Bass Harbor Campground

Small campground on the "quiet side" of the island. Not much privacy, but office was friendly.

They hold bonfires and lobster cooks on the weekends.

If you want to spend time on the quiet side of the island this is a great place to stay. I love visiting the Bass Harbor Lighthouse at sunset and from the campground it's only a 10 minute walk.

Our rate was the Passport America rate because it was the last 2 weeks before the season started. The rate is not available during the season.

Our stay at Bass Harbor was in June 2015 and it was lovely. At the time we were complete newbies as full timers and still working out how to live in and drive our rig. Along with the great people we met as BHC, many of whom were workcampers, we got a number of tips that have held through the next year.

But the nice people is only one thing we loved about the campground. The sites are spaced a bit closer than other places but we had plenty of space and depending when you are there you may not have the spot next to you occupied. There is WiFi that works though if/when a lot of people are on it's slow. They have cable but we don't have TV so I cannot attest to it. The site has water and electric but no sewer. We have a composting toilet so have twice the grey water capacity of most people and only had to dump when we left BUT the dump station is centrally located. The bathrooms are IMMACULATE and cleaned well daily. There is laundry room with several washers and dryers including a large load dryer. Also kept very clean and when there was a torrential rain one day and I reported a leak in the ceiling the maintenance man came over immediately to look at and fix it.

Because we spent most of our time hiking and sightseeing we did not use the facilities there with ping pong and other things but heard good reports from others who did. The office is FULL of good information and everyone is willing to give recommendations. There is a pot of coffee and doughnuts (while they last) in there and several people always seemed to be around and ready to give advice or chat.

Location! They say correctly it's always important and BHC has a great one. Literally a 5-10 minute walk from the Bass Harbor lighthouse (it's the one on the ME state quarter BTW), the road or the path are beautiful. It's also a short drive down to the village of Bass Harbor where you can find lobster, a post office etc. The market is a bit further down the road. The entire area is great for bike riding whether you are on the road or go over to the carriage roads. It's QUIET. Blissfully so. And the trolley that services Mt Desert Island during the summer (it starts in mid June) stops right in front of the campground so you can make a day of it and go over to Bar Harbor, walk out to Bar Island at low tide, see the shops, etc and return ALL without having to rive or find a parking space.

Check in is easy-if the office is closed your papers will be in a pocket but chances are as soon as you arrive one of the workcampers will come over to make sure everything is OK and answer any questions.

There are NPS campgrounds that are cheaper but honestly we'd stay here again because by the time we left we felt like we were leaving family.

The only small negative would be that our MoHo did not fit perfectly into our spot and there was not another where we could go. It was simply a matter of not being able to extend our awning which became a problem only when it rained-which it did. Other than that it was excellent.

There are cabins in one area that is separate from the RV area and tent camping is on the other side of the RV area down a little slope. We have been to campgrounds where tents and RVs are mixed and I will say from our camping days I prefer the separation.

The campground is very near Acadia NP and on the free shuttle bus route. The campground is small to medium in size and a very busy place. The RV sites were all occupied during our stay. The worst sites in the campground are 505, 506, 507, and 508. The sites are very close together and form a ring. The fire pit for each site are within 6 feet of the adjacent site. The sites are also directly across from the shower house, which is VERY busy. This campground cannot easily accommodate big rigs (>35 feet) no matter what the owners tell you.

There was an incident while we were there where a young man not staying in the campground was caught filming women taking showers in the bath house using his cell phone. The owners and camp staff did nothing about it (e.g., get the perp's name/ID, take a picture of the perp, call the sheriff, etc.). The husband of one of the woman filmed managed to reset the phone to erase the videos but, the owners stood silently by while the perp rode his bike out of the campground.

Next year we will be staying at Smuggler's Den campground nearby. That park is large, designed for larger rigs, on the shuttle bus route, and may be much quieter and more serene.

We stayed here for 3 nights in tents. The pad was flat, but wet with some mud and lots of mosquitos. Other pads had puddles or raised platforms. Very convenient to gas station, light house, store and a couple of decent restaurants. Expect early morning engine and horn noise from near by harbor. Owners are very nice, the bathrooms are dated but clean, the showers are great. Atmosphere is much more laid back and more pleasant then the east part of the island. Plenty of trails near by. May have been better in a camper, although there seem to be very few spots for larger rigs.

Bass Harbor Campground is an older family campground that could use some updating (bathrooms, laundry facilities). They had a nice heated pool that was great to jump into after a long day of hiking at Acadia NP. The WiFi was great too with pretty reliable service compared to many other campgrounds that advertised it but they never seem to work. AT&T Wireless was really good too. Our site wasn't the best (#309) as the fire ring was awkwardly placed preventing us from backing up far enough to set up our stinky slinky to the dump location. Not a big issue with our Class B as we just dumped at the dump station on the way out. Free cable was a nice amenity as well. Bass Harbor lighthouse a short walk away. While they did have a stop right at the campground for the free Acadia Island Shuttle, it wasn't convenient due to run frequency, need for connections, and early run stop times. We just parked at the MDI high school and caught the shuttles there. Was able to stay out much longer including dinner at Bar Harbor as a result

This should be a tent only campsite. Staff was rude. Location is the only thing this campground has going for it.

Staff was very rude. Do not recommend if you want some good vibe

We had to change our itinerary at the last moment & they were so accommodating. It proved to be an excellent location for exploring & enjoying Acadia NP. Spaces were a bit tight which is why only 4 stars but the staff & service were so helpful in every way.

So this is a mom and pop campground ran by a very nice older couple. They were starting to update somethings while we were there. The sites are small like previous reviews but I was able to sneak my 36' Imagine into an end spot. We were in walking distance to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse and actually in Acadia NP. If you are planning on doing a lot oof things in Acadia NP, this is the perfect place to drop the camper. We had full hookup with our site (water,30A and sewer.) Pro's- nice owners, wifi no problems, restrooms were clean. Close to Acadia NP activities. An IGA market close by for groceries. Price was right with a great scenery for star gazing and hearing the Atlantic. Cons- small sites and small trees every where to hamper parking of camper. Campfire pits on top of other sites (which as a FF I didn't like).
Really we would stay there again because the cons were not overwhelming for us not to. Plus as I said, they were updating things like more sewer and outhouses with more water outlets.

As previous reviewers say this is not a big rig friendly place, but we chose it because it had the best rated cell signal. It would be perfect in a tent, as most sites are tent sites. The water pressure was very low and variable. Wifi wasn’t very strong. Cell signal download ok but upload slow. Dog run was never cleaned and is in the back in a heavily forested area, rustic would be a good description. Playground was closed. Rec room was open but all games not working. Pool was open but too cold to use. They don’t charge extra for kids, which is nice.
Getting into and out of our site was difficult. They only have a couple real pull through site. We are 41 feet, a 36 foot would be ok if you are a comfortable driver.
Walk to Bass Headlight was nice but no sidewalks and fast drivers made it scary with kids.
We wouldn’t stay again because we need better cell signal and it wasn’t worth the extra hassle of the small site.