Acadia East Campground

Kristin Batstone

2023-09

i had a great stay here with my 4 young adult kids and dog. This is the perfect spot if you want an off the beaten path, rustic camping experience, while still being close to all the beauty of the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia National Park. Carefully choose your site for size, proximity to the privy, remoteness, and distance to parking lot. The land is beautiful and you can’t really see or hear any other campers for the density of the woods. You can hear the highway sounds but that didn’t bother us. We would definitely stay here again on another trip to Acadia.

Shannon Wallace

2023-08

Pros: Great proximity to Schoodic, the price is right, beautiful area the campground is in, and they have a good rating on Google reviews.Why I give it 2 stars. None of the contact numbers work. We tried all the numbers provided and they were “disconnected” (we wanted to switch our site to one that was possibly more level). It mentions walk-in primal sites, it does not mention the elevation gain. This pocket park rests on the side of the mountain. Paths are very steep. There is no place to place a tent without being on a hill or having lots of roots underneath. While some of this is normal for campgrounds, I can assure you Acadia Mountain site was nearly impossible to put a 4 person tent comfortably. You will hear traffic, although this wasn’t bothersome to us. You also shouldn’t plan to use the outhouse, iykyk.

Darby Dayton

2023-09

I love a self-service campground! Bathroom was clean and well stocked, even with a an automatic air freshener. A nice touch :). Stayed at the smallest site "Honeybee" but had plenty of space for my 2-man, 6x8 tent. Other sites has much more space, enough for a few big tents. Each site has a pit with a removable grill top and a sturdy table, and the wooded hillside is easy to find right off the road yet still feels like true woods, minus the occasional sound of cars passing. Perfect for our stay :)

Rachael K

2023-12

I was looking for a place to camp between MDI and the Schoodic Peninsula. This is the place! My 17 year old and I set up two small tents at our site (we picked Thunder Hole because it had a really neat fire ring) and it was perfect.The campsites and parking are well marked and they even had reflectors on the trees so you could see the path at night. It was super easy to check in and out as well.A great little spot in the magic of the woods close to Acadia!

Savannah

2020-05

I think the idea of this campsite is amazing! You can get here at anytime and there is no stress about getting in before the office closes. The paths are also marked clearly, so that even at night you can easily find your campsite with your flashlight. The reason I’m only giving two stars is because of the sheer lack of maintenance given in the camper area. At first glance, our site seemed fine to us until we ran into the old rusted barbed wire that blends in with the surroundings. If cut, someone could easily run the risk of getting tetanus and this same inconsideration was present in the bathrooms with the rusty nails sticking out of the bathroom door. Not only that, during our stay (over 3 days) they didn’t fill the empty toilet paper once and they specially said on the website that this would be provided. Luckily for my family and I we came prepared, but if you didn’t than I can imagine it would be an unpleasant discovery. One last thing, I would not recommend camping in Wonderland as the bathroom has a stench you can smell from up the path. I would suggest adding a sign to the bathroom door asking campers to please close the toilet seat after using the bathroom. If we hadn’t made the above discoveries then this would have absolutely received 5 stars from me. I hope for future campers they can make these changes so they can have a more pleasant experience.

Robert Fleagle

2023-05

My girlfriend & I stayed two nights (she made the reservations) and had a delightful experience. fwiw, the Acadia Mountain site sits at the top, 100' and 0.12 miles above the parking lot. I advise, if you choose this site to be prepared to place a shim under your mattress (I placed a packing cube under my left elbow) to prevent falling off the mattress. Only one other camper was there. The place was neat & tidy. Traffic noise was audible but at nite we didn't notice it. The location is perfect - close to the Schoodic Park Loop Rd and since we hiked & biked on the peninsula, we didn't have to spend much time in the car. Would definitely stay here again.

