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Duck Harbor Campground is located on Isle au Haut, a rugged island off the coast of Stonington, Maine. Remote and inaccessible to automobiles, Isle au Haut is linked to the mainland by mailboat.
Isle au Haut offers excellent hiking. The remoteness of the island provides a quiet experience along primitive trails with many great views of rocky cliffs and coastal scenery. Bicycling is allowed but is very rigorous, on loose rock, and unpaved road. No trail biking. You must bring your own mountain bike. Bicycles can only be unloaded at the Town Dock. No bicycles may be loaded or unloaded at Duck Harbor Landing.
This small campground contains five campsites. Each campsite has a fire ring, picnic table, and a lean-to shelter which is three-sided with roof and floor. Dimensions are 8' tall, 8' deep, and 12.5' wide. Use of tents is limited to what can fit inside the shelters. There are three composting toilets at the campground and a hand pump for water located 0.3 miles from campground.
There is a ranger station 4 miles from the campground but only 0.3 miles from the Isle au Haut Town Landing. The ranger station is open mid-April to mid-October, when there are rangers on Isle au Haut for the season. While the rangers are typically out in the field and not at the ranger station during most of the day, the lobby remains open, allowing visitors access to maps, reading material, water, and the only public restroom in town. **Boat service to Duck Harbor is limited at the beginning and end of the season. Please review the Need to Know section**.
Isle au Haut provides opportunities to explore rocky shorelines, wooded uplands, marshes, bogs, and a mile-long freshwater lake. A section of Acadia National Park covers about half of Isle au Haut. The campground is situated on the western side of Isle au Haut. It is just south of the Duck Harbor Boat Landing. The island is approximately six miles long by two miles wide.
There is a small, traditional village near the Isle au Haut Town Landing where one can find a general store, seasonal gift shop, a seasonal food shack, and post office.
No Shows
* If a camper does not arrive at his/her campsite by 11:00am check-out time the day after the scheduled arrival date, **their reservation will be cancelled, the camper will incur a $20.00 service fee, and forfeit the first night's camping fee**.
Making Changes to Your Reservation
* A **$10.00 service fee** will apply if you make any changes to your reservation.
Cancelling Your Reservation
* If you cancel your reservation the day before or on the day of your scheduled arrival date, you will incur a **$10 service fee and forfeit your first night's camping fee**. If you cancel your reservation 2 or more days before your scheduled arrival date, you will only incur a $10 service fee.
Please review **Rules & Reservation Policies** below for more information.
From the north, take I-95 to Bangor, then I-395 to Brewer, then take Rte. 15 south to Stonington. From the south, take I-95 or I-295 to Augusta, then Rte. 3 to Belfast, then Rte. 15 to Stonington.
My adventure-loving Dad brought our family here when we were kiddos in the 1970s. Incredible beauty and escape from reality! Be sure to hit sunsets from Eben's Head. Enjoy beach peas and blueberries in mid-summer. Great mountain biking. Swimming in the ocean will make Turner Pond feel like a hot-tub! If you like the Great Outdoors, you'll love Isle au Haut! Put this place on your bucket list!
Potentially one of the most underrated national park campgrounds in the country. 5 lean-to / three sided shelters are available here; all were in great condition. Campsites are under the direction of the NPS, visit recreation.gov for required reservations and head to the NPS Acadia Isle au Haut page for full details on things to do and requirements for staying overnight.
We visited in May of 2018 once commercial boat service is available to the island but early enough only backpackers would be staying. When traveling to the campground via commercial service to the main portion of the island there is a 4 mile hike in. Closer to peak summer dates it appears boats are permitted to dock here. Plenty of day hiking on the southern island for 1-2 days and no hikes were more than moderate for the typically fit backpacker.
During our visit we found split firewood was readily available about 3 min walk away fro campground and one clean composting latrine was available.
This small part of Acadia has to be one of the best National Parks in the lower 48 states. There are only five campsites on the island. You can hike rugged coastal trails all day and not see anyone. Come prepared or you will be disappointed. Some trails have thick vegetation while others are very rocky. The campsites are close to the dock so don't be afraid to bring camp chairs, wine, etc.
Camping at Duck Harbor was one of the quietest, most peaceful experiences I have ever had. There are only 5 campsites, all with covered, wooden platforms to sleep on. In early October, right before the end of the season, none of the other four sites were occupied. There is a fresh water pump a short hike away and the hiking trails around the southern half of the island are wonderful. I could not recommend it more highly for anyone who enjoys camping off the beaten path and wants to avoid the crowds of the Mount Desert Island part of the park.
The campground is the hardest to book in Acadia National park, only 5 tent sites. The location is what makes it worthwhile. I went on a hike today and saw nature at its best and worst. The trails here are brutal. You need to be in good shape to even handle the easy trails. That is the one pictured. People were passing me by like I was standing. I do recomend a hiking stick
I don't know how many it save me from slipping and falling. Loved the hike though.
