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Maine Free Camping Rank and Rules

Maine ranks #20 of 50 for free camping

Maine ranks #20 of 50 for free camping, with 9.4 known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi.

Data as of

Maine free camping in numbers

Maine ranks #20 of 50 for free camping, with 9.4 known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi.

Rank
#20
Known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi
9.4
Known dispersed sites
289
Land area
30,843 sq mi
Developed campgrounds
1,137
State-land rule
Not confirmed
Forest restrictions tracked
1

Dispersed camping in Maine

Can you camp on Maine state land?

Not confirmed. We could not confirm the rules for state land, and the permit system covering the private timberland across much of northern Maine is outside what we checked. Western Maine holds White Mountain National Forest land, which is the federal side of the picture. Every state, with the rule behind each answer: dispersed camping on state land, state by state.

Where is dispersed camping restricted in Maine?

We track one National Forest restriction on dispersed camping in Maine. Read it before you camp nearby.

  • White Mountain National Forest, Forest Protection Areas, trails, water, and the alpine zone. Camping is banned along particular roads or around particular features, not across the whole forest.

Each restriction, cited and dated: where dispersed camping is restricted.

How the rank works

We divide the known dispersed campsites in a state by its land area, in square miles, and multiply by 1,000. The rules above sit beside the rank but never change it. The count includes only sites that public sources map, so mapping effort affects the result. Roadside camping corridors and the points we place inside state wildlife and forest areas are not counted.