Blackwoods Campground

We stayed in loop B and even though it was approved for a 20 foot rv, it was too tight for our 16 foot trailer. We had to go the wrong way on the access road to make it in, even then scraping the door handle on a tree. We called to ask if there were any other sites better suited and were told no. However, I walked past several handicapped accessible spots that would have been perfect that sat empty during our stay, and my wife, as we told the rangers several times, has mobility issues (no, I didn't say specifically that she is handicapped). This was not the only thing the rangers got wrong. They told us the Wild Gardens were closed due to recent flooding, but they were open. They also said dogs were not allowed on the Echo Lake Beach, but that restriction was two weeks away. Back to loop B, it was about 98% tent campers. They should make the whole loop tent only. If so, we might have considered the Seawall Campground. We drove there and were surprised how nice and quiet that side of the park was. Speaking of quiet, another problem with our site, B041, was it was next to the bathhouse (no showers, pay showers up the road charge by the minute). They have the noisiest toilets of any campground we've stayed at in our over 40 years of camping! They could be heard constantly throughout the night. The path to the bathroom went past our site, which we didn't mind. What surprised us is the number of people that passed within 10 or so feet didn't make eye contact, much less nod or say "Hey!". We did compliment the one couple in two days that did so with a smile! Most of the must see destinations recommended to us were crowded, and it was best to get off the beaten path to appreciate the beauty without the beastly numbers. We left early....

Nice wooded campground with a ton of trees, hence limited solar. But very nice staff and the access to all that Acadia has to offer can’t be beat. Hiked the trails, rode our bikes and didn’t have to deal with parking inside the park. The shuttle only runs twice in the morning so catch it early or you may be out of luck.
The RV sites are mostly pull through and not much room at front and back but we had a decent living area.
Bathrooms only have toilets and cold water sinks but there is a place for dishwater dumping. Hot coin operated showers and firewood just outside campground.
We went to Bar Harbor on a non-cruise ship day and it was very nice, not too crowded.
I have Visible cell phone service and had zero coverage without our ATT router. My husband had one bar of extended LTE.
One of our favorite national parks.

Be sure to pay attention to the directions; no access to Blackwoods from the park loop road.

No hookups, so if you anticipate running a generator, get a spot in the A loop. No generators allowed in the B loop. (It was cool enough in late June that we didn't need our gen.)

The fare free Island Explorer buses have a stop in the campground. Get the newspaper that has the schedules (available for free in town and elsewhere). The first departure of the day and the first after lunch from Blackwoods will be on time, don't be late! You can flag down a bus anywhere that's not a curve or hill, and you can ask the driver to be let off along the route, not necessarily at an official stop.

The campground is busy but not crowded. Popular places in the park are busy and crowded.

The campground doesn't sell firewood, but there are roadside stands all the way until the campground entrance. Ice is available right outside the campground (but not in the campground).

Lots of hiking
We had 2-3 bars LTE but could rarely load the internet. Almost everywhere it was the same. Our site was somewhat level but definitely better than some around us.
Nice short hike across from the entrance station down to Otter cove.
Lots of dogs, we had our 2 puppies.
Generator hours were 8-10 and 4-7. We have great solar but most sites were in the trees.
Ate at Beals for lobster a little ride but worth it.

We came here for the hiking and leaf color. Our site was perfect for our 24’ trailer. It was a pull thru and was fairly label. The baths were very clean. There are no showers but if you can’t shower in your rev there are hot showers about a mile up the road for $4 for 3 minutes. This park was centrally located for the things that we enjoyed doing.

Non-electric site.
Fresh water and dump station very close to site at entrance.
Bathrooms clean, no shower (have to go to paid location just outside campground)
With Wilson Amp:
* AT&T 4G LTE - 110Mbps down, 25 Mbps up, 40ms ping
* Verizon Wireless strong 3G extended only signal, OK for voice but data is dial up speeds 0.08 Mbps down, 0.09 Mbps up.
Fire ring and picnic table with hard pack fairly level site.
Foot paths to connect to shore and Cadillac Mtn Trail.
Rangers in registration booth were friendly and helpful.
Sites are close so noise could be a problem including generators and screaming kids but was not a problem for me on this visit.

Great location in proximity to the park and activities.

We were across from the restrooms but it was really quiet for the amount of people cruising by.

Sites were pretty close together, but still nice.

Restrooms were spotless, some of the cleanest bathrooms we’ve seen! Flush toilets.

Trash on site. And I believe there was a dump station

Loved my time here, close to all that Mt Desert has to offer. Check-in was easy, just a drive by at the check in station. Location is close to all the hiking opportunities in Mt Desert. The Island Explorer bus stops in the campground and can get you anywhere in the park. Two must do hikes are the Ocean Path trail (goes 2 miles from Sand Beach to Otter Point, 4 miles total for out and back) and the loop around Jordan Pond (4 miles but flat). Bar Harbor is a quaint little touristy town but well worth a visit. I was able to get my portable solar panels into the sun even though there are lots of trees.

Make sure you walk the 1/3 mile from the campground to the ocean, there is a road from A loop to the ocean. Spectacular views of Otter Point. We even saw seals.

Now the bad - crowds and limited parking. If you want to visit Jordan Pond or Sand Beach get there before 8 or after 4 to get a parking spot. The bus stops at both locations to avoid the traffic. The campground is tight, lots of overhanging pine trees. At my site, I had several pine tree on my roof. No showers are available at Blackwoods. My 30 foot Class A squeezed in, but if you are 35 feet or over it will be difficult.

Sometimes AT&T cell service was OK, sometimes not, 1-2 bars.

We stayed here because we were visiting Acadia. Duh. We hardly spent any time at the campsite. But it has everything needed for an enjoyable stay. It has a dump and water fill station at the front of the campground. The sites aren’t very private but it didn’t matter to us here. The bathrooms only have toilets and sinks. I’m not sure if the campground has showers but there is a pay-per-shower business near the campground that seemed decent from the road. We showered in the van and utilized the availability of the dump and fill station. This campground doesn’t allow the dumping of dish water at your campsite. They have a station where you dump the water. It has a screen that catches particles. You clean the screen and throw what it caught in the garbage.

This campground is great for doing stuff early and late at the park. Since it’s May and daylight very early, after sunrise we went through the park again and practically no one was at all major points.

If you collect Passport Stamps for your National Park Passport Book, don’t forget to get your stamp at the check-in station! You have to ask for it but they totally have a stamp. All the Acadia park campgrounds do actually.