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Spectacle Island, Damariscotta Lake

Hosted by Midcoast · Newcastle, Maine
8 guests max
98%
·
15 reviews
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Nomadic camping
Best for self-contained campers. There are no toilets, showers, or potable water at this Hipcamp.
Boat-in
This Hipcamp is accessible by boat.
The sister islands, shaped like a pair of spectacles as their name suggests, offer opportunities for swimming, blueberry picking, camping, and general exploration. Although the islands make up a small portion of the 1000+ acres protected by Midcoast Conservancy in the Damariscotta Lake Watershed, they are among the most popular. The islands have long been a gathering spot for local families to swim. The islands were donated to Midcoast Conservancy in 2000 and are now forever protected. When you reserve your spot on Spectacle Island, know that it comes with a healthy dose of day use during peak summer weekends.On Damariscotta Lake, these sister islands, shaped like a pair of spectacles as their name suggests, offer opportunities for swimming, blueberry picking, camping, and general exploration. Although the islands make up a small portion of the 1000+ acres protected by Midcoast Conservancy in the Damariscotta Lake Watershed, they are among the most popular. The islands have long been a gathering spot for local families to swim. The islands were donated to Midcoast Conservancy in 2000 and are now forever protected. When you reserve your spot on Spectacle Island, know that it comes with a healthy dose of day use during peak summer weekends. The islands are open to daily public use, from dawn until dusk. The islands can be reached by kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or small motor boat. Campers are required to allow day use by other visitors during their stay and to respect the quiet nature of the island by keeping noise to a minimum after 9pm. Campers may spend a maximum of two consecutive nights. All waste must be packed out: human, pet and otherwise. Reservation includes both islands. Each island, North and South, provides one camping site. A maximum of 4 people per site are permitted, one tent per island site. We highly suggest campers arrive at the island no later than 5pm. Note: For the past several summers, Damariscotta Lake has experienced cyanobacteria outbreaks, which in high concentrations or with prolonged exposure can pose a health risk to humans and pets. For more information on cyanobacteria, visit the Damariscotta Lake Water Quality Alerts page on our website and follow Damariscotta Lake Watch on Instagram and/or Facebook for the latest water quality updates. Please note that there are inherent risks in open water recreation, and we recommend to follow best practices, including to avoid scummy or dense areas, avoid inadvertently swallowing lake water while swimming, keep pets from drinking the lake water, and avoid using lake water for drinking or household use.

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Spectacle Island Campsite

98%
(25)
Tent site · Sleeps 8
On Damariscotta Lake, these sister islands, shaped like a pair of spectacles as their name suggests, offer opportunities for swimming, blueberry picking, camping, and general exploration. Although the islands make up a small portion of the 1000+ acres protected by Midcoast Conservancy in the Damariscotta Lake Watershed, they are among the most popular. The islands have long been a gathering spot for local families to swim. The islands were donated to Midcoast Conservancy in 2000 and are now forever protected. When you reserve your spot on Spectacle Island, know that it comes with a healthy dose of day use during peak summer weekends. The islands are open to daily public use, from dawn until dusk. The islands can be reached by kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or small motor boat. Campers are required to allow day use by other visitors during their stay and to respect the quiet nature of the island by keeping noise to a minimum after 9pm. Campers may spend a maximum of two consecutive nights. All waste must be packed out: human, pet and otherwise. Reservation includes both islands. Each island, North and South, provides one camping site. A maximum of 4 people per site are permitted, one tent per island site. We highly suggest campers arrive at the island no later than 5pm. Note: For the past several summers, Damariscotta Lake has experienced cyanobacteria outbreaks, which in high concentrations or with prolonged exposure can pose a health risk to humans and pets. For more information on cyanobacteria, visit the Damariscotta Lake Water Quality Alerts page on our website and follow Damariscotta Lake Watch on Instagram and/or Facebook for the latest water quality updates. Please note that there are inherent risks in open water recreation, and we recommend to follow best practices, including to avoid scummy or dense areas, avoid inadvertently swallowing lake water while swimming, keep pets from drinking the lake water, and avoid using lake water for drinking or household use.
Campfires allowed
No toilet
No potable water
Pets allowed
No showers
No picnic table
from
$30
/ night
for NaN guests

