Maine camping Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

New England Camping

We were happy to finally be able do a New England camping trip that was cancelled in 2020. The trip lasted 4 1/2 weeks and covered six states in the northeast corner of the country: Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island. Those six states were new states in which we have not previously camped.

Stops and Miles

We towed our camper approximately 3,188 miles with a total of 18 stops. Also, there was a good bit of driving without the trailer attached because the Ram traveled 3,600 miles. Our focus was getting to the New England camping areas, so it was longer drives and one night stops until we got there.

New England camping path — Our New England part

The States

Connecticut

First, we camped on the western side of the state, near the charming town of Litchfield. Our campground was Cozy Hills, the most friendly of all our stops. We were near Hartford which allowed us a day in there. The majestic Connecticut State Capital was a highlight, made more enjoyable by a tour. Our Sophie stayed with a sitter who lived in Hartford, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the city.

After the capital tour, we had a delicious lunch at Pepe’s Pizza and then a tour of Mark Twain’s home. It was interesting and informative about his later years.

On our way home after many more stops, we camped on the eastern side of the state, but it was only an overnight stop. I really love Connecticut. More on our time there is at Connecticut Camping Summer 2022.

Maine

The highlight of our trip was Maine. We camped in three different cities in Maine: Bangor, Bar Harbor, and Kennebunkport for a total of eight nights. Each city was special in its own way, but Acadia National Park was unparalleled. We camped two nights at Hadley’s Point campground with full hookups in Bar Harbor and two nights of dry camping in the National Park at Blackwoods Campground. Inside the park was my favorite! The terrain in Bar Harbor was mountainous and rugged.

Bangor

Firstly, Paul Bunyan Campground in Bangor was our home for two nights. We used our time there to check out Stephen King’s house and the Cole Transportation Museum. It was cool to see Kings house, but the Transportation Museum was amazing. For example, it has tractors, snowplows, and vehicles that are over a hundred years old.

Bar Harbor/Acadia

Acadia National Park is small, but so very beautiful. It and Bar Harbor are on an island called Mount Desert. I wish we could have done more hiking, but am glad we were able to do a little.

New England camping at Acadia National Park — View from the top of Cadillac Mountain

We stumbled upon the beautiful garden below in Bar Harbor and just stopped for awhile to enjoy its serenity.

Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport is a beautiful, small coastal town. Most importantly, it is known as the summer home of the George H.W. Bush family for over a hundred years. We saw the home from afar, but we mostly enjoyed checking out the small town and the amenities at our nicest campground on our trip, Sandy Pines Campground.

This was the only time to get in a pool during our trip. It is a saltwater pool and it was exhilarating—the perfect temperature and no chlorine smell. Sandy Pines was our favorite campground because of the nice amenities.

All of our stops in Maine were great. The only regret was no autumn leaves. For more details, check out Maine Camping Summer 2022.

Massachusetts

Traveling through the Berkshires, our first Massachusetts stop was in Pittsfield at Bonnie Brae Campground. We were there two nights. We spent our free day at the Hancock Shaker Village and we stopped at a nearby winery for a tasting. Both were fun, especially the Village. The Berkshires was so beautiful and the weather good except for an afternoon shower.

When we came back down the eastern coast, Gloucester was our next Massachusetts destination with camping at Cape Ann Sites. It was very mountainous there with narrow roads. We didn’t like it at first, but our three nights there gave us a great appreciation for the area. So much was this that we would like to visit again. More photos and details about our Mass stops are at Massachusetts Camping Summer 2022.

New England camping in Gloucester — Fisherman’s Memorial

New Hampshire

The White Mountain range is in New Hampshire, so we got to see a lot of them. Our only stop in the state was in Wolfeboro at the Wolfeboro Campground. It was a nice, inexpensive campground in a lovely town with lakes all around. We took a day to ride the Cog Railroad to the top of Mount Washington, elevation 6,288. The railroad was a couple of hours away from Wolfeboro, but worth the trip.

