Why are these changes being made?

Both changes aim to improve visitors’ experience in making reservations and to make access to camping at Baxter State Park more equitable. 

• Allowing multi-night reservations online eliminates the need for campers to call our reservations office in order to extend their stay past one night. This means less time on hold with our reservations office when reserving for the busy summer months! Campers will still have the option to call the reservation office for assistance when booking camping trips if they wish.
• Limiting reservation extensions to 4 nights (down from 14 nights) will minimize the extent to which campsites get reserved in advance, ensuring more equal availability of campsites when the 4-month rolling window opens.
• Changing the time of the daily opening of the reservation window from 12:01 AM (EST) to 6 AM (EST) is expected to better accommodate most people’s schedules and is similar to reservation processes used by other agencies.

Why am I now limited to 4 nights when making a reservation?

An analysis of our campsite reservations and cancellations shows that the great majority of campers (97%) stayed in the park four (4) nights or less. Thus, most visitors will still need to make only one reservation. The advantage of having a limit on the length of extensions is providing greater availability for dates beyond each daily 4-month reservation window.

What is Baxter Park’s 4-month rolling window for reservations?

The 4-month rolling window means that campsites become available for reserving 4 months to the day before the date of camping.

For example:

• On January 15th, sites become available for reserving with a check-in date of May 15th. 
• On January 16th, sites become available for reserving with a check-in date of May 16th.
• On February 1st, sites become available for reserving with a check-in date of June 1st.

Can I book my reservations online for more than one day, or do I have to log in every day?

The online reservation portal will become available for each new 4-month rolling window at 6:00 AM EST daily. You may then secure reservations for a maximum of four (4) consecutive nights at the same site, including your check-in night plus 3 consecutive nights beyond the 4-month rolling window. Should you desire to reserve beyond four nights or wish to move to a different site, you may log back in to the online portal to book the additional nights at your current site or change sites when the 4-month rolling window opens for those dates.

Will I still be able to book up to 14 consecutive nights in the park this summer?

Yes. The maximum limit of camping nights in the Park remains up to seven (7) nights within a single campsite/campground, and up to fourteen (14) nights across the entire park. However, it will take multiple reservations to reach these limits, unless the dates have already opened previously (see next Q&A). 

Now, visitors can reserve their first camping night at the opening of the 4-month window, plus a maximum of three (3) additional consecutive nights beyond the rolling window, in the same campsite during the initial booking.

If you wish to continue your stay in a single campsite beyond four nights, you will need to wait for the opening of the 4-month rolling window for the fifth night, at which point you will be able to reserve for an additional 3 nights in the same site or campground (reaching the maximum limit of 7 nights within a single campsite/campground). To extend your stay to fourteen nights in the Park, you will need to move to a different campground for the eighth night and wait for the 4-month rolling window to open. See our examples (above) to get a better feel for what this might look like. 

When reserving outside the 4-month rolling window, each change in site or campground constitutes a new reservation (within your overall visit). Please bring printed copies of all of your reservations (even for consecutive nights at the same site or campground).

Do I have to follow this process for every reservation I make?

No. if all of your dates are already open in the 4-month rolling window, you can book up to the campground/site limitation or consecutive night limitation in the park.

Example:

You log in to the reservation portal on April 15th to make reservations for July 20th  – July 28th at South Branch Pond campground and July 29th- July 31st at  Trout Brook Farm campground. All of your camping dates are already open in the 4-month rolling window (they opened on March 20th through March 31); therefore, you can book all nine (9) consecutive nights in one reservation, provided that the sites are available.

Am I able to reserve multiple sites in the same campground for a larger group that will not fit into one site?

Yes. As long as the group does not exceed the maximum occupancy in a single campground, which is up to twelve (12) campers. If your group will be thirteen (13) or more campers, you will need to contact the reservation office to reserve a group area site.

For example:

You have a group of nine (9) campers and would like to reserve three lean-tos at Abol Campground. You can reserve the three sites at the same campground with the same check-in date within the 4-month rolling window.

I like to backpack through the backcountry sites and move to a new site each day during my trip; does this mean I have to call each day to reserve the next site in my trip because it will be considered a new reservation each time?

No. Reservations for backcountry sites will not be subject to this new online reservations extension process (and continue to be made by phone, by mail, and in person). Reservations for backcountry campgrounds (Chimney Pond and Russell Pond) will be limited to 4 nights (similar to roadside campgrounds). Visitors staying multiple nights at backcountry sites in the Park will be able to reserve one (1) night at a roadside (frontcountry) campground at the end of their trip, even if the trip is longer than 4 nights (as long as the total trip length does not exceed the 14 consecutive nights limit).

If the month I’m booking for has 31 days but there are only 28 days in the current month, when will the dates of the 29-31 be released?

If the month in which you can reserve a campsite is shorter than the month you’re reserving for, the remaining days in the camping month will become available for reservation on the 1st of the next reserving month. 

For example: 

On February 28, reservations with a check-in date of June 28 become available for booking. On March 1, reservations with check-in dates of June 29, June 30, and July 1 will be available for booking. 

If the month in which you can reserve a campsite is longer than the month you’re reserving for, no additional days become available at the end of the month of reserving. 

For example:

On May 31, there would be no additional days open for reserving, as there is no September 31.

Can I now reserve backcountry sites and bunkhouse spots online?

No. Reservations for backcountry campgrounds/sites, bunkhouses, group areas, and accessible sites will continue to require an in-person, mail-in, or call-in request.

Has the check-in process changed when arriving at the Park?

No. You will still need to arrive at the gate to check in by 8:30 PM EST for frontcountry sites. Backcountry campgrounds/sites have earlier check-in times; please contact our office for guidance. If you arrive after the allotted time, you will not be permitted to check in for your reservation. This does not cancel your reservation if it is for more than one (1) night. You will have the opportunity to return no later than 4:00 PM (EST) the following day. If you do not check in by 4:00 PM (EST) on the second night of your reservation, the remainder of your reservation will be cancelled.

When do these changes go into effect?

These changes will be made effective starting January 15, 2026, for making reservations for the 2026 summer season. 

Do these changes pertain to winter reservations?

No. These new rules apply to summer camping only and go into effect on January 15th for summer reservations.

I have not been to Baxter State Park before. How do I know what the roadside campgrounds, backcountry campgrounds, and backcountry sites are, so I know how the reservation system will work?

Below is a listing for each:

Roadside (frontcountry) Campgrounds – these are campgrounds you can drive to that have an onsite ranger:

• Abol
• Daicey Pond
• Katahdin Stream
• Kidney Pond
• Nesowadnehunk Field
• Roaring Brook
• South Branch Pond
• Trout Brook Farm

Backcountry Campgrounds – these are campgrounds you must hike to that have an onsite ranger:

• Chimney Pond
• Russell Pond

 

Backcountry Sites – these are individual sites outside of campgrounds that you must hike or paddle to. There are no onsite rangers:

• Billfish Pond
• Boody Brook
• Center Pond
• Davis Pond
• First Lake
• Frost Pond
• Hudson Pond
• KP Dam
• Little Coffeelos
• Little East
• Little Wassataquoik Lake
• Long Pond Outlet
• Long Pond Pines
• Lower Fowler Outlet
• Lower Fowler Pond
• Martin Pond
• Middle Fowler North
• Middle Fowler South
• North Katahdin Lake
• North West Cove
• Pine Point
• Pogy Pond
• Second Lake
• South Katahdin Lake
• Telos Cut
• Togue Ledge
• Upper South Branch Pond
• Wassataquoik Lake
• Wassataquoik Lake Island
• Wassataquoik Stream
• Webster Outlet