Tent site in Loop B of the Seawall Campground in Acadia National Park

GENERAL INFORMATION

Seawall Campground is located near Bass Harbor on the west side of Acadia National Park’s Mount Desert Island. Because less people visit this side, sites at the campground are usually easier to get during the tourist season than those at the park’s other campground on the east side of the island, Blackwoods Campground. However, you do have a half-hour drive from the campground to the Bar Harbor area, which is where most of the attractions at the park are located.

When arriving at the campground, be sure to register at the camp office. The office sells Acadia National Park entrances passes, guide books, and trail maps, plus you can pick up a park brochure and newspaper (cash only for maps and guide books).

From late June through the rest of the camping season, the free Island Explorer Shuttle Bus stops at the campground, so you can get around the park without your vehicle.

CAMPING SEASON

The Seawall Campground is typically open from late May through Columbus Day, though not all sites are open the entire time. The exact camping dates change slightly each year, so be sure to get the current schedule on the National Park Service’s Camping web page for Acadia National Park.

TYPE OF CAMPING

Tent campers and RVs are welcome at the campground.

NUMBER OF SITES

Seawall Campground Map (click to enlarge)

The Seawall Campground is divided into five sections. Loop A has 21 sites for tents and RVs and 15 for tents only. Loop B is for tents only and has 23 sites. Loop C is for tents and RVs and has 40 sites. Loop D is for walk-in tent camping only and has 99 sites. There are also five group campsites, one of which can accommodate disabled guests.

Tent sites allow up to six people and two tents, provided that the tents fit on the gravel area of the campsite or the tent pad, if provided. There is parking for one vehicle. Additional vehicles must use the overflow parking lot.

Group sites allow up to 15 people and as many tents as needed for the group members. Each site has its own parking area that holds three vehicles.

CAMPGROUND TERRAIN

LOOP A

Loop A is open to tent campers and RVs. This is a drive-in area, meaning that you park your vehicle at the campsite. Driveways can accommodate vehicles up to 20 feet in length and are back-in (like driveways at a house). If you have a longer RV or camper, choose Loop C.

Sites are wooded and have a thin row of trees or brush between them, but they are packed pretty closely together, so don’t expect much privacy. The camping area is gravel, and all tents must remain on the gravel surface.

No generators are allowed.

Loop A campsite at Acadia National Park’s Seawall Campground

LOOP B

Loop B is for tent campers only. Some sites are close to the road, while others are farther back into the woods. Like Loop A, the campsites have some vegetation between them, but there is little privacy. The camping area is gravel, and all tents must remain on the gravel surface.

Tent site in Loop B of Acadia National Park’s Seawall Campground

LOOP C

While both tent campers and RVs can use Loop C, it is really designed for RVs. All but three sites have pull-through parking, so you don’t have to worry about backing up your large RV when you leave. Just drive into your site from one side and drive out the other. Most sites can accommodate RVs up to 35 feet long, but there are some that can only hold a 20-foot vehicle. Driveway sizes are listed on Recreation.gov, the online reservation website.

The campsites have trees for shade, but there is no privacy between them.

Generators are allowed from 8 AM to 10 AM and from 4 PM to 7 PM.

RV camping in Loop C of Acadia National Park’s Seawall Campground

LOOP D

Loop D is the walk-in tent campground. Parking is done in a common lot and you must carry your gear to the sites, which are anywhere from 10 to 600 feet from the parking area (most are at least 50 feet away). Wheelbarrows are available for you to use when carrying your gear.

Because the sites are located in the woods, I did not have a chance to visit them. However, from what I have read, the main complaint is that the campsites are right on top of each other and have very little privacy. Sounds familiar.

GROUP CAMPSITES

Group campsites are located on a grassy field. Three sites are located on one side of the road and have stands of trees between them that provide privacy. Two other sites are located on the opposite side of the road and also have enough trees between them to provide privacy. However, campsites on the opposite sides of the road are within plain sight of each other.

AMENITIES

The Seawall Campground does not have electricity or water at any site, even the RV sites. Furthermore, while there are modern restrooms, there are no showers. There is a private camp store a mile down the road where you can take a shower for a fee.

All individual tent and RV sites have a picnic table and a grill / fire ring. The group campsites have multiple picnic tables, plus a grill and a fire ring.

There is a dump station for RVs.

RESERVATIONS

Payment for your campsite does not include an entrance pass for Acadia National Park, which is now required year-round. You can purchase a pass online in advance at Recreation.gov or at the park at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Acadia Gateway Center, Park Loop Road Fee Station, Blackwoods Campground, Schoodic Woods Campground, and the Seawall Campground. There is also an automated fee machine that dispenses passes at the entrance to the Rockefeller Hall Welcome Center on the Schoodic Peninsula and outside the Sieur de Monts Nature Center. Passes can also be purchased from third-party sellers at the Jordon Pond Gift Shop, Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce on Cottage Street, Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce, Mount Desert Chamber of Commerce, and the Southwest Harbor/Tremont Chamber of Commerce.

Reservations for all campsites at the Seawall Campground are required and must be made online at Recreation.gov. Ninety percent are released six months in advance at the first of the month. For example, campsites for the entire month of August are available March 1st. Ten percent of campsites are held until two weeks out. These are available starting at 10 AM.

Payment cannot be made at the campground. If you show up without a reservation, you must use your phone to visit Recreation.gov. If no cell service is available at the campground, you must drive around until you find a signal.

CAMPGROUND RULES

• Check-in time is 1 PM
• Check-out time is by 10 AM
• Quiet hours are from 10 PM to 6 AM
• Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, and 30 days total in a year
• If not arriving on the first day of your reservation, you must call (207) 412-8346 or forfeit the reservation.
• All equipment must fit on the gravel portions of the campsite. Vehicles must park in developed areas only. One vehicle per site. All other vehicles must park in overflow parking.
• Generators are allowed from 8 AM to 10 AM and 4 PM to 7 PM in Loop C only.
• Pets are allowed, but must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet, and they cannot be left at the campsite.
• Firewood must be bought within a 50 mile radius of the park. Firewood is available at many places within the park and surrounding area.

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