We had three nights in Wolfeboro and stayed in town our other free day to take in the scenery and nice weather. I especially loved this small town! More about this stop is at New Hampshire Camping Summer 2022.

Rhode Island

Our worst weather was in Rhode Island. It was cloudy or raining during our entire stay. The goal was to take the ferry into Providence for a day, but there was actually some flooding there. So, it was a no go.

Despite the weather, we had a few hours to drive around a bit and enjoy Cliff Walk, a 3 1/2 mile walk alongside the ocean and the famous Newport mansions. I absolutely loved it! The views were stunning and the salt air felt rejuvenating for my lung condition.

New England camping near Cliff Walk — Cliff Walk

Our other free day was a visit to The Breakers, one of the most famous Newport mansions. I loved it and my husband tolerated it. I would have liked to visit others, but marriage does involve compromise. More on this rainy stop is at Rhode Island Camping Summer 2022.

New England camping in Newport — The Breakers

Vermont

The Green Mountains of Vermont were very beautiful. The state is crystallized in my mind for its incredible scenery, rich history, and covered bridges. Of all the states we visited on this trip, I think Vermont would be the most beautiful for the turning of the leaves.

Our time in Vermont was only at one stop, Camping on the Battenkill in Arlington. Most importantly, there were three nearby covered bridges that we got to enjoy. For more about our Vermont experiences, see Vermont Camping Summer 2022.

New England camping and covered bridges — Paper Mill Bridge

New England Camping in Conclusion

This trip was long awaited and delayed by COVID, but it was an incredible experience. We loved each of the new states we visited because each was special in its own way. So, we now have camped in forty-five states!

Happily, our New England camping had no snags and we certainly had gorgeous weather most of the time. Fall leaves would have been nice, so we have to go back!

Maine Camping

Maine camping for us covered eight nights and four campgrounds. It was the apex of our trip because it was the farthest north we went and Acadia National Park was the highlight of our trip.

Bangor

Bangor was our first Maine stop. I have been aware of Bangor most of my life because of all the Stephen King books I have read. I so hoped we would run into him. Silly, huh? Despite not seeing King, Bangor was such a nice place. It has a huge Paul Bunyan that is recognized as the most handsome Bunyan for its finally detailed features. The fiberglass over steel Bunyan structure can also withstand hurricane winds.

Paul Bunyan Campground

The Bunyan theme extended to our campground and we had a pleasant stay there. There was a pool and laundry and our site was beside a large pond.

Steven King’ House

Stephen King’s house was a must see. It looks somewhat like you would expect a home of his to look. The gate and fence includes bats, spiders, and gargoyles. Sadly, no sign of the great man.

This is where the writing magic happened

Land Transportation Museum

The Cole Land Transportation Museum surprised and delighted us. It has all sorts of things used for transportation in Maine dating back to more than a hundred years. Old fire engines, wagons, cars, campers, motorcycles, wagons, and snowplows are there.

The bridge below was constructed to represent bridges of the past. Unlike Vermont, there only a few covered bridges in Maine today and we did not get to see any of them.

I was particularly interested in the museum’s snowplows because they are not a part of my world in the South. I think the machine in the photo below looks like something from a King novel.

Lobster!

We discovered a grocery store that we love, Hannaford. It was founded in Maine in 1883.

The Hannaford location near our campground was reputed to occasionally be frequented by Stephen King. I hoped we might see him, but instead found a store we loved. Fresh produce covered a huge portion of the store that comes from local farms and they will cook the live lobster of your choice for $8.99 a pound. Our lobster picnic by the pond was so delicious!

Maine camping at Paul Bunyan Campground — Lobster from Hannaford

Mount Desert Island

Mount Desert is an island of Maine that includes Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The terrain is very hilly and rocky, but is quite beautiful. We spent two nights in Bar Harbor and two nights in Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor

Our first two nights were at Hadley’s Point Campground. It was a full hookup campground on the northern part of the island and we were comfortable there.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and headed to the town. It was very picturesque with gorgeous views of the coast and many boats and yachts. The streets are very narrow and lined with restaurants and shops that cater to tourists.

