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Maine Society

Backcountry Camping in Maine

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

All Backcountry Sites

20 backcountry areas across Maine

100-Mile Wilderness 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
Appalachian Trail Multi day Backpacking
Allagash Wilderness Waterway 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
Bigelow Preserve 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
Bold Coast Trail, Cutler 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
Baxter State Park Scientific Forest Management Area aroostook-katahdin
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
Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness western-mountains
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
Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land downeast
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
Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness 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
Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land 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
Grand Lake Stream downeast
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
Jo-Mary Multiple Use Forest aroostook-katahdin
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
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument aroostook-katahdin
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
Kennebago Lake western-mountains
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
Machias River Corridor downeast
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
Mahoosuc Public Reserved Land 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
Moosehead Lake Backcountry Camping 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
Nahmakanta Public Reserved Land aroostook-katahdin
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
Richardson Lakes western-mountains
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
St. John River aroostook-katahdin
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
Tumbledown Conservation Alliance Lands CAMP

Tumbledown Conservation Alliance Lands

Weld, western-mountains

Alpine scrambling and a stunning 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.