select few for larger rigs. In addition MOST of the sites are rather unlevel, especially as you go further up the hill. There are 3 main “camping areas” with different feel:
   •  Open Field Area (sites #55-59, #61-63) -> This is a small selection of water/electric sites near the entrance of the campground which face a large, open green field. No trees here (although you do get some afternoon shade) and no real privacy, but very good site separation (lots of space) and sizes are easily big enough for “beastly” rigs. This my #1 recommended area for big rigs!! There are 5 sites in particular (#55-59) which are on firm gravel and are large, open and super easy to get into (they do slope forward some, but are otherwise not too bad level-wise). 4 of these sites are reservable, so if you are “beastly” size like us definitely try to nab one. This is the area we stayed (site #58) and we liked it. We had lots of space facing the field and even had a slice of water view out the front too! The last three sites (#61-63) are on grass and may get soft with rain, so I would not recommend them for heavy rigs.
   • Lower Loop (sites 1-54) –> These sites are in a very forested area just behind the open field sites. Mix of water/electric and primitive (no hookup) sites in this section. No open views, but lots of privacy and shade. There are a few “U”-size (40′ max) sites which are larger and can accept bigger rigs, but they are mostly unlevel (flattest were #54 and #31). The remaining sites are for smaller rigs and vary from somewhat level to very unlevel.  Definitely check campsite photos* before reserving.
   • Upper Loop (sites 64-107) -> These are primitive (no hookup) sites in a forested section up the hill from the entrance, and they are are only suitable for smaller rigs. Sites are X, S, or M size only and definitely more unlevel (in general) than in lower loop. Some excellent separation and privacy here especially around #71-75, #81. I did notice some mosquitoes however, which I did not really notice in lower loop.
   • NOTE1 -> Road Quality: The road through the camp loops is hilly, gravel and bumpy. It is wide enough to accept most rigs, but quality is poor.
   • NOTE2 -> Reservations: In this park around half of sites are reservable, while the rest are first-come-first-serve. If you are a smaller rig you will fit everywhere and can probably just drop in. However if you are a big rig there are VERY FEW sites that will fit you, so reservations are highly recommended! Stay limit is 14-days.
2.  Facilities = 3/5
   Decent facilities here. Two large facility areas with flush toilets and individual shower stalls, all of which were clean while we were here. Showers have separate bench and pegs for clothing. Only dings were that they had fixed shower heads, no temp control (none at all) and those annoying push-button timers. Temp & time was OK however so they were pleasant enough to use. On-site dump station with potable water. Also FREE on-site WiFi (limited to 2 logins per site) but it was somewhat iffy to use.
3. Location = 5/5
   Location is top-notch and one of the main reasons to come here. You are right inside a wonderfully large 5,710 acre state park with miles of hiking trails, including trails that go down to the water and others that go up the mountain to an amazing (gorgeous) overlook at the top of Mount Battie. In addition you are only a few miles from Camden which is a wonderful town with tons of good eateries and sightseeing, and just a few miles more from Rockland/Rockport which has lighthouses and lobsters galore. Great base to explore this area!
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great place for doggie! Lots of space in camp, plus miles & miles of trails to enjoy inside the State Park, as well as a (very nice) day use area across the road. Nearby Camden is a wonderfully dog-friendly town too (any restaurant with an outdoor area takes dogs). No on-site poo bags however.

Overall Rating = 3.9
BONUS ALERT = Camp just a few miles from gorgeous Camden, ME!

Summary: We chose this campground as our base to explore Camden and it was the perfect spot! This is a smaller campground located on a hill with mostly gravel sites (a few are grassy), very good separation and nice “sitting areas” with picnic table and fire-pit. Sites are back-in with a selection of hookups from 50A/water to primitive. Most sites are in a heavily forested area except for a select few sites in an open, green field near the front entrance. The biggest ding is the large variation in site size and levelness. The sites are located on a hill so many of them are quite unlevel, and there’s a huge mix of sizes from S (20′ max) up to U (40′ max). The very largest sites (U sites) are few and limited and mostly rather unlevel except for 5 select sites in the open grassy area near the front of camp (#55-59 = my #1 recommended section for big rigs!). The rest of camp is really better suited to smaller rigs, especially the hillier upper loop area, although there are some exceptionally private sites up there (esp. around #71-75) for those that can fit. We stayed in the open, grassy section (site #58) near the bottom and really liked it. We had lots of space, good views (green field plus a slice of water) and no problem at all fitting or leveling. Plus we loved the location!! The park has tons of great hiking trails including a rather strenuous trail to the top of Mt. Battie for a panoramic view of the area (you can drive up there too). Plus you are right next to Camden which is a super cool town with a hippy feel, pretty harbor and lots of outstanding eateries. You are also just a few miles drive from Rockland/Rockport which have lighthouses and endless mountains of lobster. We loved the location and would certainly camp here again.

Extra Info: FREE on-site WiFi (limited to 2 logins per site) but it’s bandwidth-monitored and somewhat iffy to use. IFFY cell signal, so definitely bring a booster! Verizon was our best option at 1-2 bars LTE (stabilized nicely with a booster) whereas ATT was worse varying between 1-2 bars 4G to (at times) no signal at all. NO T-Mobile at all (zip, nada). 107 sites, around half of which are reservable on-line. $45/night for water/electric, $35/night for primitive ($10/night discount for Maine residents). On-site dump station with potable water.

* Campsitephoto.com has pictures of EACH and EVERY site in this campground, so I highly recommend checking that resource before booking your site.