Last week we completed two happy weeks of Oceanfront Camping at Reach Knolls just outside Brooklin, Maine.  Al & Pat of TwoBikes fame read its highly favorable Campendium reviews and passed the tip on to us. And this title: It’s the double-truth, Ruth.

It has everything you need — 30 amps, clean hose water on the way in, with refill points for your gallon water jugs here and there, a dump station on the way out — and some other things you want. Among them are The State’s Friendliest Energetic Camp Hostess (Lori), quietude interrupted only by gull cries or the passing hum of a lobster boat. Exactly one mile away is a bonafide lobsterman who keeps them in tanks and will let you pick your favorites for 60% of their price in town. WiFi has a limited range, but you can sit outside their office and it’s fine. On clear days you can get a bar or two of Verizon 4G LTE.  This is function, not luxury.  The sites and roads are gravel, two of the three showers are indoor (water’s hot in all of them) and the third offers that rare opportunity to get clean and sunburned all at once.

“Town” is Blue Hill, about 8 miles away the fast way or 12 via the scenic route. Blue Hill has a fancy restaurant, a roadside seafood shack, dozens of art galleries, a superb auto mechanic with an authentic regional accent, and a very, very good grocery in the Hannaford chain.

Our two week stay was purchased in chunks of 5 and 9 days, but I think she gave us the weekly rate times two.  Book a week and your price works out to $28 a day including tax.  Compare that to places outside Bar Harbor where you will pay $50 or more per night before tax.

How far from Reach Knolls to Acadia? It’s 40 miles as opposed to the typical 10 for RV campgrounds just outside Bar Harbor. But the first 30 miles of your ride are scenic and traffic flows smoothly. It is the last 10 miles that involve congestion and construction

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As I’ve stressed earlier, beware of Bar Harbor parking, or lack thereof, and its emphasis on overtime parking tickets.  Acadia NP has free parking. Blue Hill has free parking, the same food choices, and much better prices than Bar Harbor.

If you are planning to take your trailer, tent, or truck camper to Acadia, call Lori and she’ll tell you all about the excellent campground she and husband Paul built. Most sites are a bit tight for big RVs, and I think they’re all 30 amps. Call ahead and you won’t be disappointed. This is a budding gem.