- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Sebago Lake State Park
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Sebago Lake State Park
My wife introduced me to Sebago Lake State Park, as she introduced me to camping. For her, it holds very special memories, as she's been camping there with her family all her life, and her mom has been camping there since SHE was a kid. If she could give the park 20 stars, I'm sure she would.
But I'm limited to five, and I'll give it the full five. I haven't been camping at too many other campgrounds, but there is something special about Sebago. Once you go past the ranger station, it is a bit like crossing into another world - you are suddenly in the deep woods, and then you come upon a big, beautiful lake. The campsites are all big, and many of them have electric and water hookups. Most of the sites get a good mix of shade and sun, and while they are pretty open to one another, you never feel a lack of privacy.
The bathrooms and showers are kept as clean as can be expected with thousands of people walking through sand and dirt all day long - the camp hosts do a great job keeping up with things.
Most importantly, the people that come here are relaxed and friendly. People you pass on the way to and from the bathrooms or sinks will always say "hello" as will your neighbors.
The only downside to Sebago? Well, it is a little microcosm of how lake-effect weather behaves. Rainstorms and thunderstorms can pop up surprisingly quickly as clouds gather on one end of the lake and quickly make their way across it to the state park. Once you've been through a few, you learn to recognize the "soul-sucking" wind that is a warning signal of an impending rainstorm - it is like Mother Nature is taking a big breath before letting it rip.
However, weather is part of the experience there, and as we joke, "it isn't Sebago without a thunderstorm." The good part is that once the storm is over, all the motorboats are off the lake, and it often makes for great canoeing conditions. I can't say that it is a great canoe lake the of rest of the time - the wind can cause some pretty good swells, and there are a LOT of powerboats pulling water skiers and water tubers around, which creates wakes going in about a million different directions.
However, that doesn't affect the campsite, or the beautiful, relaxing experience that it is.
Sebago Lake is the deepest but second largest lake in Maine. Sebago Lake State Park is at the north end of the lake and covers the area where Crooked River enters the lake. It has sandy beaches, picnic areas, camping, nature paths and the part I love the most, a piece of living history in the form of a river lock.
What's this you ask? Why it's the last of the hand operated (hand operated!) locks on the Cumberland and Oxford Canal that allow boat travel between Lake Sebago and Long Lake...and it's still in use today. This what intrigued me most about this run-of-the-mill state park. In fact I spent less than 30 minutes touring the beaches, the camp sites, and the rest of facilities and 1 1/2 hours at the lock talking with the state park ranger about the lock, its history, and his job as the ranger for the lock....and I got to see it in action as a boat came through. It also seems to be were the locals hang out as there were several fishing from the bridge that crosses the tiny dam. I even understand there is a river boat cruise that traverses the lock on it's way from Long Lake to Lake Sebago. Cool, in my book, but then I'm a little bit of a geek too.
I guess if you're a beach bum, then this is great place to be. Lake Sebago is huge and beautiful and there are a ton of water sports to be had. (Local boat launch included.) it has some well-worn nature trails (notice I don't say hikes) which would be good for when the beach is too crowded or too hot. The parks facilities are as clean as can be, so that's a plus. The camping is seasonal and it's best to make reservations as there were a TON of people camping when we went and every camp site was filled. They tout hot showers and flushing toilets, but I didn't try them so, I don't really know about this. There are fees to pay for camping, but none for the park itself.
All in all, it's your average state park with a cool piece of history. Which makes it cool in my book.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (2)
I'm in love with this campground. It's THE most beautiful state park I've ever been to!
Important things to know:
* Our tent site was big and on it's own private beach! There were NO campers around us ( it was quiet weekend) and we got to frolic in the sand all day without being harassed.
* The campground staff / hosts are very polite! Even when we got a little lost on the way in, the staff gave us directions over the phone. My friend and I decided the hosts name was Earl. He walked over to our site to great us and let us know what we should do if it rained on us.
* There's cellphone reception. Peace of mind in the woods is key.
* The bathrooms were VERY clean and the showers were free! Even better, you got your own big shower room with no skeezy shower curtain to stick to your leg.
* There were hiking trails of all sorts within the park.
* LOTS of wild life, but I don't think any that would really eat you. Or at least they didn't make themselves known :)
Basically it was everything you would want a campground to be. I HIGHLY recommend this state park and I'm already planning a return visit!
You ever notice when you look at a map of Sebago Lake, it looks like Africa? Am I the only one that finds this amusing? Ah well.
Sebago Lake is this huge lake in Maine, slightly north of Portland. I come and visit dear Sebago Lake once (or twice) a year when I go to my beloved Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine is located basically on the top of Sebago Lake. Driving along Rt. 302 there are a couple of places where you can dock your boat, which I think is a neat thing to do.
The North part of Sebago Lake is really pretty, filled with lots of trees and is great for canoeing, kayaking, paddleboating, general boat riding, and even swimming. Though the water can be pretty chilly, when I go in August, it's pretty much tolerable.
I've heard that Sebago Lake is pretty deep, though I think that's more in the middle, but I can't be sure. It varies in my section, going from about 6 ft to immediately dropping to who knows what.
I like Sebago Lake a lot. I'm hoping that eventually, some day I can go to a different part of the Lake and compare which I like better. But I do enjoy being on the water when I come to Camp.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)
On my dad's side my youngest cousins and I are about 12 - 15 years apart. Relating to each other is difficult. I'm not old enough for them to think I'm like a totally awesome auntie type and yet I'm not young enough for them to really feel comfortable talking about anything with me.
This all started to change a few summers back when we started spending good chunks of our summer rocking out on Sebago Lake. Somehow summer days spent jumping off of boats, falling out of wave runners, and trying to get me to jump out of a tree (three consecutive years and I still haven't done it), helped us all start communicating with eachother. Now we're at a point where we can even exchange hugs and high fives without our parents awkwardly telling us to do so.
The lake itself is HUGE. There are many areas along the lake itself to be explored - rent a boat, grab a canoe, or hop on a jet ski and just take off for the day (wear sunscreen kids).
At the state park itself (which i've only visited in and out on day trips) there's a big camp ground and great areas (I guess they're beaches but I don't want to reaaaally call them that) for sunning, chilling, or throwing mud at your family members (if you know, that's how you all roll).
I'll admit that I'm someone who has trouble relaxing. At Sebago though you can't help but get lost in all of the green, the beauty, and the general good vibes all around. If you're low on cash and want a short summer escape steal a buddy's car and head on up here.
You can thank me later.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)
I decided to camp Sebago to celebrate my 25th bday with two of my closest girlfriends. We arrived at about 8pm on Friday and the woman at the front registry was so sweet. She let us know the site were all pretty much vacant so that if we found a site we liked better we were more than welcome to grab that one instead of the one we had reserved. We drove down the mile stretch to the campsites and she was right... there werent many people there. There were some RVs all clustered together near the entrance but the back half was empty. We chose a big site right on the water off by ourselves. We knew we'd be up late, we'd be loud and 2 out of 3 of us smoke cigs so we didnt want to disturb anyone. We went to a local canoe rental place the next morning (after an amazing nights sleep) and they DELIVERED a canoe to our campsite about 30 minutes later. We paddled around the right side of the park and found this little sandbar that stuck out from the shore. It had legit white sand on it and was completely empty. It was just us girls, our beach towels and out Twisted Teas. We laid out and I even caught a ride on a jetski which was fun. The bathrooms are super clean and not typical camp smelly. The people are so nice a helpful... We will be back!
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)