The honest list of year-round campgrounds in Maine is short. Nearly every familiar private campground closes by mid-October, and most public campgrounds switch from staffed summer operations to closed gates or primitive winter rules. So a search for a January campsite mixes two different things: a commercial property still running in winter, and an undeveloped place where camping is legal but there are no campground services.
Only two commercial campgrounds make the true year-round list in this guide: Katahdin Shadows Campground in Medway and Stony Brook Campground in the Hanover and Bethel area. Beyond them, winter camping means primitive tent sites in selected state parks, remote sites on Maine Public Reserved Lands, or Baxter State Park’s reservation-only winter program.
Year-round campgrounds
Katahdin Shadows and Stony Brook
- Call first
- Katahdin Shadows' website no longer confirms year-round operation (October 2026)
- State park winter camping
- December 15 to March 15, primitive tent sites only
- Public Reserved Lands
- Mostly free remote sites, 14 days in any 45
- Baxter State Park
- December 1 to March 31, by reservation only
The Short Answer
Katahdin Shadows and Stony Brook are campgrounds in the ordinary sense, open all year with cabins or hookups. The other three choices, state parks, Public Reserved Lands and Baxter State Park, are legal winter camping systems, not plowed RV resorts. Decide which side of that line you need and most bad search results drop away. The public winter windows look like this:
Baxter applications
From Oct 15Applications are accepted from October 15 and processed after an in-person lottery on the first business day of November.
Baxter State Park Winter camping
Dec 1 to Mar 31Reservation only, for experienced parties planning a remote trip well ahead.
Selected state parks Winter camping
Dec 15 to Mar 15Designated primitive tent sites with self-registration and no summer amenities.
Public Reserved Lands sites are free, remote and first come, first served, for self-contained campers ready for unplowed access and no services.
Two True Year-Round Commercial Campgrounds (checked July 2026)
- Lodging
- Heated cabins, motel units and about 105 hookup sites
- Best for
- Katahdin-region stays and snowmobile country
- October 2026
- Website no longer confirms year-round. Call first.
Katahdin Shadows Campground, Medway
Katahdin Shadows Campground is open year-round in Medway, with more than a row of winter RV pads: heated cabins, motel units, and roughly 105 full- or partial-hookup sites. A group can stay in the Katahdin region without anyone having to sleep in a tent or RV.
“Open year-round” doesn’t mean every site type and service runs every day. Ask which units, hookups, bath facilities and access roads are open on your dates.
October 2026 update: we could not reconfirm year-round operation on the campground’s own website. Its rates page still lists cabins with heat and electricity, but its contact page gives only summer office hours. Call and confirm it is open on your dates before planning a winter stay around it.
Stony Brook Campground, Hanover and Bethel Area
Stony Brook Campground is also open all year, with four-season camping near Hanover and Bethel. It is the better match for a larger RV and western Maine winter recreation: pull-thru sites and 30/50-amp power answer questions a primitive public site can’t.
In October 2026 the campground’s website still said it is open all year, that snowmobile trails can be reached directly from the property, and that it is about seven miles from Sunday River, pictured. Skiers can pair a campground base with ski days.
- Sites
- Big-rig pull-thrus with 30- and 50-amp service
- Sunday River
- About seven miles away
Call before towing north. Confirm the site type, electrical service, winter arrival process, and which facilities will be open on your dates; a summer amenities list doesn’t tell you that.
If a search result names a different private campground as year-round, verify it directly before changing a winter route. For this guide, checked July 2026, Katahdin Shadows and Stony Brook are the only commercial campgrounds treated as genuinely year-round.
What “Open Through Columbus Day” Actually Means
Maine campground language can make a long season look like a full year. The middle of October is the usual dividing line: a campground can be an excellent foliage base and still be useless for a winter trip.
- “Open through Columbus Day”
- A season that ends in mid-October
- “Extended,” “fall” or “off-season”
- Into October, not proof of winter camping
- What to ask
- Can I camp on this exact night?
