Smuggler's Den Campground

ellie p

Perfect if you want to camp Acadia but can’t get into the official sites. Honestly, probably better than the official sites because the bathrooms are the nicest I’ve seen - especially for a campground. Can’t speak to the rest of the amenities but it was quiet all around us (we had a tent site in the trees) and 20 mins to Acadia / Bar Harbor each day.

Keegan DeLong

We recently stayed at the Smuggler’s Den in Southwest Harbor and had a mix of positive and negative experiences. Highlights: - Every single employee that my group interacted with was so genuinely kind. - The campground offers a huge playground for kids, as well as a wide open grassy area for them to play in. - The walking path to Echo Lake Beach was beautiful and a highlight of our trip. - The entire place is very clean and well-maintained, which we appreciated. - The pool and kiddie pool were great amenities, especially for families with young children. - Some tent sites come with electricity, which was a nice convenience. - We enjoyed the occasional live music, which added to the atmosphere. Things to Consider: - The campground seemed a bit overstaffed. Employees were frequently driving by on carts every ten minutes or so which felt a little excessive. - Early morning maintenance, like mowing and leaf blowing, started at 8 AM on Saturday. Which is fine on paper as quiet hours are from 10 PM to 8 AM, but kind of an abrasive way to start the day. - We had an issue during our stay, and while the manager was polite and kind, the response didn’t really address the problem. - The campsites are quite close together with minimal trees between, offering little privacy, which might not suit everyone. - A significant downside was the lack of cell service, making it difficult to stay connected. (However, free wifi was offered) Overall, the Smuggler’s Den has some great amenities and is a clean, well-maintained campground, but the lack of privacy and constant activity around the sites made it less relaxing than we had hoped. Ideal for families with children, not ideal for someone looking for peace and quiet.

Gavin Jenkins

One of our favorite campgrounds we've stayed at! Pros: Brand new showers & bathrooms at the Lower Bathhouse were incredible. Great little camp store with excellent hours. Employees/the family who owns it were always kind and accommodating. They clean their bathrooms every single day and it shows. Our Pop Up camper spot was nestled in a wooded area with plenty of room. There is a little trail from their campground that takes you to Echo Lake! Cons: I can't think of any! Just know you're about 20-30 minutes from parts of the Eastern part of Acadia like Sand Beach and Ocean Path. But very close to everything Southwest Harbor & Quietside.

Kelsey Anderson

We checked in on a Sunday and left on a Thursday morning. We had a lot of rain during our stay but made the best of it. The facilities were great, the staff is super efficient and thorough cleaning the campsites when people leave. Their golf carts are super quiet and I didn’t feel like they were hovering or over the top enforcing the campground rules. The staff were all very friendly and personable. We were in the tenting area and had sites 22 and 24 - which worked well since we had 6 adults and two toddlers. We setup one tent on one site and two tents on the other with our cars parked at the ends which gave us some privacy. A lot of good sized trees for shade and for hanging tarps for cover from the rain. It was fairly quiet where we were, very close to the bathroom and the office (which we went to both a lot). Also very close to the pool and playground but not so close that it was constant noise from kids. At night it seems most people are settled down by 8-9. We stayed up with our music on low and shut it off at 10, but stayed up our fire and no one seemed to be monitoring - which has happened at other campgrounds. We weren’t there during the weekend but during the week at least it was pretty much families and older people/couples … not much of a party scene thankfully. We live in the Bangor area so we went to this campground to get away with family but aren’t tourists - I think a lot of people tenting there were off during the day hiking or exploring the state park so the campground was pretty uncrowded during the day (not sure if that’s it typical since we went the third week of August and the weather wasn’t great). We had the heated pool to ourselves several times and it was super clean in and around the pool. The heated kiddie pool was definitely nice to have for toddlers. The new bathhouse was a quick walk and was so amazing - super clean, more toilets and bigger shower stalls with a little bench for your things. All brand new. They have handicap accessible shower stall and toilet stall with changing table. This bathhouse also has nice kitchen sinks for dish cleaning outside as well. Our 3 year olds loved the playground - fairly new, clean safe - nothing old and rickety here! We were super happy with our stay and perks were: 1. heated pool 2. Nice playground 3. The new bathhouse is AMAZING 4. Bathrooms were always clean and the doors don’t bang shut so you don’t have to hear that all night! 5. Really nice picnic tables - all in good shape 6. Very clean grounds 7. Location was great to explore some trails like Wonderland (which was easy to do with toddlers and with amazing views) but without the hustle and bustle of the Bar Harbor area 8. Close to Thurston’s in Bernard or Beal’s in Southwest Harbor - a little touristy but 9. Grocery store right up the road with very inflated prices but handy in a pinch 10. Washer and dryers came in handy, dryers $1.00 for 30 minutes I think Store has fresh lobsters, pots and all the things you need for a lobster dinner to cook at your site

Michael Margulis

Great spot to use as Base camp to see Acadia and surrounding sights. Quiet and somewhat private sights. Lots of kids in August and pool was busy. Restrooms are clean. Office Staff were so nice and friendly and helpful for Sightseeing tips. Free bus comes right in front of the office. Very busy! Smart if you want to hike different areas. No need to double up parking for drop off and pick up locations.

Marcos Rojas

Great campground. All services were booked online and they share a lot of information in advance. The store is very well stocked. The amenities were great and the bathroom were very clean. The space is great for dogs too our loved the fields! The adjacency with Echo lake was great we were able to explore that part of Acadia just walking around. The Mountain View cabin look like would be a great place to stay and would consider staying there in the future the view is gorgeous (Pictures attached) Great stay all around.

Kristen Dorr

Loved this little campground. Friendly people.

Krystal hill

Great place for family an friends to unwind an enjoy the outdoors

Jennifer deGraan

Great sites, friendly staff. Everything worked as stated.

Johnny K

Great for families and getting around Acadia. The gal at the front desk was amazing with information.