Backcountry Camping in Maine

Maine's best free, primitive, and backcountry camping: remote shoreline sites, island campsites, Appalachian Trail shelters, and deep-woods wilderness.

All Backcountry Sites

27 backcountry areas across Maine

CAMP Featured

100-Mile Wilderness

Monson, moosehead

The most remote AT section in the eastern US. 100 miles from Monson to Baxter with lean-tos, pristine lakes, and zero services.

moosehead

CAMP Featured

Allagash Wilderness Waterway

Allagash Village, aroostook-katahdin

A 92-mile wilderness corridor through northern Maine with 81 primitive campsites, multi-day canoe routes, and zero cell service.

aroostook-katahdin

Canoe Trip Wild and Scenic River Multi day

CAMP Featured

Bigelow Preserve

Stratton, western-mountains

A 36,000-acre wilderness with twin 4,000-footers, free backcountry camping at Horns Pond, and 17.6 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

western-mountains

Appalachian Trail Alpine 4000 Footer

CAMP Featured

Bold Coast Trail, Cutler

Cutler, downeast

Dramatic 100-foot sea cliffs, five free primitive campsites, and a 9.7-mile loop trail on 12,234 acres of Downeast coastline.

downeast

Coastal Backpacking sea Cliffs Free Camping

CAMP

Baxter State Park Scientific Forest Management Area

Millinocket, aroostook-katahdin

29,537 acres in Baxter's northwest corner managed for ecological research, with old-growth stands, limited access, and a quieter side of the park.

moderate aroostook-katahdin

old Growth Ecological Research Piscataquis County

Big Spencer Mountain moosehead

CAMP

Big Spencer Mountain

Greenville, moosehead

Steep two-mile climb with wooden ladders to Big Spencer Mountain's flat ecological-reserve summit above Moosehead, with sweeping views toward Katahdin.

hard 4 mi moosehead

Ecological Reserve Ladders Katahdin Views

CAMP

Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness

Bethel, western-mountains

A 14,000-acre federally designated wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest with rugged trails, open ledges, and primitive backcountry camping.

hard 43 mi western-mountains

Caribou Mountain Evans Notch Oxford County

CAMP

Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land

Cutler, downeast

12,000 acres of dramatic sea cliffs and rugged coastline in Downeast Maine, with 10 miles of trails and primitive oceanside campsites.

moderate 10 mi downeast

Bold Coast sea Cliffs Coastal

CAMP

Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness

Millinocket, aroostook-katahdin

A 46,271-acre TNC wilderness south of Baxter with pristine ponds, famous ice caves, and free boat-access camping.

aroostook-katahdin

Nature Conservancy ice Caves Paddling

CAMP

Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land

Ellsworth, downeast

Over 14,000 acres of free backcountry camping with crystal-clear lakes and mountain views, just 45 minutes from Acadia.

downeast

Free Camping Lake Camping Swimming

Ed Woodsum Preserve at Marshall Island downeast

CAMP

Ed Woodsum Preserve at Marshall Island

Swan's Island, downeast

Boat-access 985-acre wild island south of Swans Island, the largest undeveloped island on the eastern seaboard, with MCHT trails, beaches, and primitive campsites.

moderate 9.2 mi downeast

Mcht Boat Access Leave no Trace

CAMP

Full Goose Shelter

Newry, western-mountains

AT shelter and tent sites in the Mahoosuc Range between Goose Eye and Fulling Mill, the closest legal camp to the famous Mahoosuc Notch, at about 3,000 feet.

hard 2.9 mi western-mountains

Appalachian Trail Mahoosuc Mahoosuc Notch

CAMP

Grand Lake Stream

Princeton, downeast

Legendary Downeast fishing village with world-class smallmouth bass, the Grand Lake canoe tradition, and 2,500 square miles of interconnected lakes and streams.

downeast

Fishing Smallmouth Bass Canoeing

CAMP

Jo-Mary Multiple Use Forest

Millinocket, aroostook-katahdin

175,000 acres of private forest between Millinocket and Greenville, open to camping, fishing, and paddling with gated access and over 60 campsites.

aroostook-katahdin

Fishing Canoeing Private Land

CAMP

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Patten, aroostook-katahdin

87,563-acre national monument with the darkest skies east of the Mississippi, scenic loop road, backcountry camping, and a quieter gateway to the Katahdin region.

