Acadia RV campgrounds: Blackwoods vs. Seawall vs. Schoodic Woods

Updated September 20, 2026
By Romana

For the easiest first trip to Acadia's best-known sights, choose Blackwoods.[2] For a quieter Mount Desert Island stay, choose Seawall—but only after matching the exact site to the RV.[3] For shore power, water at the site, and a calmer peninsula base, choose Schoodic Woods.[4]

That simple answer changes with rig length and generator dependence.[2][3][4] Blackwoods has 20- and 35-foot RV sites, Seawall has 20-, 30-, and 35-foot options, and Schoodic Woods divides sharply between small-RV sites in A Loop and much longer B-loop sites.[2][3][4] The campground-wide maximum at Blackwoods and Seawall is 35 feet long and 11 feet high; the reserved site's lower limit still controls.[2][3][6]

The quick decision

Exact 2026 rig-fit snapshot

We audited all 549 campsite records linked from the three current Recreation.gov campground pages on September 20, 2026. The counts below describe records that currently permit at least one RV-style equipment type, not every campsite in each campground.[2][3][4]

These figures are useful filters, not permission to round up.[2][3][4] Recreation.gov warns that equipment over a site's listed limit can cause the reservation to be canceled, and all equipment must stay on the site pad.[2][3][4] At Blackwoods and Seawall, NPS also caps RVs at 35 feet long and 11 feet high, including a requirement that slide-outs remain within the site pad.[6]

For a trailer, compare the booking record with the way that record labels the limit.[2][3][4] At Blackwoods and Seawall, the current records usually apply the published 20-, 30-, or 35-foot number to the camping unit.[2][3] At Schoodic B Loop, the record exposes a maximum vehicle length rather than a nonzero RV-equipment length.[4] Confirm whether Recreation.gov expects the motorhome alone or the full tow combination before paying if your setup is close to the listed number.

Blackwoods fit: straightforward categories, limited supply

Blackwoods has 281 current campsite records, but only 60 are labeled RV nonelectric. Forty-four of those RV sites are in A Loop and 16 are in B Loop. The site names themselves carry either a 20FT or 35FT label on Recreation.gov.[2]

A 35-foot site is the cleanest Mount Desert Island choice for a medium-to-large motorhome, but it does not erase the park's 11-foot campground height cap.[6] Measure roof air conditioners, antennas, and other fixed equipment against that cap.[6] Also check slide width against the individual pad because NPS requires extensions to remain inside it.[6]

Blackwoods allows only one vehicle at the site. Extra vehicles use overflow parking or legal parking along Route 3, subject to capacity.[2] A trailer and its tow vehicle therefore require more arrival planning than a motorhome with no toad.[2]

Seawall fit: read the equipment list, not just the loop

Seawall's public overview says some sites handle RVs up to 35 feet, while warning that the campground was not designed for large RVs and trailers.[3] The detailed records explain why a blanket “35-foot campground” label is misleading.[3]

C Loop contains the large-RV inventory and most 30- and 35-foot choices.[3] A Loop holds the smaller 20-foot drive-in options.[3] One C-loop record permits a pickup camper and camper van but does not list a conventional RV or trailer, which is why the 53 RV-style count is one higher than the 52 conventional RV/trailer count.[3]

The driveway lengths in the records can exceed the allowed equipment length.[3] Do not use a long driveway number to override the equipment limit.[3] Reserve by the named equipment type and its maximum, then check the site photos and warnings for turning room and obstructions.[3]

Schoodic Woods fit: the strongest utility option

Schoodic Woods is the only one of the three where every drive-in A- and B-loop site has electricity. A Loop's 48 RV-capable sites use 20-amp or 50-amp service in the current records and cap RV-style equipment at 20 or 25 feet. B Loop has 31 50-amp RV sites with water at the site; current listed maximum vehicle lengths range from 42 to 70 feet.[4]

This makes Schoodic Woods the practical choice for a longer RV that needs shore power, but not automatically for every trailer combination.[4] Check the exact B-loop number, entry type, and maximum vehicle length.[4] B Loop includes back-in, parallel, and pull-through configurations in the current records.[4]

Generator rules: choose the loop before the campground

• Blackwoods: generators are permitted only in A Loop, from 8–10 a.m. and 4–7 p.m. B Loop is generator-free. The camper must be present while the generator runs.[2][6]
• Seawall: generators are permitted only in C Loop during the same 8–10 a.m. and 4–7 p.m. windows. A, B, and D are generator-free, and the operator must remain at the campsite.[3][6]
• Schoodic Woods: generator use is prohibited campground-wide.[6]

For dry camping with a generator, Blackwoods A gives more RV-site choice than Blackwoods B, while Seawall effectively makes C Loop the target.[2][3] For a quiet stay, Schoodic Woods removes generator noise but supplies electricity to the drive-in sites anyway.[4][6]

Hookups, tanks, and showers

Blackwoods and Seawall have no campsite hookups. Both provide potable running water, flush toilets, and a dump station. Neither has campground showers; private fee showers are nearby.[2][3]

Schoodic Woods provides electricity at all drive-in sites, water connections in B Loop, potable campground water, flush toilets, and a dump station. It also has no showers; Recreation.gov directs campers to services in Winter Harbor.[4]

That creates a clear operating difference.[2][3][4] A long stay at Blackwoods or Seawall requires battery, generator, or solar planning plus a tank cycle.[2][3] At Schoodic, even the small-RV A-loop sites remove most battery anxiety, and B Loop reduces fresh-water handling as well.[4]