Jacob Plowman

2023-10

Great little self serve campground. If you want to get away from the crowds in Acadia NP where sites are cramed together, Acadia East has a handful of spread out sites that give you some breathing room and feel a little more private. Good location right by schoodic and a short drive from Mt Desert. Tunk mtn is nearby and is an amazing hike.

alyssa schultz

2022-05

On our way to Acadia and spontaneously decided to camp. We were able to make reservations two hours before arriving, could not have been easier. Upon arrival, the signs were clear on where to find your site. The sites includes fire rings. The bathroom was stocked with toilet paper and well maintained. Could not have asked for anything else! Noise was surprisingly not an issue for being on the side of a highway. Would definitely recommend and stay again!

Jean Tewksbury

2022-05

Great experience, l enjoyed the quiet, the location and my campsite. I like that the rules are posted, the campsites are marked clearly, onsite bathroom is well maintained and stocked. I did camp on the site at the top of the hill and did have to hike a bit (but didn't mind). I could hear some traffic at night, but nothing that was loud enough to keep me awake. I really like that it's close to Acadia, a local store and they have maps to help find other things to do in the area. Would definitely go camping there again.

Joseph Kelly

2022-05

Good experience at Acadia East Campground. We stayed in the Acadia Mountain site and it was as advertised. The setup and accessibility of the site was very good, however, it would be wise to know that the site overall is on the side of a hill, so the further in your site is, the higher up the hill you must walk. Keep that in mind when packing! Other item that could be improved would be to have a specific place to setup a tent in each campsite, not sure if other sites had it, but ours did not. That is to be expected, so just for awareness (you're not staying at a KOA). Site had a picnic table, grate to grill upon over the fire and was well kept overall. Firewood must be bought there locally, but there are ample roadside opportunities to pick up a bundle of wood for between $3-$5/bundle. We had a great experience and would definitely go back!

Caity Oleson

2023-09

Small rustic campground on Schoodic Peninsula. Close to Acadia National Park. The sites were nice and distanced from each other so it felt private.

Jeremy Goldkuhl

2022-05

Very much enjoyed a 4 day stay at the campground During Memorial Day weekend. It’s right off a main road so easy to find and easy to get back to when heading out. Stayed in the thunder hole site which was a little inclined walk from the parking lot. Wasn’t too hard to lug our gear up but got the heart pumping a bit (not a bad thing). Site had plenty of room for a 4 person tent and trees to hang our hammock. Good fire pit and picnic table as well. We heard some other parties at there sites but not overwhelmingly loud, like other campsites can be. We felt very peaceful and happy. Don’t forget the bug spray!The Schoodic Peninsula side of Acadia was a very pleasant surprise. Much closer to the campsite and it was way less busy than MDI. We felt like we had our hikes all to ourselves. The views were amazing from even the smaller elevation peaks as well. There’s a great small cafe in winter harbor driving to the Schoodic loop that had a great homemade apple coffee cake.The campsite is about a 40 minute drive into the Mount Desert Island side of acadia and Bar Harbor. It’s an easy drive, you go past a bunch of lobster shacks and other local spots. Make sure you get road reservations for Cadillac mountain if that’s something you wanna do. The beehive hike is a real thrill as well.Highly recommend booking a stay here if you like the primitive feel of camping but also want to have some comforts of a typical vacation nearby. We’ll definitely come back again.

C3RU1EAN

2022-05

I stayed in Eagle's Nest. Perfect for us because it was close to Acadia, and the road. The privy was fine, the tenting area was level and easy to put stakes in. It was close enough to the parking lot, but far enough from the road we didn't notice it. The site closest to the parking lot wasn't good because people cut through it as a shortcut to the sites up the trail.

Emily Hagen

2022-05

Really wanted to love this place. Don’t be fooled by the marketing, which is very well done. We chose it for the backcountry style camping! Nothing can make up for the proximity to highway 1 and the wall of sound that jolts you from your sleep caused by the 18-wheelers booming down the road all night long. We stayed at the Beehive site, and the sound of traffic at night was anxiety-inducing. Not to mention there was a ton of trash left in the parking lot, there was no level place for a tent, and the bathroom was so poorly maintained I couldn’t even step in it: it smelled like something had died in the toilet and there were flies covering every inch of the walls inside. Fortunately; there was the same style bathroom just a half a mile down the road at a small recreation area by a pond that was perfectly maintained. We booked three nights and left immediately upon waking up after our first night there and booked a nice clean place much closer to the park.

