We had a great time at lake Pemaquid this summer. The entire way home back to NJ the whole family wanted to go back to Maine. I was a little worried about some other reviews I read but we found the staff very friendly, the camp clean, and the other campers respectful. We rented a cabin that looks small from the outside but was big enough for our family of 5, it was very clean when we checked in, we were sure to leave it the same way by spending 2 hours on the last day doing a good cleaning. We had no issue getting our deposit back as others have reported.
Thank you for the great memory.

My BF and I just stayed here from Sat Jul 2 until Tues the 5th. Went to check in and the first thing they do is slam you with a $10 gate deposit fee which was never mentioned when I made reservations. (I did get it back at the end but you have to guard the gate card with your life if you want your $10 back!) We got to our tent site and it was a disaster. There was garbage everywhere all over the site. They state in their brochure that there's insect control but we never saw anything like that and the bugs were horrible!! (And yes I'm an avid camper and understand we're in the outdoors, but the mosquitoes were ridiculous, especially if they supposedly do 'insect control'.) I went down the numerous hills to the bathroom (everything is up & down hill here and the roads are EXTREMELY narrow) and the ladies room was a mess. There was toilet paper and wrappers thrown in all of the stalls. The staff was rude from the get-go and didn't get any better through the trip. We went down to the non-existent beach (there's no where to sunbathe unless you want to sit at someone's campsite, because there's sites lined up along the tiny bit of sand they have) and went for a swim in the lake. It was really disgusting. Algae covered rocks and lots of them. There was about 3" of sludge on top of rocks that kill your feet whilst trying to go out to the deeper waters. Now I know why people were in floats, you don't want to touch the bottom! Needless to say we won't be back, ever. It's too bad they run it like a business who doesn't care about their campers, they just want to make sure they nickel and dime you all the way until you leave. I wanted to rent a kayak but that would've cost me $10/hr plus a $5 deposit and a life jacket deposit. So we had to skip it. Even their mini golf course is a rip-off at $4 a person (plus a $2 deposit on top of that for the club which you get back at the end if the club is in good shape!) ? See what I mean? Not a good place to camp at all. I'd recommend a campground that is family owned since they know how to take care of their property and their campers! Very disappointing.

In agreement with other reviews as far a rude management. Both owner and wife, rude and not helpful both visits. No refunds no matter what. This year (Father's Day Weekend 2011) owners warned rowdy aggressive campers about behavior, but then owners left the campground Sunday at 2pm with NO SECURITY in place until Monday morning. Damariscotta police had to be called in and then rowdy crowd vandalized one of their neighbors vehicles before leaving.

I have been camping at Lake Pemaquid for 25 years now- never missed a year. It is a wonderful family campground where I have spent my summers. As a young child, I loved their hayrides, playgrounds, children's entertainment, rainy day movies, fishing derbies, etc. Now as an adult, I thoroughly enjoy the peace and quiet of the lake, a good kayak ride, the dances, and the sounds of the loons singing late at night. The camp store is a wonderful treat where you can buy Maine lobster dinners, the campers are all so nice, the staff is wonderful, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this treasure to any camper. The sites are big and you're not on top of your neighbors, the water is beautiful and there are several areas to swim, they have pools and jacuzzis for the cooler days. I just love it here.