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Camps of the Pioneers

90%
·
· Ellsworth, Maine
7 acres
3 sites
3 RV/Tent
Our property has a history detailed in the arrowheads and other Wabanaki artifacts found around the property. European settlers have also left clues behind of the shipbuilding industry and 1700's culture. Experience a bit of natural immersion and enjoy the endless opportunities for outdoor recreation while camping in the northern forests of Downeast Maine! We use our 6 acre property to focus on producing organically grown herbs, fruit, vegetables for local markets. We're finally making available the properties scenic brooks, forests and meadows to folks seeking to experience a truly unforgettable, countryside retreat. We’re just off the beaten path in an agricultural and fishing community on the Union River, 20 minutes drive from Acadia National Park and Mt. Desert Island.  See what our other guests have had to say about their stays- “It’s an experience I would repeat with pleasure. Difficult to be short about my highlights: hearing the loon at night certainly, waking up with the quarter moon over my head, seeing the progression in changing colors of the leaves,the views from Mount Cadillac, and Beech Wood trail, Jordan Pond and the Bubbles,so many things really.” - Christine from Montpelier, France, Sept 2021. "We were so at peace when we got here we just spent the rest of the day hanging at the yurt enjoying the peace and quiet today we are heading to the ocean!"- Jody from New Hampshire, July 2021. "We could not have found a more idyllic place, plus it was our first experience in a yurt. We found your notes about Acadia super helpful and the yurt was just so beautiful and cozy. Having a hot bath and a little fire in the wood stove after a day of biking the Carriage Roads and swimming at Sand Beach could not have been more perfect. So glad we were at the yurt to enjoy the area and Acadia. We had an incredible stay and are hoping to come back next summer."- Jenn & Neil, August 2020.
Activities
Biking
Boating
Fishing
Hiking
Natural features
Beach
Cave
Desert
Forest
Available sites
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Location
Ellsworth, Maine, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
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Hosted by Jedidah M.Joined in June 2016
90%
190 ratings · 191 reviews
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Austin R.recommends
March 20, 2023
Birch Gate Campsite
This was a great campsite for winter camping and I’m sure the rest of the year as well! There was an easy spot to set up just a few steps from the parking area, and beautiful woods around the site. We went hiking nearby in Acadia, and this was an easy drive back after finishing up. Would definitely go back!
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Noah J.recommends
December 30, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Great Fun
This camp was awesome ! We thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone and everyone ! The property owner is super cool, and very welcoming. Thank you so much Jedidah !!
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Zoë D.recommends
December 30, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
beautiful land and welcoming host! Remote but not deeply isolated. I’d recommend to anyone looking to be close to Acadia
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Phoebe L.recommends
November 22, 2022
Pioneer Cottage Near Acadia
Cold Weather Warm Yurt
Great place for a weekend getaway! We were here in November but the woodstove kept us very warm. Kerosene lamps were easy to use and we cooked some great meals in the kitchen. We brought linens based on previous reviews but were thrilled to find a comfortable made up full size bed and plenty of towels for the warm bath. If you're going to use any of the other beds (futon, loft beds) you probably would need linens. Lovely stay!
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Thomas C.recommends
November 21, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Nice and quiet. The closer tent site worked well for a small tent.
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Dan W.recommends
November 21, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
I really enjoyed camping on Jedidiah’s land. He was very welcoming and the property is gorgeous. There’s several different places to stay on the same property. I would definitely recommend!
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Annie O.recommends
November 2, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Loved it here! I camped at a site with a platform and a firepit. I think all sites have a pit and I know that not all had a platform. I felt a good amount of privacy where I camped. From your site you may be able to see others at their sites but likely won’t hear their conversations. Close enough for comfort and far away enough for some privacy. The outhouse was truthfully quite pleasant after some of the things I’ve encountered. Pour some of the supplied cedar chips over after you’ve done your business to keep it smelling nice. Truly what a spot!! ~30 min straight shot to Acadia area, ~40 to Bangor. Ellsworth itself is a neat town with cool shops and good restaurants. Walmart & gas are super close. Goat is cool. Dog is cool. I met a rabbit & that guy was cool too. Jedidah is also cool. Showed me around to all the sites and the supplied well water was greatly appreciated! I’d recommend this spot to anyone and may go back one day myself. Happy camping!!
