Both Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land and Campobello Island are about an hour’s drive. The owners call it Camelot, and it boasts all the necessities: a roof and sleeping accommodations for four people, an outhouse, a deck and grill, a bonfire pit, and unbelievable views. It’s a short, winding dirt road away from Route 1, but it feels gloriously remote. This cliffside A-frame is in Robbinston, about 12 miles south of Calais. (Portland Phoenix/Shannon Bryan)Īt low tide, you can wander the expansive beach scouting for sand dollars and marvel at the talls cliffs carved out by the tide and the strength of the waves, including the striking Pulpit Rock. The cliffside A-frame in Robbinston accommodates four people. Book via Airbnb (search “Off the Grid Garland Get Away” in Byron). Coos Canyon is just up the road, and Angel Falls and Tumbledown Mountain are each about a 25-minute drive.Īccommodates six guests, $155 a night. Outside there’s a deck and a private dock, and you can recline in your camp chair in front of a fire and watch the sun go down behind the mountains. And then there’s the retro dining table, funky-colored chairs, and a stack of board games just in case it rains. Off-the-grid comforts include gas lamps, a propane fridge, a hand pump that draws water from the pond, a wood stove, and an outhouse across the road. Little Ellis Pond is steps away from this camp in Garland. This cool camp is perched right at the water’s edge and has all the buffalo plaid charm you could ask for. Take the canoe out for a spin on Little Ellis Pond, where mountains rise up from every direction. Book via Airbnb (search “Rustic Cabin on the Pond with Beautiful Views” in Franklin). Or hike Schoodic Mountain (which you can see from the dock), about a half-hour drive away.Īccommodates four guests, $80 a night. The kitchen area has a sink with a hand pump that draws pond water for washing, a gas stove, and a small battery-powered fridge. There’s a big bed for two and a small loft with two cots that’d be great for kids. Steps away is the private dock, and there are canoes and kayaks to borrow during your stay. The cozy and efficient kitchen of a rustic cabin on Great Pond in Franklin. There are other homes nearby, but this cabin’s position on a small swath of land that juts into the pond makes it feel like a solitary place.

It sits on 125 acres that have been in the owner’s family for more than 100 years. Here are a few of my favorites: Rustic perfection in FranklinĪt the end of a dirt road, crouched among the maples and pines, this cabin in Franklin looks like it’s playing hide-and-seek with Great Pond. Some local land trusts and preserves manage cozy cabins on their properties, too. Websites like and have a host of getaways to choose from, ranging from high-end homes to no-frills A-frames. You’ll just do it at someone else’s place. You can toast marshmallows over a popping campfire and doze off to the delicate splash of pond water on rocks. You can watch cedar waxwings flit among the branches and spot eagles soaring high above the trees on the other side of the lake. You can still partake in long summer days paddling the shoreline or catching fish from the dock. There are countless Maine cottages and camps built for welcome respites and relaxation, oftentimes generations ago. Camelot, as its owners call it, is a cliffside A-frame in Robbinston, about 12 miles south of Calais. Now is the time to start solidifying plans to make that daydream a real-life thing. We’re still living in March, but our brains have leaped ahead to the hammock naps and sunset paddles of a warm-weather getaway. These vacation rental daydreams brighten our spirits on days when the season has advanced from fresh snowfalls to leftover crust. Off-the-grid cabins and lakeside camps where we can fall asleep to the spectral calls of local loons and wake up to sherbet-colored sunlight streaming in through the windows.

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