Kidney Pond Campground

Baxter’s Hidden Gem

Kidney Pond Campground is the most secluded cabin campground in Baxter State Park. Eleven rustic cabins sit along the shore of a quiet, 80-acre pond tucked behind a ridge on the park’s western side. Unlike Daicey Pond, which draws crowds for its Katahdin views, Kidney Pond flies under the radar. The people who come here are looking for solitude, and they find it.

The pond gets its name from its shape, a curved, kidney-bean outline surrounded by dense spruce and fir forest. Doubletop Mountain rises to the northeast, and on clear mornings you can trace the mountain’s twin summits from the dock. The sunsets here are legendary among Baxter regulars. The pond faces west, and the evening light ignites the sky beyond the treeline in colors that change by the minute.

Kidney Pond has the feel of a classic Maine sporting camp. The cabins are rustic, the lake is quiet, and the pace is slow. There is no cell service, no electricity, and no road noise. Loons call across the water, and moose browse the pond’s marshy edges at dusk. If you want the quintessential northern Maine cabin experience without leaving the park, this is where to find it.

The Campground

The eleven cabins are spaced along the pond shore with enough distance between them for genuine privacy. Each cabin sleeps up to four people on wooden bunks and comes equipped with a woodstove, picnic table, and fire ring. Like all Baxter State Park cabins, they are bare bones. You provide your own bedding, cooking gear, food, and light sources.

Canoes are provided free of charge for registered campers. The aluminum canoes are stored at the pond’s edge and are available first-come, first-served. Kidney Pond is an excellent paddling pond, small enough to explore in an hour, large enough to feel like you are somewhere, and calm enough that wind is rarely a problem.

Vault toilets serve the campground, and potable water comes from a hand pump. A ranger is stationed at the campground during the operating season. The road into Kidney Pond branches off the main park perimeter road and is rougher than the main route, the last mile is narrow and winding, which adds to the feeling of arriving somewhere truly remote.

Things to Do

Doubletop Mountain is the signature hike from Kidney Pond. The trailhead is accessible from the Nesowadnehunk Field area, a short drive from camp. The trail climbs 3,488 feet to the summit over a steep and demanding 6-mile round trip route. The summit views take in Katahdin, the Nesowadnehunk Valley, and the western mountains. It is one of the toughest day hikes in Baxter outside of Katahdin itself.

The OJI Link trail provides access to the Barren, OJI, and Coe mountains, a challenging ridgeline traverse for experienced hikers. The approach starts near Kidney Pond and connects to the park’s central trail network. These peaks see far fewer hikers than Katahdin and offer exceptional above-treeline views.

On the pond, fishing for brook trout is the main water activity. Kidney Pond holds a healthy population of native brookies, and early morning fly fishing from a canoe is as good as it gets. Swimming is refreshing after a hike, the water warms slowly through summer but is tolerable by mid-July. Wildlife watching from the canoe is productive: loons, great blue herons, kingfishers, and moose are all regular sightings.

When to Go

Getting There

From the Togue Pond Gate, drive the park perimeter road approximately 12 miles to the Kidney Pond turnoff. The turn is signed but easy to miss. Follow the narrow access road about 1.5 miles to the campground. The total drive from the gate takes about 40 minutes. From Millinocket, the Togue Pond Gate is approximately 25 miles north on Baxter State Park Road.

If you are coming from the Matagamon Gate in the north, the drive on the perimeter road is longer and rougher, plan for well over an hour. Most campers access Kidney Pond from the south.

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