We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View all
Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
Nearby Hotels
Reviews (21)
Filter reviews
21 results
Traveller rating
15
2
2
0
2
Traveller type
Time of year
LanguageAll languages
Traveller rating
15
2
2
0
2
See what travellers are saying:
Selected filters
Filter
Updating list...
11 - 16 of 21 reviews
Reviewed 24 August 2016

Quiet campground in a lovely area of the park. Friendly ranger. Kids loved frogs at the pond (leech free,) canoe trip ($1 an hour - go all the way to the next pond, you have to drag the canoe through a shallow area - fun and worth it!) No running water, trash cans or flush toilets. Bring bug spray. Junior Ranger program lots of fun to complete. Loons on the pond. Gorgeous. About a 2 hour drive on a dirt road to the south end of the park that is busier. Some nice stops on the way (other ponds, ledges falls.) No moose to be seen for us but known for that. Recommended!

Date of stay: August 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
1  Thank elkoster
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 15 August 2016

Wonderfully quiet campground in the northern end of the park. Primitive camping only (no electricity/no showers/pit toilets). No pets allowed. Only the lean-to sites have water views of South Branch Pond, the rest of the sites are in the woods. Some sites are very close together and would be suitable for people camping together -- 4 and 5, 6 and 7, 21 and 22 -- but might be uncomfortably cozy if you are seeking solitude. Aside from the walk-in sites, those that appear to offer the most privacy were 3, 8, 16, 20, and 30. Lean-to sites 1 and 2 have little privacy from the campground road. We were worried about mosquitoes and black flies because of the proximity of the pond and brook. There were black flies near the brook in the morning and evening (early July), but we had none at all in the campsites in the woods and there weren't many mosquitoes anywhere in the campground. You will need bug dope for the hiking trails. Canoes and kayaks can be rented for $1/hr or $8/day at the ranger station. Cash payment and on a first come/first served basis, but there seemed to be plenty as the campground was nearly empty (and this a week adjacent to a holiday weekend). You can boat not only South Branch Pond, but also Upper South Branch Pond via a small portage. South Branch Pond campground has 2 walk-in sites, one a lean-to and one a tent site, situated on South Branch Pond. You could either walk in (make sure you have waterproof shoes as you must cross the brook and there is no bridge) or canoe/kayak to them. The same is true for the back-country Upper South Branch lean-to, which could likewise be easily reached by water or trail. There are several hiking trails at this campground including Traveler Loop (rugged), Pogy Notch (goes to Russell Pond), South Branch Mountain, the "Ledges" (short and easy with a good view), and Howe Brook (intermediate to stream with water slide and deep kettles). Howe Brook was our kids' favorite (it's the one on the Baxter Park map that is encircled by Traveler loop. Not recommended for small children). We had it all to ourselves the day we hiked it. The rangers were very helpful and friendly and the facilities were very clean. There is a small picnic area near the ranger station with a pavilion, which the ranger said we could use in case of a rainy day. You are allowed to swim in the pond - watch for leeches. There were lots of chipmunks and wood warblers around the campsite and garter snakes,frogs, ducks and mergansers on the pond, but no loons.

Note that you must make reservations to camp in Baxter. I do not recommend using the on-line camping reservation system as I do not believe it is accurate. It continually showed that ALL campgrounds in the park were completely full the weeks surrounding the 4th of July weekend with no sites available even for just overnight. This did seem possible because of the holiday, but as we really wanted to stay in Baxter at South Branch Pond I called to see if we could be put on a waiting list. I was happily surprised to be able to reserve a site. As it turned out, we were one of only a handful of campsites occupied in this campground with about 30 campsites. Even if you decide to add BSP to your vacation plans at the last minute, it might be possible to get a site.
Call to make reservations: 207-723-5140.

Room tip: Sites suitable for people camping together -- 4 and 5, 6 and 7, 21 and 22. Sites with the most privacy were 3, 8, 16, 20, and 30.
Date of stay: July 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Sleep Quality
    • Service
11  Thank lrgacd
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 July 2016 via mobile

We hiked the falls and it was incredible. It was an hour and a half hike to the falls.
It has breathtaking views and was kid friendly. There were lots of rock steps and easy trails but it was a good elevation on the way up. We had a blast. This is just one of many trails available. What a fun place. Totally recommend more time in the park!

Date of stay: July 2016
Trip type: Travelled with family
1  Thank toddferrara75
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 September 2015

Beautiful trails everywhere-( easy, moderate or difficult.) and several lakes. Free canoes with cabins. Daicey and Kidney Lake are fly fishing only. .Primitive cabins only in park but awesome, scenic setting. If you want to get away from it all this is it. .My wife and I had a great time..

Room tip: Check # of rooms in cabins.
Date of stay: September 2015
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
1  Thank Richard A
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 22 July 2014

First time to Baxter after we put it on the list a few years back. It's a bit out there but that helps to keep the crowds away. We lucked out with reservations as we're not from Maine and the reservation process favors Maine residents (it's a mail in system so you're basically part of a lottery). Anyway, we got one of the cabins and it was absolutely perfect for us. We were on a gorgeous little pond with an amazing view of Katahdin. We did notice that the majority of the people who come here are interested in two things: to hike the mountain (which we could not due to weather concerns) and to fish in one of the many ponds (which we could not due to the fact that most if not all is fly fishing only). Yet even though we could not participate, we still took some amazing hikes and were looking to go back on our next vacation but they were all booked up. The park is just incredibly peaceful - the loudest noise we heard all week were the bullfrogs (note: if you're on a pond, these bullfrogs are LOUD!). We plan on putting in our reservations for next year and getting some fly fishing gear in the meantime. We've camped all over and try to give the most honest reviews so, while we loved it, BSP isn't for everyone. There are no "scenic" drives here - you really can't see anything on the park road from your vehicle and the road is long (couple of hours anyway to go South to North one way) with a low speed limit. Also, once you're in, it's a long way out to the nearest anything (which will be a small store and gas station) so you need to bring ALL your supplies with the exception of firewood and there are no showers, etc. so bring enough to wash up every day. This place is all about maintaining the natural setting so "amenities" are few and far between - our only one actually was a little propane powered light in the cabin (which was excellent to have). Also, from what we were told from Rangers and other frequent visitors is that the weather can be a factor - we "lost" the mountain to fog for 2 full days and were told some people spend a week there and never see it. So basically just be prepared - if you're not the active/roughing it type, you may want to avoid. I don't want this review to sound negative to anyone in anyway, the fact is we can't wait to go again.

Date of stay: June 2014
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
6  Thank StaKeGo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
View more reviews