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Dan I.
October 30, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Spent 5 nights at this place in mid October on a trip to visit Acadia National Park. This was a time of the year when campgrounds in the park itself just closed. The place is OK if your purpose is to just find a place to set up a tent and sleep. It is about 20 miles or 30 minutes from Bar Harbor, in Ellsworth, fairly convenient for daily trips in Acadia National Park. To get to this place, you need to drive 0.7 miles on a relatively well maintained dirt road. I had a sedan. Pros: - Cheaper than other sites. - Privacy. Cons: - No shower (solar shower not available in fall, just doesn't do the job) - No views, the sites are surrounded by trees. - My site was fairly far (about 1/10 of a mile) from the parking spot. This might create unpleasant trips to carry your stuff, especially if it rains or at night. - The tent site is not flat and is small for my 4-person camping tent - Parking availability can be a little challenging. - Smelly composting toilet
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Rebekah C.recommends
October 30, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Nice site- it worked out perfect
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Wendy B.recommends
October 30, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
I never got to meet Jedidah because we were gone each day from sunrise to sunset hiking. But he gave very clear instructions on which campsite was ours and it was in great condition! I would stay here again!
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Amy R.
October 27, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Seems like a great spot, however, the description of the campsite was not an accurate reflection of what it actually was. We did not have a private area, and the only site available with a table and fire pit was walk-in - not drive-in. Which was confusing because we stated that we had a camper van in our reservation. We ended up having to park our van right in front of the communal outhouse which was inconvenient for the other campers, smelly for us, and a little awkward.
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Rebecca S.recommends
October 26, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Really pretty spot to camp, would definitely come back to explore the area and hike in Acadia again!
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Austin K.recommends
October 21, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Nice little quiet place.
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Mike S.recommends
October 14, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Good tent site. Very convenient location to camp and travel to Acadia and other nearby places to hike and explore. Town very close for supplies etc. Jedidah was very responsive for booking and check in.
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Nathan W.recommends
October 13, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Gorgeous Piece of Land!
Jedediah has a beautiful property! Our site was accessible and extremely well-kept. The fire pit and table were also great to have!
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Ashley M.recommends
October 10, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
If you want to experience a private, off the grid camping weekend this is the place!! There are no other campsites in sight and we couldn’t hear anything or anyone else. As first time Hipcamper users, Jedidiah was very helpful and accommodating to all our needs! The goat is cute too!
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Erinn M.recommends
October 6, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
We stayed at Birch campsite and were able to pull our Ford Econoline camper van in comfortably. We booked very last minute due to getting to Acadia a day early and our campground not having any vacancy, and Jedidiah was very accommodating. From what we saw it was a beautiful property, wish we would have had a little time to explore the trails .Wonderful night's sleep, very much appreciated!
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John B.recommends
September 19, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Nice and quiet.
Nice quiet campsite. A little tight if you're in something bigger than a van, or have a trailer. Composting toilet is available. Good cell service there.
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Samantha P.recommends
September 12, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Wooded Farm Getaway Gem
This place is a quaint woodsy farm oasis. We had a ton of space surrounded by trees. The host was easy to get ahold of and answered any questions we might have about the stay or hiking in the area. Earl the goat is the star! He was so cute and friendly. Great spot if going into the park too.
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Adrienne D.recommends
September 9, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Secluded, peaceful, beautiful ❤️
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Krista E.recommends
September 4, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Beautiful quiet area. We had the most secluded spot which was great for privacy! Lots of shade and nice to have picnic tables as well.
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Bradley B.recommends
August 28, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
A great secluded campsite that is close to bar harbor and several amenities. We stayed in a tent suite, but they have amazing yurts as well!
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Kaylee L.recommends
August 23, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Great forest spot!
