Matthew G.recommendsSeptember 5, 2024
Camp #1 Ocean
Will be back !
First off - Gary is great. Secondly, Cranberry (and really all of the Maine islands from what I can gage) is a beautiful, enchanting, and one of a kind place.
I loved the community space on the property, access to the kayaks, and the fire pit worked perfectly for cooking.
I felt at home. My favorite animal is a Doe - and to my amazement there are deer families all over the island. Who acted completely un-frightened and un-threatened by me.
Will be back for a longer stay.
Campers bring your gear! Extra water and food - especially if arriving on a later ferry when the general store is closed.
Cranberry is truly one of my favorite places I’ve stayed and would recommend it to anyone looking for a coastal/ un-plugged experience.
Good people on the island is a plus. And like I mentioned before Gary is great , and a fantastic host.
Kara F.recommendsSeptember 3, 2024
Camp #2 Ocean
magical way to end the summer!
Amazing! Incredible! This place was magical. Gary made us feel so welcome and was so very helpful and fun!! The community areas that Gary set up were amazing...from the string light covered space to the bonfire that Gary had ready for us when we arrived! Gary was so fun to hang out with felt like we'd been friends for years. He's the kind of host that is totally down to hangout or tell you want you need to know and then give you your space. Just a few steps away from any of the camp sites and you can take the beautiful view of the ocean and you can see isles ford (little cranberry island) in the distance. The outhouse was nice, in a great location and was always stocked with TP and hand sanitizer!
The island was so fun to explore, we were there for 4 nights and still didn't see everything. The general store was great too it had everything from fresh produce to prepared sandwiches. I highly recommend Gary's land to anyone that wants to experience something very unique and have a great time!
a few tips: be prepared with food and water and I highly recommend arriving on an earlier ferry ride so you are not setting up on the dark(like we did)! Gary had the camp's community golf cart waiting for us upon arrival to bring our gear to the campsite. There are no street signs on the island. Cell service at the dock is great but pretty limited at the campsite (I have Verizon -not sure about others) Thanks Gary, you are the best!
Grace M.recommendsAugust 29, 2024
Camp #1 Ocean
Beautiful Island Camping!
We had so much fun visiting the island! The campsite was beautiful (loved the views of the water and sunset), Gary was a wonderful host and great to chat with, and the vibe of the whole site was very welcoming. Would definitely recommend! The shared golf cart and communal bonfire were much appreciated.
Sonia S.recommendsAugust 28, 2024
Camp #2 Ocean
Cranberry Island was beautiful! Lots to explore. Gary was a very generous host and gave us lots of suggestions for where to go. There's a nice covered greenhouse- type thing where we cooked and ate, which was good for too much sun or rain. Big bonfire every night. Beautiful stars!
Brandon M.recommendsAugust 27, 2024
Camp #1 Ocean
We loved our brief 2 night stay at Ocean #1! We booked a last minute trip to Acadia - but there was really limited availability on MDI. Luckily, we found Gary's listing and we're so glad we did.
Getting to the campsite was pretty easy - we parked in the overflow overnight lot by the police station, took the Beal and Bunker to Greater Cranberry, and enjoyed the 15 minute walk to the site where we met Gary. As everyone has mentioned, Gary is such a nice person and made us feel right at home. The hipcamp is amazing.
The Ocean #1 spot was great for us. There was a nice wood chipped area for us to setup our tent and we slept well to the sound of bell buoys. One note: spots #1 and #2 are near a pond that got a little buggy while we were there.
We didn't spend much time on GCI and mostly used it as a campsite while we went to MDI - but it was perfect. We loved the amenities (HUGE bonfire, community cooking/eating space, outhouse, golf cart) and we had no problem filling up waters at the community center or taking the ferry to and from the island. Be sure to get a breakfast sandwich at the general store - they're delicious. We also were able to leave our bikes locked up in Northeast harbor so that we didn't have to ferry them back and forth and we could just grab our bikes and hit the carriage roads.
Oh yeah, one highlight: apparently we were camping during Aurora borealis.. what a treat! Gary gave us a ride to the dock to get the best vantage point to see the Aurora - lovely!
Emma H.recommendsAugust 26, 2024
Camp #3 Meadow
Serene
Awesome space. Gary is a great host and the island is beautiful. You do have to pay for parking and for the ferry to and from but it is worth it for such a serene place.