Park Review: Patten Pond RV Campground (Ellsworth, ME)

Thousand Trails

Address:  1470 Bucksport Rd, Ellsworth, ME 04605
Phone:  (207) 667-7600
Website:  rvonthego.com/maine/patten-pond-camping-resort
# of sites:  144
​Full hookup price:  From $258/week
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
​Warnings:  Reserve as early as possible

We always wanted to visit Maine and Thousand Trails gave us a couple of options there.  Patten Pond is a 750-acre lake with fishing and boating and one corner of the campground includes a beach and boat docks on the lake.

Pros:
Smaller than some of the Thousand Trails parks we have stayed in, Patten Pond RV Campground has plenty of room to maneuver and lots of living space.  There are trees shading many of the sites and beautiful views of the lake from the beach.  The lake sports trout, bass and walleye and the park rents canoes, rowboats and other watercraft.  Many campers were taking advantage of these services.

From their web page:  "You can canoe, fish, swim, boat, or just relax and watch the loons from our peaceful and private beach."

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This is a great base from which to explore the Maine coast, including Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  We took several scenic drives while staying at Patten Pond.  Though Acadia is not the eastern-most point in the U.S., its elevation at Cadillac Mountain gives it the distinction of having the first rays of morning sunlight in the continental US.  I happily checked the Acadia sunrise off my bucket list...

If you like lobster, you can't do better than Maine, which has an abundance of restaurants serving them large, fresh and cheap!

Cons:
Though you can fish in this lake, you must travel elsewhere to get a license -- they don't sell them at the park's shop.  If you plan on fishing early, you won't be renting a boat for that -- boats aren't available to rent until 9am.  Speaking of fishing, this is a family-oriented park and there are always many children staying here.  

Situated in the far northeast coast, weather can be extremely unpredictable.  Rain, fog and sunny skies alternated throughout our stay, and at one point I didn't know if I would ever have a sun-filled day for a photo jaunt.

Acadia National Park is invariably packed at sunrise, assuming there is one.  My first attempt was foiled by rain and overcast weather, as is common on the Maine coast.  If weather does permit, make sure you go at least two hours early to get a parking space and primo photo spot in front of the 2,000 or other photographers that will invade the mountainside.  I didn't do that and had to walk about a mile to get to the peak for photos.  I almost missed sunup.

If you don't like lobster (we don't), getting good food is a challenge everywhere in the region.  Meals other than lobster or crab were mediocre at best.

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Overall, we really enjoyed this resort.  We plan on returning and spending more time in this area.  Maine can be breathtaking!
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