America’s Camping Report Card
Maine
#2 of 43 for camping
Better than 98% of graded states · overall grade B+ — campers like it.
Graded on 3,922 written reviews from Maine - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful campground49
- great location43
- beautiful scenery28
- beautiful area25
- beautiful location25
What campers warned about
- no views2
- beautiful place ruined by activity1
- campground has gone downhill over time1
- cold november weather1
- dark, misty, lots of tree cover, near ocean1
- Praised by
- 50.0%
- Warned by
- 0.8%
- Rank
- Better than 79% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.492 (±0.016, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites33
- well spaced sites20
- large sites18
- great campsite16
- nice sites16
What campers warned about
- sites close together5
- sites too close together5
- sites very close together5
- sites close together, little privacy4
- not level site2
- Praised by
- 45.9%
- Warned by
- 8.0%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.379 (±0.019, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- clean bathrooms101
- clean66
- very clean60
- well maintained51
- clean facilities34
What campers warned about
- bathrooms a little dirty2
- no toilet paper in vault toilets2
- awful dishwashing setup1
- bad smell1
- bathroom cleaning during peak use1
- Praised by
- 37.8%
- Warned by
- 3.1%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.348 (±0.017, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- hiking and biking trails9
- hiking trails8
- hiking trails nearby7
- close to hiking trails5
- bike trails4
What campers warned about
- beach access to water1
- bike trail loop back, exposed and dull1
- bike trails1
- boring / little to do1
- camping only, not other pleasure1
- Praised by
- 31.1%
- Warned by
- 1.0%
- Rank
- Better than 64% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.301 (±0.015, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff66
- great staff26
- friendly and helpful staff25
- helpful staff24
- friendly rangers19
What campers warned about
- apathetic and rude check-in1
- bad attitudes1
- brief check-in; ignored at desk1
- check-in hiccup1
- condescending, judgmental staff1
- Praised by
- 24.1%
- Warned by
- 2.4%
- Rank
- Better than 52% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.217 (±0.015, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet116
- quiet campground63
- very quiet38
- quiet atmosphere32
- quiet and peaceful17
What campers warned about
- sites close together6
- road noise4
- sites very close together3
- crowded sites2
- generator noise2
- Praised by
- 24.0%
- Warned by
- 9.1%
- Rank
- Top-ranked among graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.149 (±0.017, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms16
- clean facilities13
- great facilities12
- electric and water hookups11
- bathrooms nearby10
What campers warned about
- no showers110
- no showers on site14
- showers missing9
- no showers available8
- showers would be nice7
- Praised by
- 27.2%
- Warned by
- 16.8%
- Rank
- Better than 57% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.105 (±0.019, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy to navigate8
- close to everything7
- easy to access6
- close to town5
- close to bar harbor4
What campers warned about
- spotty cell service3
- confusing directions/signs2
- far from bar harbor2
- farther from hiking trails2
- farther from popular destinations2
- Praised by
- 14.8%
- Warned by
- 6.8%
- Rank
- Top-ranked among graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.080 (±0.014, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- family friendly7
- dog friendly6
- friendly neighbors4
- friendly people3
- blm signs and flags2
What campers warned about
- around children1
- elitist exclusion1
- felt possibly treated differently because black1
- felt they didn't fit the 'right type'1
- felt unfairly targeted1
- Praised by
- 2.8%
- Warned by
- 0.4%
- Rank
- Better than 52% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.025 (±0.006, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- very reasonable price4
- affordable3
- cheap3
- fair prices2
- free firewood2
What campers warned about
- $1050 for 7 nights at 3 sites1
- $20 to use dump station1
- $24 fee; no change provided1
- $27 a night; prices keep increasing1
- $27 for walk-in spot1
- Praised by
- 3.6%
- Warned by
- 2.5%
- Rank
- Better than 50% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.011 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- felt safe2
- no bears2
- safe2
- bear box provided1
- bear boxes1
What campers warned about
- arriving at dusk or dark1
- bear awareness and food storage1
- bear came through campsite1
- bear caution; don't leave food out1
- bear country, ranger patrols1
- Praised by
- 1.4%
- Warned by
- 1.5%
- Rank
- Better than 98% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.001 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in5
- walk-in site availability2
- advance reservation; choose site1
- after-hours arrival instructions1
- after-hours arrival with site number1
What campers warned about
- hard to get reservation3
- hard to get a reservation2
- hard to get a spot2
- hard to get reservations2
- 10am checkout / departure timing1
- Praised by
- 2.0%
- Warned by
- 3.6%
- Rank
- Better than 55% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.016 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- dog friendly7
- pet friendly3
- quiet hours respected2
- 10pm sound curfew1
- campers follow the rules1
What campers warned about
- quiet hours not enforced7
- 10 am checkout too early2
- early checkout time2
- generator hours ignored2
- generator limitations2
- Praised by
- 1.6%
- Warned by
- 3.7%
- Rank
- Better than 95% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.021 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- fewer bugs than expected2
- no bugs2
- almost no bugs1
- almost no mosquitoes1
- black flies1
What campers warned about
- mosquitoes3
- bitting insects and critters2
- fire ants2
- lots of mosquitoes2
- a little buggy1
- Praised by
- 0.7%
- Warned by
- 2.9%
- Rank
- Top-ranked among graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.021 (±0.006, 95% CI) from 3,922 written reviews, 67% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in Maine and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (Maine vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.