The site was perfect - small fire pit, some seating, and a level spot to put the tent. There were other campers nearby but not close enough that we could hear their conversations. Jed was so nice and helpful - and being greeted by a goat was pretty cool! Parking got a little tricky when there were a few bigger cars, so you may need someone to spot getting in and out! We loved just sitting in the quiet and taking in the forest views - so much more solitude than a normal campground.
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Jayesh S.recommends
August 22, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Base for our Acadia trip
Jed's farm was a great place to stay to go to and from Acadia during our trip. It took us about 30-45 minutes to get to most hikes and trailheads. There was a platform for our tent, a fire pit area with stones and lots of well water for drinking. The camp showers were expectedly cold but we were very grateful to have them.
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Emma B.doesn't recommend
August 21, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Good Communication, horrible site
We showed up late after a long day of driving and we’re offered an uneven plot amongst trash in a field across from a goat on a leash. No fire pit, no picnic table. Not even concrete but just smushed down vegetation. We awoke to the goat and high tailed it out of there as fast as we could to make breakfast elsewhere
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Alexis P.
August 19, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Not for everyone
The perks of this campsite is that it's easy to get to Acadia and not far away from other cool spots and attractions. Camp sites are fairly separate. The downside: The photos and camp map are very misleading. The outhouse was poorly maintained and no instructions were given by the host or written in the outhouse on how to properly use a pit toilet. The listing states that campsites can hold up to five people. This is false. We didn't need that much space, but the tent platform in our site barely fit our four-person tent. We did not have a flat surface to cook on and had to use tables at other unoccupied sites. Fire pit was poorly maintained in our site and contained pieces of glass and tin cans.
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Amelia H.
August 18, 2022
Glamping Near Acadia
Not private but close to Acadia
Overall we had a nice stay at the yurt. Host was there to greet us at check in. The yurt was cozy and clean, would recommend bringing extra blanket. However, the yurt was not as private as the description stated. There are a few camp site on the property, one that is directly across and the host who lives in a camper 20 ft away. Solar shower was a nice touch, but a lot of spiders and obviously cold water. Host provided us with potable water but leaves his dirty dishes next to it. I purchased the firewood bundle, and when asked for firewood I was told this isn’t normally provided. I was given 6 pieces of firewood for $20 instead of the refund I asked for. Overall good location to Acadia and would stay here again if there was more privacy.
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Fawn D.recommends
August 17, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Exactly what we needed for the eve!! Was so helpful with arranging a last minute camp in.
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Amanda B.recommends
August 15, 2022
Pioneer Cottage Near Acadia
Bert the Yurt 👍
We booked this yurt when we could not find any vacancies in Bar Harbor and as two city girls we were nervous. However, after some training from Jedidiah and a getting our bearings we lovingly nicknamed it Bert the Yurt! I would recommend Bert if you are ok with outhouses, no electricity and slightly roughing it. Thanks to some other reviewers we were able to help prepare for our stay. I hope we can add a few tips to help the next yurters. Some are obvious, sorry. -Its about 18-25 mins from the Acadia Visitor Center. -There are not alot of gas stations nearby so would definitely fill up in other towns. - Bring power banks/portable chargers for all your electronics. Also download shows so you have stuff to watch. No wifi and not the greatest signal. - Grab ice! They provide you with ice chest. - Headlamps! This comes extremely handy when walking to the outhouse and around Bert once the sun goes down. There is 2 propane lights inside the yurt that give you plenty of light. Lighting them is easy especially since Jedidiah teaches you. - Bring sheets and pillowcases. These are not provided. Queen bed. It has a thin quilt that was perfect for us but it is August. -There is a claw foot bathtub that is separated by a curtain(privacy). To fill the bath you will have to start the generator outside. There is hot water! -Eye mask if you wanna sleep in. The clear dome gives you a nature alarm when it shines right in your face. There are a lot of little trails around!
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Cole W.recommends
August 14, 2022
Birch Gate Campsite
Very easy and private!
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