Reviews

98% Recommend25 ratings · 15 reviews
Recommends
· October 2024
Can't wait to go again
Tent ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Fantastic place for fairly easy camping. Short & easy (15 min?) paddle from Damariscotta Lake Boat Launch. No gradual place to beach kayaks or canoes, you have to get out in the water and clamber onto the island (not a huge deal but fyi). It was helpful to have a rope to tie off the kayaks while unloading, then we brought on land for the night. We brought (local) firewood, don't count on driftwood. When we visited someone had left a grill to use over the fire pit which worked out great.
A
Alison E.
4 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2024
Nice island but boy has it changed
Tent · With pets ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Really nice campsite...one of the best in the state. Camped here 20 or more years ago and WOW has it changed. People don't realise how much impact they have over the years. Stop cutting tree roots that might stub your toe on and stop trampling and/or cutting small trees and bushes. Both islands have half the vegetation that used to have...in another 20 years they'll be practically barren.
S
Steve C.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· August 2024
Accessible Island Camp!
Tent · With pets ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Amazing island campsite with easy access from shore via kayak/paddleboard/etc. We especially loved swimming between the two islands and using the rope swing on the one island. The cries of the loons and the peaceful sunsets were unforgettable.
D
Danielle M.
2 reviews
Recommends
· August 2024
Tent · With kids ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
A pretty magical spot. The lake is fairly busy with motor boats but not too bad. The rope swing is a lot of fun. The islands ate really nice - the one closer to the boat launch with the rope swings has more open space. It’s about a 10 minute paddle from the boat launch. There was a decent grate for cooking over the campfire (we put our skillet on top of it) and there is a well maintained port o potty at the boat launch.
A
Anthony B.
2 reviews
Recommends
· September 2023
Tent ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
The site was easy to get to and very clean. Perfect for swimming and fishing !
Avatar
Amy P.
2 reviews
Recommends
· August 2023
Camping alone
Tent · With pets ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
We love camping at Spectacle Island. Beautiful views, perfect campfire setup, and lovely swimming, easy in and out. The addition of the porta-potty at the boat ramp was welcome!
T
Trina S.
3 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· August 2023
Tent ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
The site is quiet and peaceful at night. During the day, especially on the weekends, the lake is very busy with activity and visitors (mostly kids) to the rope swings on the northern island. Although there is no actual legal place to park overnight, we were not ticketed. However, we did speak with a Park Ranger at the boat launch who didn't even know about the island and its camping being managed by Hipcamp. That gave us pause.
T
Todd A.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· August 2023
Tent ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Beautiful spot! Tons of blueberries. Lots of folks came by to use the rope swing throughout the afternoon. If you want a quieter spot, I’d set up camp on the other island.
A
Annie A.
2 reviews
Recommends
· July 2023
Fantastic site for family fun!
Tent · With kids ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Blueberries galore and great rope-swing for swimming. Day swimmers do come by pretty frequently, but we enjoyed chatting with them and swimming together! There is no picnic table, but there is a great firepit.
A
Alyson D.
2 reviews
Recommends
· July 2023
Tent ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Neat place. Was excited to hear the loons. Neighbors across the lake where a little loud at times, but nothing unexpected.
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Kirk M.
5 reviews
Recommends
· October 2022
We had the best time!
Tent · Group trip ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Spectacle Island is a fantastic place to camp. Plenty of options for either a tent or hammock. Clean and private. We had a wonderful time and already trying to find time to return!
Avatar
Alexis H.
7 reviews
Recommends
· September 2022
Tent · Group trip ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
As advertised, a great spot to camp on the lake. The state boat launch off of Bunker Hill Rd has a sign saying no overnight parking but we were not aware before hand and didn’t have another option. No ticket or issues but wanted others to have a heads up.
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Ethan R.
2 reviews
Recommends
· September 2022
Hidden Gem
Tent · Group trip ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
What a beautiful hidden little gem of a campsite. Very easy to paddle to and a beautiful setting. It is an excellent way to spend summertime in Maine and connect with nature.
R
Rebecca C.
3 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2022
Tent · Group trip ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
Beautiful and easy to access campsite and warm water for swimming, fishing and canoeing. There was a lot of powerboat and jet ski action in the afternoon, but we were still able to enjoy the setting.
C
Courtney N.
3 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· August 2022
Beautiful but watch for squatters
Tent · With pets ·
Spectacle Island Campsite
So peaceful at night and the early morning! Unfortunately someone else set up camp at one of the islands by the time we got there at 3pm Saturday. We prefer to camp at the island without the rope swing but the reservation is supposed to include both islands. The squatters left it a mess and had a very loud barking dog. We love this campsite but worry the signage isn’t deterring people from treating it as first come first serve instead of reservation only.
A
Alex C.
3 years on Hipcamp

Location

Newcastle, Lincoln, 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 Midcoast C.

Joined in May 2021

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