No crowds, just shellfish.
In 2016 I went on a disappointing camping trip to Acadia National Park.
I figured that two weeks before Memorial Day weekend would be the perfect time to go – no crowds, nice weather. But I was wrong. Everybody between Philly and Boston seemed to have the same idea. So there we all were on Mt. Desert Island clogging up the trails and waiting for spaces to open up in parking lots, while all the seasonal businesses wouldn’t open for another two weeks. No lobster rolls, no kayaks to rent, no empty trails along the coast, no serenity.
Now, this was my mistake – I was disappointed because I had this vision in my mind of how Maine was supposed to be. And that vision, it occurred to me, came from a trip I took way back in 2001.
On the first long road trip I ever did, my then-boyfriend and I stayed for two nights at an empty little campground overlooking a bay on Maine’s midcoast.
We pitched our tent amidst ferns and pine trees. Above us, an osprey was flying back and forth, teaching her chicks to fly. In the morning when the tide was low, the bay emptied out and we walked on the mud flats to look for shells. At sunset when the tide was high, we swam in the water warmed by the sun. I saw a sea cucumber squirting around on the sand. I didn’t even know those things could move!
It. Was. MAGICAL.
It’s no surprise that Acadia disappointed me with its crowded trails and lack of sea cucumbers.
I got to thinking about that little campground again this past winter. I Googled around and found that Sagadahoc Bay Campground was still in business! So I booked a campsite over Memorial Day weekend.*
*If you’re not into tent camping, they also have cabins to rent.
Memorial Day Weekend, 2019
Before arriving at the campground, I was nervous that my memories were tricking me. Maybe it was just that particular time and mood and the novelty of being on my first big road trip that made it so good? Was the forest really as beautiful as I recalled? Would there still be ospreys and sea cucumbers?
But as soon as we arrived, I knew it would be fine.
Still a small and private outfit, Sagadahoc Bay Campground is located in a gorgeous pocket of Midcoast Maine that’s just remote enough to retain its sleepy vibe, even during Maine’s high season.
We booked a “Water Front” tent site and were assigned Number 154. The campground has some quirky arrangements where it seems that sites are carved out of the forest in a strange geometry, but the effect is that each site gives their inhabitants a lovely view over the bay.
Parking for our site was a few yards away down a hill so we used our wagon to tote our gear. All sites have a fire ring and a picnic table, and a fresh water spigot nearby. There are a few bathhouses with hot showers throughout the campground, although it was muddy as hell the weekend we were there so they were a bit dirty, but not unmanageable.
And the ferns that weekend! Spring comes late to Maine so the fiddleheads were just opening up.
We found some locally-foraged fiddleheads at the Bath Natural Market and grilled them for dinner on Saturday.
Beyond taking photos of ferns, there’s a ton of stuff to do nearby.
We took a walk at Popham Beach State Park.
We saw plenty of Maine-y scenery.
We visited Doubling Point Lighthouse.
And on a trail near the lighthouse a random bust of Jesus overlooking the Kennebec River:
In Georgetown we walked around the scenic harbor and bought lobsters at Five Islands Lobster Co.
You can have them cook your lobster for you.
Or take the lobster back to your campsite like we did.
But my favorite part of the weekend was trying our hand at digging for clams.
Early on Sunday, local clam diggers started to show up with their gear and walk out onto the flats through the morning mist.
Excited to try something new, we headed down to the campground’s office where we bought a shellfish license for $26 and rented some gear. We were given a brief tutorial and then set out.
At first we watched the locals work.
Then we found a flat area where we could see a lot of little holes in the mud – when you see these it means the clams are “showing”. About 5-7 inches under that hole is a clam hanging out vertically in the sand.
On our first couple of tries we broke the clams’ shells – they’re almost as delicate as egg shells. But soon we got the hang out it. We’d find a hole and dig the first few inches of mud up. Then start feeling around with our hands until we could feel the shell. Gently grab the clam while tugging upward to work it out.
Sometimes they’ll come out with their leg showing. It’s a very odd sight. This leg is how they move and dig.
They might squirt at you.
Once we got about four pounds of these delicious little bivalves, we brought them back to camp.
Before you can eat the clams, they need to sit in salt water so they breathe out all the sand and grit. You can speed that process up by putting hot sauce in the water.
On Sunday night we grilled our clams for dinner and served them with lemon garlic butter. Soft shell clams don’t have much meat, so next time I think I’d make a clam chowder.
After dinner the tide was high again. We sat by our campfire and watched the bay. I didn’t see a single sea cucumber this whole weekend, but the clam legs made up for it. We’ll be back.
If you want more camping ideas on the east coast, see this post I wrote. And if you know of any awesome places to camp that I should try, please comment below!
