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Welcome to Fiddlehead Campground – the best river front camping on the Saco River in Fryeburg, Maine!
Season Dates:
Open 7 days a week –
Last weekend in June thru Labor Day
Open Weekends ONLY –
First weekend in May thru last weekend of June
Labor Day thru the last weekend of September
From Portland, Maine: Take Rt. 302 to Fryeburg, turn right onto Rt. 5 North and continue about 2 ½ miles past the Fryeburg Fairground, until you cross the Saco River at Canal Bridge. Immediately north of the bridge, take your first right on a small dirt road. It is easily identified during the day by the Fiddlehead sign; at night there is a light by the roadside.
Fiddlehead Campground
3.5 miles north of Fryeburg on Rte. 5
Fryeburg, Maine 04037
2020 Season Reservations for wilderness camping now open: Call us at 207.730.1878 for information and booking options! Call early to reserve your favorite spot. You may also book beaches 1 and 2 online at http://www.fiddleheadoutdoors.com/reservations/
***ONLINE RESERVATIONS ARE FOR BEACH 1 & BEACH 2 ONLY. FOR ALL OTHER SITES, PLEASE CALL TO RESERVE.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME TO FIDDLEHEAD, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND CALLING US – 207.730.1878***
Yes, the mosquitos were horrible this year... Besides that we had a great time for our guys weekend. We stayed at beach 6 and it was nice and clean when we arrived. The restrooms were cleaned daily, the staff was great, the river was AWESOME.
We come every year and most certainly will be back!
Review for July 28-30. Like most reviews, my family has been staying at this campground for years. Since under new ownership our stays have been going downhill. We arrived on a Friday morning around 11 and it took us 1.5 hours to wait in a traffic line of cars to get to the check in hut. It was Awful. Then the second you step out of your car you’re attacked by mosquitoes. ATTACKED! It’s a scene out of a movie, I can’t describe. You are literally getting eaten alive even with bug spray and clothes on. Also, our site used to have 2 Porto potties that were cleaned every morning. This year it was down to 1 and it wasn’t cleaned the entire weekend we were there. Very upset about this years experience.
This place is lame. The staff is friendly but not very helpful. There is no running water or clean port-a-potties and they are all disgusting with no toilet paper. Some don’t even have locks to let others know you are in there. The smell was unbearable. I remember I camped here years ago and they had showers and bathrooms and clean port-a-potties. We were on beach 1 so we knew it was gonna be a party but one group was up until 630am and wouldn’t be quiet so make sure to bring your headphones or ear plugs. It is cool that you can camp anywhere on the beach! I would never spend $40 a night though with these kinds of accommodations. Also no tube rental or shuttle service. Crazy they increased the daily rate!!
The price has almost tripled in the last few years along with the front desk/store/showers being blocked off to campers. The cost of wood (if you can even get it) has also increased. we were told $140 for a truck bed of wood (robbery). When the guy showed up with it hours later they changed their minds and said it was $160 then proceeded to tell us the truck bed they had in front of us is $600 worth of wood and we were only getting a portion of that bed. Some drunk 12 year old kid who works there tried giving us all kinds of excuses as to why it was so expensive for such a small amount of fire wood and proceeded to argue with us over the $20 difference. Been coming here for 10 years and wont be returning. The new owners are running this place into the ground, they dont mow the grass or weedwhack or maintain the property at all. 1 portopotty per site seems to be the new normal no matter the group size, we have about 14 people every year and have been given 1 portopotty for the last 3 years that dont get cleaned regularly. That 1 portopotty is also shared with people from surrounding sites. Working in construction, I use portopottys regularly and Iv'e never seen one as bad as the ones here. The owner Michael did put in effort to get our group a refund and was answering his phone when we all tried calling him and since then we have all received refunds for the wrong amount but Iv'e given up trying to get the rest of the money back. we left our site after 1 night due to inclement weather approaching and unsanitary conditions on the property.
***This is a review STRICTLY for the 2023 Season*** PLEASE read - wish we knew what it was going to be like. This is NOT a typical year here and come prepared!!!
RIVER CONDITIONS (July 21-23):
This is my 5th year here. The first three were typical of one another. While last year was bone-dry and the river was barely floatable, this years rain has brought a totally overly flooded river. The waters are much deeper than you can stand, the current is a lot stronger than a typical person could swim against, and the water feels much colder than typical.
CAMP EXPERIENCE:
We were suppose to be at Bottom of the Island/The Cove. Due to flooding we could not access this area. Upon arrival they notified us and told us we would be moved to “Wilson 1” which was more than enough room for us all. I appreciate that they relocated us and although it was not where we wanted to be, it was nice to not be turned away.
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE LEVEL OF MOSQUITOES!!!! I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy. It got so bad it made it impossible to even cook and eat meals. You could not sit still without being swarmed in your ears, eyes, face, all over. BRING long garments. No amount of tiki torches, fire, or spray can keep this many away. Walking to tube you’d be chased by easily 30 looking over your shoulder. The only time it was semi manageable was past 9pm with a HUGE fire.
COME PREPARED IF YOU DARE TO GO!!!
GOUND CONDITIONS:
Beach 2 was flooded before we arrived, and recently receded slightly but still half covered. Mid Beach is itself a river, making any campsites between 1 & 2 in the woods inaccessible unless by by boat. There is a pond of water in the middle of Beach 2. Beach 1 looked ok, but smaller. Most if not all side beaches past 2 are underwater.
This is an odd year for sure. This is NOT typical of Fiddlehead. If you still decide to go this year PLEASE go prepared for the mosquitos. Any exposed skin will be attacked at any and all times.