Amazingly, we snagged a parking spot right on Main Street. We had our pup with us and got some ice cream at Mount Desert Ice Cream and ate it on the Village Green. Our favorite was The Dude, which tastes like a White Russian.

We took a walk down Main Street to Agamont Park. There is a shore path that I wish I could say we hiked. Just didn’t get it in.

We returned to the town of Bar Harbor a couple of days later thinking crowds would be less on a weekday. However, it was worse and we couldn’t find any parking. There is a free bus shuttle, The Island Explorer, that transports people to Bar Harbor from local hotels, inns, and campgrounds. We didn’t try to use it because we thought dogs wouldn’t be allowed. However, we later learned that “well-behaved” dogs are allowed, but not on the seats. It would have made our last trip to Bar Harbor much more enjoyable if we had ridden the shuttle.

We just happened upon the lovely spot above and stopped for a photo. Everything was so lush and green!

Acadia National Park

I have heard many times how beautiful Acadia is and now know it is true. It is a relatively small National Park, but uniquely lovely. The big thing to do at Acadia is to go to the top of Cadillac Mountain. The park requires reservations to drive to the summit during peak season. We were lucky that the day and time we chose was clear and sunny.

The Porcupine Islands are several small islands are visible from the top. It was not too crowded on the summit because of the limited access and I do think it enhanced the experience.

Another popular spot is Otter Cliffs. There is a walkway and you can climb down to a stunning view of the rocky shore. You can’t see it in this photo, but there were tons of lobster traps in the water.

Jordon Pond is a centerpiece for the park and there is a restaurant there. They specialize in popovers and tea. We actually had a meal there, including popovers. Our meal was there because you can take dogs if you eat on the lawn.

Our pup hung out below the table while we had our meal. The atmosphere was very nice, but the meal was overpriced for what you get.

Blackwoods Campground

Our two nights in the park were in Blackwoods Campground and we loved it. Most importantly, our spot was level and shady with a nearby bathroom that was immaculate. We were dry camping, so no electricity. However, the weather was mild and we didn’t really need the air conditioner. Our camper is equipped with a solar panel and it was enough to keep our battery going because we were frugal using electricity.

There are no showers in the campground, but there was a place just outside the park that is coin-operated.

Maine camping at Blackwoods Campground — Site A45

One thing we especially liked was a path to the ocean from the park. It was an easy downhill path that led to a bench and a ledge above the water.

It was a popular spot and we met other campers there. The view of the water and rocks below was gorgeous.

Kennebunkport

Sandy Pines in Kennebunkport was our last Maine camping stop. It was the nicest campground we visited on our trip.

This campground had a heated saltwater pool and an extremely nice laundry. So, I went for two birds one stone and did laundry while we hung out at the pool.

Kennebunkport’s big claim to fame is that it is where the summer home of George H. W. Bush family is located. It has been a Bush family retreat for more than a hundred years. We got close enough to get a shot of the compound. Check out the Texas flag under the U.S. flag.

Downtown Kennebunkport is so beautiful with the Kennebunk River flowing through the center of town and flowers everywhere. We only had one full day to explore, so we just drove around and took in the sights. Next, lunch was at Federal Jack’s—delicious fish and scallops. Maine seafood is the best!

One quirky attraction is The Wedding Cake House, built in 1825. It has been called the “most photographed house” in Maine. We checked it out, but couldn’t tour it because it was undergoing renovations. However, it looks pretty good for an almost 200 year-old house.

Maine Camping in Conclusion

We had high expectations for our Maine camping trip and it certainly did not disappoint. It is a beautiful part of our country and its people were friendly. It was also nice to be in an area with such a rich history. Oh, and the seafood was incredible!

Lastly, check out our visits to other states on our page, States Visited, a Campsite Resource.