The Craig's Pond camp was just as the the write up had described it but even better.

We canoed, kayaked, swam, snorkeled, cooked out on the grill, sat around in the sun, and read a whole lot (750 pages of Steven King's It for me - I still have another...400 pages to go - and four books for my wife). The camp library was nicely stocked with an interesting array of books on nature and local interests. I learned I can eat a whole lot of what grows in Maine as bushes, flowers, trees, and weeds from Tom Seymour's excellent book. Reading the history of Craig's Pond book was enlightening as to how rare it is to be able to own property on this gem and how important it is for those fortunate families who can call the pond theirs during the summer months.

I grew up in Bucksport, only a few miles from Craig's Pond, and spent numerous occasions visiting the public beach for swims and several times swimming all the way over the ledges for free fall jumps of dizzying heights (and swinging on the fabled rope-swing - see Craig's Pond history book) but being able to spend a whole week on the pond without knowing that my mom was picking me up in a few short hours was a fantastic opportunity to unwind.

The placement of the camp and deck on the peninsula was brilliant as the view from the camp's deck decades later remains void of almost all traces of civilization's encroachment. I decided not to bring any fishing gear, but I will next year as early morning and evening, when the winds subsided, surfacing salmon and/or trout were plentiful.

The water clarity remains, as I remember it as a kid 30 years ago, amazingly clear - probably due to the lack of camps (only a hand full of which have actual lawns). The water was refreshing for me and a bit on the cool side for my wife, but I had no problem being in for 15 minutes or so.

Our dog (not a swimmer) was welcome and he had a great time. There are plenty of opportunities for kids to swim safely as one side of the peninsula is shallow while the other side drops off much quicker. I was able to dive off of the dock without any trouble, however, that may not be the case in July and August if the water level goes down.

We traveled to Ellsworth twice to dine at The Mex (yum). We wouldn't recommend Carrier's Mainely Lobster as the crab meat was not fresh and the lobster roll was just so-so.

Must do - hike Great Pond Mtn!

We highly recommend this camp on Craig's Pond and plan to return.

Marc, Wendy, and Blue (dog