2026 season and reservation timing

The official 2026 schedule is:

• Blackwoods: May 1 through October 19 at 10 a.m.
• Seawall: May 20 through October 12 at 10 a.m.
• Schoodic Woods: May 20 through October 12 at 10 a.m.[5]

All three require reservations through Recreation.gov; the campground offices do not make them in person. Ninety percent of sites are released six months ahead on the first day of each month at 10 a.m. Eastern, beginning December 1. The remaining 10 percent release at 10 a.m. Eastern 14 days before arrival on a rolling basis. Same-day reservations are possible online when inventory remains.[1]

For a fall 2026 trip booked after this article's September 20 update, the six-month release is long past.[1] The useful opportunities are cancellations and the 14-day tranche.[1] Seawall and Schoodic close a week before Blackwoods, so Blackwoods is the only choice among these three for nights after October 12.[5]

Route tradeoffs with an RV

Blackwoods: best access to the busy side, but arrive from Route 3

Blackwoods is about six miles south of Bar Harbor on State Route 3. Recreation.gov explicitly says there is no campground entrance from Park Loop Road.[2] Do not let a navigation app turn a campground arrival into a scenic-loop experiment.[2][8]

Park Loop Road includes historic low-clearance bridges. NPS lists a shortest underpass of 11 feet 8 inches and closes specific segments to vehicles above 12 feet or 12 feet 2 inches; Stanley Brook Road has a 10-foot-4-inch restriction.[7][8] Those road figures are separate from Blackwoods' stricter 11-foot campground RV limit.[6]

Blackwoods wins when the RV will remain parked while a smaller vehicle or shuttle handles the east side.[2] It is the shortest campground-to-Bar Harbor choice of the three and avoids making every park day a cross-island commute.[2][4]

Seawall: a longer island approach for the quieter west side

The official approach continues from Route 3 onto Route 102, through Southwest Harbor and Bass Harbor, then Route 102A to the campground.[3] This avoids treating the restricted Park Loop Road as an RV through-route.

Seawall is the better base for a trip centered on Southwest Harbor, Bass Harbor, Echo Lake, and west-side trails.[3] It is a weaker base for repeated early starts on the east side because each day begins with an island crossing.[3] Recreation.gov's current directions also carry a “detour in place” note, so recheck the page immediately before departure rather than saving an old turn list.[3]

Schoodic Woods: mainland simplicity, separate from Mount Desert Island

The official route reaches Schoodic via Ellsworth, U.S. Route 1, Route 186, and then one mile on Schoodic Loop Road.[4][7] This is a clean mainland arrival, but Schoodic Woods is not a back door to Bar Harbor.[4][7] Recreation.gov puts it about 60–70 minutes from Bar Harbor, and NPS says about 1 hour 15 minutes.[4]

After setup, leave the RV at the campground or day-use lot. Past those two areas, Schoodic Loop Road is off-limits to motorhomes and travel trailers, and to any other vehicle above 21 feet; NPS also closes the downstream one-way portion and Arey Cove Road to RVs and trailers.[4][8] The peninsula shuttle is the intended alternative during its operating season, but there is no Island Explorer bus between Schoodic and Mount Desert Island.[4]

Booking checklist for the exact rig

1. Measure the RV's full length and height in travel mode, including fixed roof equipment.[2][3][6]
2. For a trailer, record both trailer length and total connected length.[2][3][4]
3. Filter by the actual equipment type; do not assume “standard” means RV-compatible.[2][3][4]
4. Open the site detail and confirm the equipment maximum, driveway entry, and current warnings.[2][3][4]
5. At Blackwoods or Seawall, stay under both the site limit and the 35-foot-by-11-foot campground cap.[6]
6. Pick a generator-permitted loop before searching dates if generator time is essential.
7. Save the reservation details offline because Recreation.gov warns that cell coverage can be poor at Blackwoods and Seawall.[2][3]
8. Recheck route restrictions and any active detour just before travel.[3][8]

Bottom line

Blackwoods is the best default for a first Acadia RV trip: it minimizes the drive to Bar Harbor and east-side attractions, and its RV sites use clear 20- or 35-foot categories.[2] Choose A Loop if you need a generator and B Loop if you want generator-free camping.[2][6]

Seawall is the Mount Desert Island choice for west-side priorities and a quieter setting.[3] It has legitimate 30- and 35-foot inventory, but the park's own booking system warns that maneuvering larger equipment is difficult.[3] Generator users should focus on C Loop.[3][6]

Schoodic Woods is the best equipped campground.[4] Every drive-in site has electricity, B Loop adds water, and its longer B-loop records fit rigs that the other two cannot.[4] The exchange is geographic: the peninsula is its own Acadia trip, not a convenient nightly base for Bar Harbor.[4][7]

Sources

1. Campgrounds - Acadia National Park (retrieved September 20, 2026)
2. Blackwoods Campground - Recreation.gov (retrieved September 20, 2026)
3. Seawall Campground - Recreation.gov (retrieved September 20, 2026)
4. Schoodic Woods Campground - Recreation.gov (retrieved September 20, 2026)
5. Operating Hours & Seasons - Acadia National Park (retrieved September 20, 2026)
6. Superintendent's Compendium - Acadia National Park (retrieved September 20, 2026)
7. Directions & Transportation - Acadia National Park (retrieved September 20, 2026)
8. Oversized Vehicles - Acadia National Park (retrieved September 20, 2026)