Susan Long

2021-05

6/20/20 - 6/21/20Stayed at the Acadia Mountain site. It’s the furthest from the road so noise isn’t an issue, nice and quiet. It requires a modest uphill walk to get there, nothing insurmountable or excessively distanced. The site could accommodate two small (two person) tents given the availability of flat, non-rooty or rocky ground. It also has capacity for a hammock. Fire ring and picnic table are in good working order, although no water as advertised. Pit toilet was stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer, and the automatic light was functional. It didn’t smell fantastic but I’m not sure that can be avoided.Overall I like the concept of the campground. My experience was pleasant and other than mosquitoes, which are not the responsibility of management, I have no complaints. My honest assessment is that I would not take the site nearest to the toilet as the noise from the banging door and the smell would be very unpleasant, and the site nearest to the road is very noisy. The other three are quite enjoyable.

Anthony Maiorana

2021-05

Three stars. 1 for the fire pit and grate for grilling over the fire and two for the concept. Stayed in Beehive so we got the full force of the noise from Route 1. The noise travels quite far so unless you are the furthest back site you will get plenty of noise. Nothing like waking up at 3:00 AM to the sound of a truck blasting down the road to bring you out of your dreams after hiking all day.Past 3 AM it’s tough to get back to sleep as more truckers are driving and eventually cars. By 6 AM you have to be awake. This can be good since it takes about 45 minutes to get to Acadia and if you want parking at any of the good spots you might as well get moving.Will not stay here again. Only reason we stayed here was we booked late in the season and we thought we would get a rustic experience away from RVs.I would have traded the noise from route 1 for a few RVs full of friendly people.

Esau Olson

2020-05

My friend booked this campsite thinking it was near Acadia on Mount Dessert island (judging by the name) but it is roughly an hour drive from there which was unfortunate for us and I hope anyone booking this campsite is aware of that. We also camped in late June when the bugs were horrible so I would not recommend going in the spring. also, we camped right after it had just rained for a while and the walk to the campsite is up a hill, pretty much a cedar swamp at the time, and there was no way to avoid getting our feet completely soaked. Bring your waterproof boots. The places to put a tent are very minimal and quite shabby but we made due. I would recommend bringing hammocks with bug nets. There is a fire pit and picnic table which was nice except for the river running through our fire pit/campsite. There was a nice out house but no toilet paper so bring that too. If you do not want to see many people this is the place for you. and I am sure it would have been much nicer if the ground was somewhat dry! Good luck fellow campers!

Scott Thompson

2019-05

Great self serve tent camping with easy access to Acadia National Park and the bold coast. Perfect for bicyclists and dog owners.

Courtney Varela

2022-05

It is a very nice campsite in the woods, right off the road. You do hear the traffic on the road at night. There was only us and one other camper while we stayed so it was quiet and secluded. You must pack in and out. Bring water as there is no running water. It would have been nice if there was a dumpster to dump trash.

