A Comfortable Midcoast Base
Megunticook Campground sits on Route 1 in Rockport, almost exactly halfway between Camden and Rockland. The campground is one of the Sea Swell Campgrounds properties and runs the gamut from full-hookup RV sites to tent sites to one-room rental cabins. The setting is wooded with a clearing for the pool and an observation deck that looks out toward Penobscot Bay.
This is not a wilderness experience. It is a comfortable, well-equipped midcoast base where the trade for a smaller patch of forest is being a five-minute drive from working harbors, schooner cruises, and Camden Hills State Park.
Site Layout and Hookups
The campground has tent sites without hookups, partial-hookup sites with water and electric, and full-hookup pull-throughs with 30 and 50 amp service. Cabin rentals sleep up to four. A dump station, a heated pool, a playground, and an observation deck round out the amenities.
The full-hookup pull-through sites at the back of the loop tend to back up to a tree line, which gives more privacy than the open sites near the office. Ask for a back-row pull-through when you book.
Water Access
The campground has a heated pool on-site and is a short walk to Penobscot Bay shoreline. There is no direct boat launch at the campground itself, but the public boat launch at Rockport Harbor is about 5 minutes away by car and Camden Harbor is about 10 minutes north. Many guests use the campground as a base for kayak day trips on the bay or schooner cruises out of Camden.
Dogs
Pets are welcome with a $10 per stay fee. Two cabins (specifically cabins 4 and 10) are pet-free with a $150 fine for violation. Pets must be on leash and never left unattended.
Things to Do Nearby
Camden is 3 miles north and is one of the most photographed harbor towns on the East Coast. The downtown has restaurants, ice cream, and the Camden Harbor windjammer fleet, including several historic schooners that run two-night and longer cruises.
Camden Hills State Park is 5 minutes north and includes Mount Battie, which has a paved auto road to a summit overlook of the harbor and the bay. The park also has the more challenging Maiden Cliff and Megunticook Trail hikes.
Rockland is 7 miles south and has the Farnsworth Art Museum (with a major Wyeth collection), the Maine Lighthouse Museum, and a working fishing harbor with several excellent restaurants.
Rockport itself, between Camden and Rockland, often gets skipped — but the harbor with Andre the Seal’s statue, the Maine Media Workshops campus, and a small downtown make for a quiet morning walk before the day-trippers arrive in Camden or Rockland.
When to Go
Spring
Open May 15. Cool, sometimes rainy, but quiet and the pool is heated.
Summer
Peak coastal weather. Camden gets crowded — book the campground ahead.
Fall
Foliage along the bay, schooner sails through mid-October. Often the best weather of the year.
Winter
Campground closed.
Getting There
The campground is on US Route 1 in Rockport at 620 Commercial Street, easy to find driving north or south. From Portland, take I-295 north to I-95, exit at Brunswick, and follow Route 1 north through Bath, Wiscasset, Damariscotta, and Rockland — about 1 hour 45 minutes. From Bangor, take Route 1A south through Belfast and continue south on Route 1 — about 1 hour 15 minutes.
FAQ
Is Megunticook Campground actually on the ocean?
It has Penobscot Bay views from parts of the property and is a short walk to the shoreline, but most sites are wooded and not directly waterfront. The campground does have an on-site pool.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, with a $10 per stay fee. Two specific cabins (4 and 10) are pet-free. Dogs must be on leash and never left unattended.
Are there full RV hookups?
Yes. The campground has full-hookup pull-throughs with 30 and 50 amp service, plus partial-hookup water-and-electric sites and tent sites.
When does the campground open?
May 15 through October 15.
Is it close to Camden?
Yes. The campground is about 3 miles south of Camden village and 7 miles north of Rockland — almost exactly between the two.
