WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

[mooncricket]

Hi,
I'm looking for a wilderness camping spot near Freeport, ME. Anyone have any suggestions. Even paid campgrounds, with a wilderness feel (no lots of kids, etc.), would be fine--so long as they are 1-2 hours away from Freeport.

Thank you!
Jessica

[GlitterHiker]

Re: WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

Isn't Freeport where L. L. Bean is headquartered? If no one here has suggestions, you could call their customer service line.

[mooncricket]

Re: WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

Great suggestion!

here is LLBean's reply:

Dear MOON,

Thank you for contacting L.L.Bean about your upcoming trip.

There are certainly some beautiful wilderness spots around Freeport, especially within a 1-2 hour drive. That covers a huge area. Close by are Wolfes Neck State Park and Bradbury Mountain State Park. Of course as state parks those carry certain rules as does much of the other public and privately owned land.

Because we're L.L.Bean we can't recommend a truly remote point to pitch a tent in case something should happen to you out there away from immediate medical attention. But there certainly are remote spots to be found. However, we have to think safety. So, in thinking safety, one spot we can recommend is called Reconpence, which is here in Freeport. The address is 134 Burnett Rd. and the phone number is 207-865-9307. Yes, that is a camp ground. And there is a section for RV's. However, there are also tent plots and some are more remote than others. If you're looking for a truly remote spot all we can say is "happy hunting."

Just a tip: If you can find someone in the area who fishes they're sure to have a nice spot they could recommend. But some are more secretive about their spots than others.

I hope you enjoy your stay here in Freeport.

Sincerely,
Brian S.
L.L.Bean Customer Service
800-441-5713
llbean.com

[GlitterHiker]

Re: WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

That's such a thorough response - how nice of them!

[surmisez]

Re: WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

I just love the CYA. It's unfortunate that every company always has to think in terms of being sued.

[EnglishTeacha]

Re: WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

I love LL Bean.

1-2 hours from Freeport...hmmmm.... State parks are the first places that come to mind. I went to http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/...earch/index.pl and clicked the "camping" box. Tons of places came up, including "Public reserved lands" which offer primitive camping, and state parks, which offer flush toilets and showers. I live about 90 minutes from Freeport in the Western Lakes and Mountains region. The only wilderness/primitive camping I've done around here is at Flagstaff Lake, another hour past us, and we canoed out to an island and set up camp overnight. Mt. Blue State Park is nice. The campground is quite large, and there's a nice beach area on the lake, and several mountains nearby for hiking. Tumbledown Mountain has a pond at the top. It's lovely. (though I bet it's nicer if you aren't hiking it with 100 7th graders, which I did last year as a school trip.)

If you don't mind traveling farther from Freeport, Acadia National Park is gorgeous. That's our "go to" camping vacation spot. On our last trip to Acadia, we stayed at Lamoine State Park, about 15-20 minutes outside of Bar Harbor/Acadia. It's right on the bay and you can see Cadillac Mountain.

[EnglishTeacha]

Re: WILDERNESS CAMPING near Freeport, ME?

I'll add that Freeport is in Southern Maine, which is quite populated, so there's not much wilderness camping in that area. There are private campgrounds, though, that have a wilderness feel. www.campmaine.com is the Maine Campground Owners association website.