Perfect Camping for You in New England! The Best in Tent Camping: New England is a guidebook for tent campers who like quiet, scenic, and serene campsites. It's the perfect resource if you blanch at the thought of pitching a tent on a concrete slab, trying to sleep through the blare of another camper's music, or waking to find your tent surrounded by a convoy of RVs. Painstakingly selected from hundreds of campgrounds, the places in this book are the quietest, most beautiful, most secure, and best-managed campgrounds in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Each campground profile provides essential details on facilities, reservations, fees, and restrictions, as well as an accurate, easy-to-read map making the campground a snap to locate. Rich with history, natural beauty, and environmental diversity, New England offers campers a new experience at every turn. From the tidal marsh of Long Island Sound, to Vermont's world-famous forests, to the rocky shores of Maine, New England camping has never been better. Lafe Low is a lifelong New Englander. He has spent his life camping, skiing, biking, hiking, and paddling his way throughout the People's Republic of New England. He is the former editor of Explore New England and Outdoor Adventure Magazine. He is currently living in Massachusetts and working as an editor with CIO Magazine to help finance his funhog lifestyle. BAXTER STATE PARK A night spent camping in Baxter State Park, especially in one of the remote sites, is a true wilderness experience. RATINGS Beauty: 5 stars Privacy: 4 stars Spaciousness: 4 stars Quiet: 5 stars Security: 5 stars Cleanliness: 4 stars KEY INFORMATION Address: 64 Balsam Dr., Millinocket, ME 04462 Operated by: Maine Department of Conservation―Bureau of Parks and Lands Information: 207-723-5140, baxterstateparkauthority.com Open: May 15-Oct. 15, Dec. 1-March 31 (some campgrounds have variable dates) Sites: 75 tent sites, 71 lean-tos, 5 bunkhouses, 13 group sites, and 22 cabins in 10 separate campgrounds Each site: Fire ring, picnic table (except hike-in sites) Assignment: Reservations strongly recommended; accepted Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., otherwise first-come, first-served Registration: At gatehouse and with ranger; check in after 1 p.m., check out by 11 a.m. Facilities: Pit toilets, water spigots Parking: At sites Fee: $14 nonresident vehicle fee to enter park; $30 for campground tent or lean-to site; $20 for backcountry tent or lean-to site; $11 per person, per night for bunkhouses; $55-$130 for cabins; $7 per person, per night for group sites ($42-per-night minimum) Restrictions: Pets: Prohibited Fires: Fire rings only Alcohol: Prohibited Vehicles: Parking at sites only “Forever wild”―those are the words of Percival Baxter (1876–1969), a former governor of Maine, philanthropist, and conservationist who donated Mount Katahdin and the land surrounding it to the state, on the condition that it remain as he described it. “Forever wild” perfectly describes Baxter State Park as well. Its remoteness, size, and grandeur are profound. Baxter’s intent was to keep the park undeveloped. Today, it’s managed as a wildlife preserve first and as a recreation resource second. At more than 200,000 acres, Baxter State Park is a huge place. There are actually 10 campgrounds within the park. Truth is, no matter where you end up in the park, you’re bound to have a remote wilderness experience. Eight of the campgrounds you can reach by driving; the other two are hike-in areas. Camping in these areas requires a bit of additional effort, but the solitude and splendor are well worth it. If you’re camping in Baxter State Park, by all means enjoy the convenience of the car-camping areas, but try to spend at least one night at Chimney Pond or Russell Pond, or even at one of the many truly remote wilderness campsites spread throughout the park. After you enter the massive park through the Togue Pond Gate, along the park’s southern border, you’ll first come to is Abol Campground. It has 9 tent sites and 12 lean-tos; each lean-to can accommodate four people. Abol Campground sits at the trailhead for the Abol Trail, one of the routes to the summit of Katahdin, so this is one of several popular spots for hikers with designs on summiting the park’s centerpiece peak. Farther up Nesowadnehunk Tote Road, which encircles the perimeter of the park, is Katahdin Stream Campground, with 9 tent sites, 12 lean-tos that can fit 3 to 5 campers, and 3 group sites that can hold from 12 to 25. From here, hikers can head to the summit of Katahdin on the Hunt Trail, which is part of the Appalachian Trail. You can also easily get to the Owl Trail and the Grassy Pond Trail heading east. Just to the southwest of Katahdin Stream you’ll find Daicey Pond Campground. You get there by continuing north and west on Nesowadnehunk Tote Road, then heading south just before Foster Field Picnic Area. You could also hi