Smuggler's Den Campground — Hotel in Southwest Harbor

We checked in on a Sunday and left on a Thursday morning. We had a lot of rain during our stay but made the best of it.

The facilities were great, the staff is super efficient and thorough cleaning the campsites when people leave. Their golf carts are super quiet and I didn’t feel like they were hovering or over the top enforcing the campground rules. The staff were all very friendly and personable.

We were in the tenting area and had sites 22 and 24 - which worked well since we had 6 adults and two toddlers. We setup one tent on one site and two tents on the other with our cars parked at the ends which gave us some privacy. A lot of good sized trees for shade and for hanging tarps for cover from the rain. It was fairly quiet where we were, very close to the bathroom and the office (which we went to both a lot). Also very close to the pool and playground but not so close that it was constant noise from kids. At night it seems most people are settled down by 8-9. We stayed up with our music on low and shut it off at 10, but stayed up our fire and no one seemed to be monitoring - which has happened at other campgrounds.

We weren’t there during the weekend but during the week at least it was pretty much families and older people/couples … not much of a party scene thankfully.

We live in the Bangor area so we went to this campground to get away with family but aren’t tourists - I think a lot of people tenting there were off during the day hiking or exploring the state park so the campground was pretty uncrowded during the day (not sure if that’s it typical since we went the third week of August and the weather wasn’t great). We had the heated pool to ourselves several times and it was super clean in and around the pool. The heated kiddie pool was definitely nice to have for toddlers.

The new bathhouse was a quick walk and was so amazing - super clean, more toilets and bigger shower stalls with a little bench for your things. All brand new. They have handicap accessible shower stall and toilet stall with changing table. This bathhouse also has nice kitchen sinks for dish cleaning outside as well.

Our 3 year olds loved the playground - fairly new, clean safe - nothing old and rickety here!

We were super happy with our stay and perks were: heated pool Nice playground The new bathhouse is AMAZING Bathrooms were always clean and the doors don’t bang shut so you don’t have to hear that all night! Really nice picnic tables - all in good shape Very clean grounds Location was great to explore some trails like Wonderland (which was easy to do with toddlers and with amazing views) but without the hustle and bustle of the Bar Harbor area Close to Thurston’s in Bernard or Beal’s in Southwest Harbor - a little touristy but Grocery store right up the road with very inflated prices but handy in a pinch Washer and dryers came in handy, dryers $1.00 for 30 minutes I think Store has fresh lobsters, pots and all the things you need for a lobster dinner to cook...

We rented a deluxe camp cabin and it was perfect for our family of 5 (2 kids + dog). This gave us a comfortable home base with private bathroom and a small eat-in kitchen and screened porch. Since they provide baking sheets, pots/pans, measuring cups, cutlery, plates/bowls, it was no trouble to make simple things like Mac & cheese for the kids, or tacos or spaghetti & meatballs for a crowd (friends rented the next door cabin). And it was only 20min drive to Bar Harbor to access many great restaurants or shopping. Many fantastic Acadia trailheads are easily accessible from here, and even better: there’s a trail on the property that takes you to directly to Lurvey Spring Road with access to Echo Lake Beach or Long Pond without needing to get in a car - fantastic for early morning walks with the dog. Echo Lake was especially fun for us because it’s a nice spot for swimming and observing a beautiful pair of nesting loons. From the Echo Lake beach parking lot you can also access the Canada Cliffs and Beech Cliffs hikes, which are challenging (not dog friendly unless your dog is small enough to fit in a backpack, due to the 4 ladders) but very scenic. And from Long Pond you can access the Beech Mountain summit hike. We also appreciated that it was very peaceful and quiet, but they were not militant about quiet hours, so when we enjoyed nighttime campfires and s’mores with other families and their kids & dogs, as long as we were respectful and not being loud, it was fine. Just make sure to bring your own towels, pillows, and bed linens, as they’ve noted on their website. Note they have a small laundry near the main office if needed, as well as a heated pool and a very nice playground. ||And most importantly, I have to thank the exceptional staff. They were extremely helpful when our dog took herself for a very exciting walk one morning (totally my fault when she squeezed out the screen door when I had it partially open). Within minutes they had no less than 3 staff members out searching for her. I was terrified that she was going to get lost in all the fun sights and sounds of Acadia, but staff members spread the word and literally drove & walked over a mile in multiple directions, and within an hour had found multiple other campers/hikers/joggers that had seen her running around, so we were able to pinpoint her approximate location on one of the back roads near the campground and call her back with some of her favorite treats. I really don’t know if we would have found her without their kindness and sense of urgency. Can’t thank Heather & Todd and all the helpful fellow campers enough!||The main office was also helpful with guidance on local activities (for example, printing Acadia Park access passes or Cadillac Mountain passes) and recommendations for timing/parking of the more popular destinations.||Thank you,...

Wow! What a find! Booked this campground 7 months prior to our stay but glad we did. Conveniently located in Southwest Harbor and mere minutes from shopping, dining, and recreation in Acadia National Park. Friendly staff welcomed us to the campground. We were surprised to find out we were on the Island Explorer Southwest Harbor bus line, which was just a quick 30 minute ride into Village Green in downtown Bar Harbor. You can leave your vehicle at the campground and take the shuttle to all of the popular spots. Campsites were well maintained and bathrooms were clean and accessible. Did a few loads of laundry in the laundry room on-site. Bring quarters and your own detergent and softener. Pool was refreshing and clean and my daughter enjoyed the slide. Take a hike out the back of the campground down to the beach at Echo Lake....great place to swim after a day of hiking. We took a short drive over to Long Pond-great place if you are a kayaker or SUP boarder. Southwest Foodmart IGA Grocery was right down the street for all your basic needs. Avoid the high lobster prices elsewhere and stop by Rodick's right across the street from the campground for $14.99 lobster dinners. The owner is a lobsterman and pulled our lobsters out of the harbor that morning! We enjoyed ours to-go back at the site. The town of Southwest Harbor is darling. Be sure to stop by the The Salt Shop for ice cream....we went two nights in a row! Looking for something quick to eat? Don't let "gas station pizza" deter you from Gott's Store, a short drive down Bass Harbor Road. The large pizza was HUGE and tasted amazing next to our campfire. The last night in town, we dressed up and went for cocktails at Little Fern Restaurant located in The Claremont Hotel & Resort nearby. They are open to the public and have breathtaking views of the harbor. Save your $ and head down the steps to the Batson River Fish Camp for dinner and Batson River craft beer/spirits. Overall, a wonderful vacation and Smuggler's Den was the perfect place to stay to wine, dine, and conveniently explore Acadia and the Bar Harbor area. We...