moderate aroostook-katahdin

Dark sky Stargazing Penobscot County

CAMP

Kennebago Lake

Rangeley, western-mountains

The largest fly-fishing-only lake east of the Mississippi, 5 miles long in the Rangeley wilderness with native brook trout, salmon, and traditional sporting camps.

western-mountains

fly Fishing Remote Franklin County

CAMP

Machias River Corridor

Machias, downeast

A 76-mile remote paddling corridor through Downeast wilderness with Class II-III whitewater, primitive campsites, and virtually no development.

expert downeast

Paddling Whitewater Washington County

CAMP

Mahoosuc Public Reserved Land

Bethel, western-mountains

Home to Mahoosuc Notch, famously called the hardest mile on the Appalachian Trail, with boulder caves, steep scrambles, and remote backcountry camping.

expert western-mountains

Appalachian Trail Scrambling Expert

CAMP

Moosehead Lake Backcountry Camping

Greenville, moosehead

90+ free primitive campsites along Moosehead Lake's shores and islands. True North Woods wilderness camping with no fees and no reservations.

moosehead

Free Camping Primitive Island Camping

CAMP

Nahmakanta Public Reserved Land

Millinocket, aroostook-katahdin

A remote northern Maine wilderness where the Appalachian Trail skirts a pristine lake, with primitive campsites, moose, and deep backcountry quiet.

moderate aroostook-katahdin

Appalachian Trail Remote Moose

Number 4 Mountain moosehead

CAMP

Number 4 Mountain

Greenville, moosehead

Steep, ledgy Moosehead-region climb to Number 4 Mountain's open ledges and former fire-tower site, with an option to push on to remote Baker Mountain.

moderate 4.2 mi moosehead

Fire Tower Site Frenchtown Township Remote Hike

Number 5 Mountain moosehead

CAMP

Number 5 Mountain

Jackman, moosehead

Remote fire-tower peak in TNC's Leuthold Forest Preserve near Jackman, a short but steep climb to ledges and big North Woods views after a long gravel-road drive.

moderate 5.8 mi moosehead

Fire Tower Jackman Remote Hike

CAMP

Poplar Ridge Lean-to

Rangeley, western-mountains

MATC lean-to below Saddleback Junior on the rugged Saddleback-to-Spaulding AT stretch near Rangeley, a remote overnight with long, hard miles to the next shelter.

hard 9 mi western-mountains

Appalachian Trail Saddleback Matc

CAMP

Richardson Lakes

Rangeley, western-mountains

Remote lakes in the Rangeley chain with world-class landlocked salmon, wild brook trout, rustic sporting camps, and deep woods solitude.

western-mountains

Fishing Sporting Camps Landlocked Salmon

Speck Pond Campsite western-mountains

CAMP

Speck Pond Campsite

Newry, western-mountains

AMC-staffed AT campsite beside Speck Pond, Maine's highest pond at about 3,400 ft in the Mahoosucs, with a shelter, tent platforms, and an in-season caretaker fee.

hard 3.6 mi western-mountains

Appalachian Trail Mahoosuc amc Campsite

CAMP

St. John River

Allagash, aroostook-katahdin

The most remote river in the eastern US, with 100+ miles of spring-only canoeing through boreal wilderness and Class I-III rapids.

hard aroostook-katahdin

Canoeing Whitewater Remote

CAMP

Tumbledown Conservation Alliance Lands

Weld, western-mountains

Alpine scrambling and a clear mountaintop pond in the western Maine highlands, with ridge walks connecting Tumbledown, Little Jackson, and Parker Ridge.

hard western-mountains

Alpine Scrambling Mountain Pond

Types of Backcountry Camping

🏕️

Shoreline Primitive

Drive-to sites on logging roads with fire rings and pit toilets. Free.

🏝️

Island Camping

Paddle or boat to remote island campsites. Total solitude.

🛖

Lean-to / AT Shelters

Three-sided shelters along the Appalachian Trail and backcountry routes.

🌲

North Maine Woods

Primitive sites on millions of acres of managed forestland. Small fee.

Backcountry Essentials

1. Pack it in, pack it out. Most primitive sites have no trash service. Leave no trace.
2. Bring water filtration. Lake and stream water is not safe to drink without treatment.
3. Store food properly. Maine has the largest black bear population in the eastern US. Use bear canisters or hang food 10+ feet up.
4. Carry a satellite communicator. Cell service is nonexistent in most backcountry areas. A Garmin inReach or SPOT device can save your life.