“Open through Columbus Day,” “extended season,” “fall camping” and “off-season camping” normally describe a campground that lasts into October. They don’t mean it takes campers in December, February or early spring.
Seasonal coastal properties show the difference. Wolfe’s Neck Oceanfront Camping and Hermit Island Campground have their own guides for camping-season planning, but neither is year-round. Use seasonal pages for warm-weather or shoulder-season research, not as proof of winter operation.
When a website says “seasonal,” “off-season” or “extended,” call with a specific arrival date. Ask whether overnight camping is allowed that night, whether the road to the site is open, and which services remain. A broad label is not a reservation.
Maine State Park Off-Season and Winter Camping (checked October 2026)
Select Maine State Park campgrounds offer off-season camping until noon on October 15, according to the Bureau of Parks and Lands. Not every park runs that late: in 2026, Peaks-Kenny and Rangeley Lake closed October 3, and Mount Blue closed September 25 with no off-season or winter camping this year. That fall extension is separate from the winter program.
Winter camping runs at designated sites in selected parks, per the same state page. The rules:
- Primitive tent camping only. Self-register and pay the standard camping fee by cash or check.
- No water, amenities, or cleared campsites or trails. You reach sites on snowshoes or skis, and some are walk-in.
- Fires only in designated fire pits, with Maine local wood.
- Carry in, carry out.
- Season
- December 15 through March 15
- Stay
- Seven days at most, designated sites only
These were the parks listed for winter camping in October 2026. Tap a pin for its photo and page, and check the state page again before you leave, since the list can change.
- Aroostook State Park 3.5 mi · Moderate · Presque Isle
- Bradbury Mountain State Park 2 mi · Easy · Pownal
- Camden Hills State Park Camden · Knox County The Megunticook Cabin needs a reservation by calling the park.
- Sebago Lake State Park Naples · Cumberland County Winter camping only in the group camping area.
- Cobscook Bay State Park Edmunds Township · Washington County
- Lake St. George State Park 5 mi · Easy · Liberty
- Lily Bay State Park 2 mi · Easy · Lily Bay Township
The program fits campers who want a defined public process and a designated site. It doesn’t fit an RV traveler who needs hookups, a group expecting plowed access, or anyone relying on water and facilities on site.
The winter program does not preserve the summer campground experience. There is no water, no amenities, and no cleared campsites or trails. Self-registration and a designated legal site do not remove the need to carry in, carry out, and plan for winter access.
Maine Public Reserved Lands (checked October 2026)
Maine Public Reserved Lands offer primitive remote campsites that are generally free. The state notes exceptions, such as land inside the North Maine Woods system, and the Allagash and Penobscot River corridors charge a nightly fee. Remote sites are almost all first come, first served, and the stay limit is 14 days within any 45-day period.
In winter, the state lists no amenities or plowed locations, and parking on plowed road shoulders is not allowed. There is no reservation desk, power, water or winter maintenance. Free removes the campsite fee, not the cost or work of remote winter access.
A legal site on a map may still be unreachable or taken when you arrive. Know where winter road maintenance ends, and plan a fallback so reaching the site isn’t your only safe outcome.
- Cost
- Generally free; Allagash and Penobscot River corridors charge a nightly fee
- Stay limit
- 14 days in any 45-day period
Baxter State Park’s Winter Program (checked October 2026)
Baxter State Park allows winter camping from December 1 through March 31 through its own program, by reservation only. The park’s 2026-27 winter reservation process says applications must arrive at least 10 days before your trip begins, and the maximum winter party size is 12.
The park’s winter basics page says applications are accepted from October 15 but are not processed until after an in-person lottery on the first business day of November.
Baxter is an expedition, not a campground stay. Choose it because you want a winter park trip and are ready to follow its system, not because commercial campground searches came up short. Start with the park’s current winter information, pick a permitted destination, and work backward through the registration window. Showing up at a gate to ask what’s available won’t work with a 10-day minimum.