Justin Lees

2021-05

There’s nothing like arriving from out of town to get to your campsite after a day of traveling to learn that it has been double booked.We arrived at the Acadia East Campground to find another couple set up at the Cadillac Mtn site. We booked directly through the Acadia East Campground website. After chatting with the couple at our site who drove all the way from Colorado to be there, we found out they booked the same site through AirBnb for the same dates as us.We thought “Cool, we will just call the customer service number that was given to us for our booking and get this sorted out.”When you call the customer service line, you get a busy signal. There is another number listed on the website, and that as well is not an active number.The other couple called the number they were given through AirBnb and left a message.Tom and Zach are listed as the owners or operators of the campsite and were impossible to reach through their “customer service” phone line.After numerous tries of calling and texting the phone numbers, we started to reach out to Acadia East through their social media channels and email. At this point, it started getting very late. As this is prime camping season, and there is high demand for campsites like Acadia East because COVID-19 has shut down all campsites in Acadia National Park, we were worried we wouldn’t have a place to stay after traveling all the way from MN.Finally after an hour and a read message on Facebook, we get a text message from one of the owners at Acadia East apologizing and offering a refund. They also offered for us to stay at a make shift site between The Beehive Site and Wonderland. It had a fire pit, but would be between two groups of people with limited space as all the sites were booked for the weekend.Out of desperation, we called the closest campground in the area to see if we could get a site. The lovely lady on the phone at Acadia Seashore Camping and Cabins was so kind, and said they had one site available. As it was only five minutes away, we went and checked it out. We explained what happened, and she told us that we were THE THIRD GROUP IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS who had the same experience with Acadia East and end up calling her to see if they have any available sites! Unbelievable!The sites at Acadia Seashore Camping and Cabins are MUCH nicer. Open sky, access to the ocean front, quiet and away from the highway, clean facilities, showers included, and sweet and hospitable hosts. Acadia East? Loud as heck by the highway, not managed, and tree cover makes it dark and un-inviting.The take away: Acadia East is managed poorly, the owners admitted that they don’t keep track of reservation bookings in their communication to us, and have double booked multiple parties. Stay away, and go stay at Acadia Seashore Camping and Cabins. You’ll have a way better experience, trust me.

Celeste Onnainty

2022-05

I think they need to add quiet hrs. People talking so loud and music after 12 am is unacceptable. Same thing early in the morning! I understand that it was a group of 4, but it was way too loud and they weren’t very close from us.Bathroom is very dirty that you can’t even open the door as it smells so bad, be ready… they need someone to come to clean more oftenOtherwise, it is cheap, our spot was big enough. We had a great time first night until loud people came 😂It is about an hr away from national park, we had our own car. Drive wasn’t bad at allGiving 3 starts because of the bathroom and quiet hrs

Shawn nardone

2022-05

Great clams right down the road Tracy’s ? I believe ? also great burritos all less than. 2 miles ! It makes camping In the rain that much easier.’the dog and I did a great hike at the point also close . Lots to offer that isn’t mentioned l. The camping experience was great too !

Hailey Crabtree

2019-05

So impressed by this peaceful spot on the beautiful, yet oft-forgotten side of Acadia. Quiet, private, and carefully-designed to keep the natural landscape as pristine as possible. If you really want to experience the beauty of Maine, and get an authentic camping experience, this is a must!

Jason Miller

2021-05

They need to turn their parking lot into something else besides packed sand. We van camped in the lot and almost got stuck in the sand. Otherwise, awesome spot! Cool trails, nice composting toilet, good space between sites. NO DRIVE IN spots. It's all pack in, pack out

Atrisof Hastings

2019-05

This is an incredible campsite for self-sufficient campers. It was quiet and well maintained, and we didn't have any problems! My only suggestion to others who stay here: bring your own toilet paper in case you run out!

Joseph Holley

2019-05

Acadia East is a great get away. Their camp sites are placed in amazing spots where you have the privacy you want while staying with friends or family. The fire pit was an awesome addition to have as well.

ciara andres

2022-05

Awesome site! Stayed at the ravens nest, one of the lower sites close to the parking lot. It was exactly as advertised and was conveniently located near Acadia, and especially schoodic!! Pack in and pack out, nice area!

E. “Epoc” Pockl

2021-05

Stayed at Cadillac mnt Is was flat with lots of room. Didn't realize it was as close to the road but the noise decreased at night so it wasn't an issue. Overall a nice place to stay!

Colby Randolph

2023-09

Second time coming here. Great stay. Quite and peaceful yet close to Acadia National park and bar harbor

Jeff Kelly

2020-05

Campsite trashed. Broken eggs and silly string scattered the campsite we were in. Fire pit has beer cans, a pizza pan with bacon and eggs burnt on it, and water bottles. Took a dump in the nasty outhouse, let a mouse out when I went in, no biggie but had to dirty but it back to the truck because there was absolutely no TP. Barely a level site for tents. Stay here for the location but don’t expect much more.