In Maine, “camp” can mean a rustic cabin on a lake, a lodge-and-cabins sporting camp, a children’s summer camp, or a historic logging camp. No official source defines the word, so what it means depends on who is using it. Here is what each kind of camp is, and where the sources disagree.
The kinds of camp in Maine
- A camp on the lake: a rustic getaway cabin or cottage, often on a lake or pond. This is what most people mean by “going to camp.”
- A sporting camp: a lodging business, usually a main lodge with guest cabins, built around hunting, fishing and the outdoors.
- A summer camp: a program for children, which Maine licenses as a “youth camp.”
- A logging camp: a historic work camp. Wikipedia says many sporting camps began as 1800s work or logging camps.
The camp on the lake
The phrase “upta camp” is part of this. Maine Public’s Maine Calling describes it as a longtime Maine tradition that began when people retreated to sporting and leisure camps and has grown to include remote cottages and large weekend homes. A mid-coast tourism article calls it a generations-old saying about setting the rest of life aside, and says camp is more a state of mind than a type of building.
For most Mainers, a camp is a getaway cabin or cottage, especially one near water. No agency defines it. The Maine Office of Tourism says the camp experience is usually quite rustic and quotes one proprietor as saying “a camp is a cottage with no electricity.” The same page adds that some camps do have electricity, and that some include meals while others have guests cook on a wood stove that is also the only heat.
Real estate listings stretch the word further. In June 2026 the Bangor Daily News used “camp” for five waterfront properties priced from $199,900 to $295,000. They ranged from a 294-square-foot cabin with an outhouse to a nearly 900-square-foot place with electricity and a wood stove. One was off the grid. So “camp” tells you the setting and the feel more than any particular set of amenities.
Sporting camps
A sporting camp is a business. According to Wikipedia, it is a lodging business that provides meals and guide service for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation, usually with a main lodge and a group of cabins, sometimes plus remote outpost cabins. Remote camps are often rustic log cabins without electricity, indoor plumbing or phone service, and many are family-owned.
The tradition began after the Civil War, and railroads helped. The Sporting Camp Foundation says lines reached Brownville in 1881, Presque Isle in 1882, Katahdin Iron Works in 1883 and Moosehead Lake in 1884, opening the woods to city visitors. For places to stay, see our guide to Maine sporting camps and wilderness lodges.
How many sporting camps are left?
That depends on the source, and the answers are not counting the same thing:
- 1904: at least 300, according to the Sporting Camp Foundation.
- 1997: a few more than 78, according to the same article.
- Today: “a few dozen,” according to unnamed local observers in a December 2024 Portland Press Herald article.
- Association members: Wikipedia lists 36 members of the Maine Sporting Camp Association, with no date. The association’s website says it lists 45 locations.
The Press Herald also reports that many camps have been sold to private owners or corporations and no longer take paying guests, and that owners face rising costs and trouble finding staff.
Summer camps
A summer camp is a program for children. Maine’s health department calls these “youth camps” and licenses them. The rules cover programs that run five or more consecutive days, and they include day camps, residential camps and trip and travel camps. A licensed camp also has to pass a pre-operational inspection.
For a search list, Maine Summer Camps says it lets you search over 145 Maine summer camps. We found no state total to compare that against, and we don’t rank or recommend individual camps.
Renting or buying a camp
Because the word is so loose, ask what a particular camp actually has before you book or buy. The listing examples above show how much it can vary. Questions worth asking:
- Is there electricity, and what heats the place?
- Is there an indoor bathroom, or an outhouse?
- Where does the water come from?
- Does the camp include meals, or do you cook?
- Is the road open year-round, or only in season?
For vacation rentals, see our sister site, MaineVacationRentals.com.
Why the sources disagree
- No official definition. The Office of Tourism ties “camp” to having no electricity. The Bangor Daily News uses it for cabins that have electricity and indoor plumbing. The mid-coast article calls it a state of mind.
- Sporting camp counts. The figures range from at least 300 in 1904 to a few dozen today, with 36 and 45 appearing for the association. They count different things: all commercial camps at one time, association members at another.
- Summer camp counts. Maine Summer Camps counts camps in its own search list. The state defines youth camps by how long they run, not by a total we could find.
- Even the museum exhibit. The Maine Maritime Museum says its “Upta Camp” exhibition ran April 5, 2024 to October 19, 2025, while the Press Herald said it would run through November 2025.
Maine camp: FAQ
What is a camp in Maine?
Most often, a rustic cabin or cottage used as a getaway, especially on a lake. It can also mean a sporting camp, a children’s summer camp or a historic logging camp.
What is a sporting camp?
A lodging business, usually a main lodge with guest cabins, that offers meals and guide service for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.
What does “upta camp” mean?
Heading to camp, especially a cabin or cottage away from home. Maine Public describes it as a longtime tradition that began with sporting and leisure camps.
Is a camp the same as a cabin or cottage?
Not always. The Office of Tourism says one proprietor defines a camp as a cottage with no electricity, but some camps have electricity, and news listings use “camp” for cabins and cottages of many kinds.
Our details come from the Maine Office of Tourism, the Bangor Daily News, Maine Public, the mid-coast tourism article, the Maine Maritime Museum, the Portland Press Herald, Wikipedia, the Sporting Camp Foundation, the Maine Sporting Camps Association, Maine’s health department and Maine Summer Camps. No official source defines a family camp, so we describe how these sources use the word.