The Baxter guide covers the wider park. For a winter trip, the park’s own current instructions are the authority on reservations, registration and conditions.
- Apply
- From October 15; lottery on the first business day of November
- Deadline
- At least 10 days before your trip
How to Choose the Right Winter Option
Start with the shelter and support you need.
- Want a heated cabin or hookups near Katahdin? Choose **Katahdin Shadows** for a year-round commercial base with cabins, motel units and hookup sites. Call first.
- Towing a big RV to ski? Choose **Stony Brook** near Bethel for big-rig pull-thrus, 30/50-amp service and Sunday River nearby.
- Fine with a primitive tent site? Choose a **designated state-park winter site** with the state's self-registration process.
- Want a free remote site? Choose **Public Reserved Lands** if your group is ready for first-come sites, no winter plowing and no amenities.
- Is the park itself the goal? Choose **Baxter** only when you can finish its reservation and registration process well ahead.
- None of these fit? Move the trip to shoulder season. Maine has far more campground choice before mid-October and after spring opening.
What to bring for a Maine winter campsite
A winter tent site needs warmer sleep gear than a summer one, because the cold comes up from the ground as well as from the air.
- A bag rated near 0°F, for nights that drop far below freezing.
- A pad built for frozen ground. A high R-value pad keeps the cold from coming up through the snow.
- Hand warmers, for fingers and toes around camp, and as a backup if a glove gets wet.
Winter campsite basics
Three items that matter most on a primitive state-park or public-land winter site. Match the bag and pad to the coldest forecast night.
As an Amazon Associate, Maine Society earns from qualifying purchases. Some links may earn Maine Society a commission at no extra cost to you.
For more cold-weather ideas, see our guide to things to do in Maine in winter.
Call-Ahead Questions for a Winter Stay
For either commercial campground, confirm your exact reservation rather than asking only whether the property is open.
- Is my unit free? Is the specific site, cabin or motel unit available for these dates?
- What is running? Which hookups and shared facilities operate during the stay?
- How do I arrive? How should a winter arrival be handled, and what changes if weather affects it?
- Camping on public land? Use the current official page to confirm the park or land unit takes part, the site type is allowed, and no notice changes access. Save the instructions before you lose service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are any Maine campgrounds really open year-round?
Katahdin Shadows Campground in Medway and Stony Brook Campground in the Hanover and Bethel area were the two year-round commercial campgrounds verified for this guide in July 2026. In October 2026, Stony Brook's website still says it is open all year, but Katahdin Shadows' website no longer confirms it, so call before planning a winter stay there.
Can I camp in Maine State Parks during winter?
At designated sites in selected parks. The winter program runs December 15 through March 15 and is primitive tent camping only, with self-registration, standard fees, no water, amenities, or cleared campsites or trails, and a seven-day limit. In October 2026 the parks listed were Aroostook, Bradbury Mountain, Camden Hills, Cobscook Bay, Lake St. George, Lily Bay and Sebago Lake.
Is winter camping free on Maine Public Reserved Lands?
Most primitive remote sites are free and first-come, first-served, though a few areas, such as the North Maine Woods and the Allagash and Penobscot River corridors, charge fees. The limit is 14 days in any 45-day period. There is no winter plowing or amenities, so free does not mean maintained or guaranteed accessible.
Can I winter camp in Baxter State Park?
Yes, through Baxter's winter program from December 1 through March 31. Camping is reservation-only, applications must arrive at least 10 days before the trip, and the maximum party size is 12.
Does open through Columbus Day mean year-round?
No. It describes an extended fall season, usually ending around the middle of October. Confirm a specific winter arrival date directly rather than treating fall operation as proof of year-round camping.
Which year-round campground is better for a large RV?
Stony Brook specifically offers big-rig pull-thru sites with 30/50-amp service. Confirm the exact winter site and operating details directly before towing to the campground.