At some campgrounds, you’re lucky to have a hot shower and a bathroom with flush toilets and fewer than 10 spiders. However, others offer so many luxe amenities, they feel more like amusement parks than campgrounds. Located in Western Maine’s forested mountains, about 10 minutes from Waterford and a little over an hour from Portland, Papoose Pond Family Campground and Cabins truly wows guests with outlandish amenities and overall comfort.
For many families, the campground’s main highlight is the antique carousel, a portable wood and metal merry-go-round from 1919 with leaping horses and beautifully painted chariots. Guests also have access to an 18-hole mini-golf course, laser tag, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, a baseball field, three playgrounds, and a recreation hall with four pool tables, ping pong, and arcade games.
Like the best-ranked campground in all of America, Papoose Pond has a massive pool — 30 feet by 60 feet – surrounded by sunbeds and places for parents to relax. Possibly the campground’s best feature is its location on the banks of Papoose Pond. Here, guests can relax on the half-mile beach (all sand, no rocks), rent kayaks and canoes, swim, and participate in sandcastle building contests and even a cardboard boat race. The campground offers a weekly event schedule packed with old-school camp activities, ranging from tie-dyeing to kids vs. parents capture the flag to movie nights and barbecue beach parties.
Accommodation options for everyone at Papoose Pond Family Campground and Cabins
Boasting a 4.6 rating on Google, the campground has welcomed guests since the early 1900s and strives to create an environment where families enjoy each other’s company and, as cheesy as it sounds, make memories that last a lifetime. “Our family, a group of about 30, goes to Papoose Pond every year on the same weekend and it is such a blast,” shared one return guest on Tripadvisor.
One of the ways the campground makes families comfortable is by offering multiple accommodation types, including 180 campsites and 55 cabins. Choose from lakefront campsites with full-hookup capabilities (water, electricity, and sewage), campsites with a private bathroom and outdoor kitchen, or ones with treehouses equipped with four kid-sized beds perfect for sleepovers. A note to pet-owners: although parts of the campground are pet-friendly, not all the sites or areas allow pets.
For those seeking a few more creature comforts, the cabins and park models are a convenient choice. Options range from rustic cabinettes with shared public bathrooms to a four-bedroom cottage overlooking the lake with a screened-in porch, living room, kitchen, cooking-ware, and private bathrooms. If you stay at the cabins, you must add sheets and towels to a list of items you’ll want for a quick and easy camping retreat, as only blankets, bedspreads, and pillows are provided by the property.
Planning your trip to Papoose Pond Family Campground and Cabins
