Swan Island - Wildlife refuge in Richmond - 7 Swan Island Landing, USA

Close to civilization, yet feels miles away! We paddled over to the campground, about 1.7 miles from the swan island boat launch in Richmond. Campground is well maintained, all spots have picnic tables and firepits. Plenty of hiking trails. Great place to escape to for a day/night and be out in nature.

A very cool local hideaway for great hiking and camping. Lots of wildlife to be seen and a fun historical location just a 5 minute ferry ride from Dresden.

Great place to explore. The Adirondack Shelter fit four hammocks nicely. Trails were well marked.

At first we were hesitant to go as we would be needing to ferry over our camping stuff. But the ferry was big enough to carry much more than we brought along. And the rangers helped again by shuttling our stuff to the campsite. At the site was a huge mowed lawn and several lean-to shelters. Gentle breeze kept the bugs at away. The Kennebec in sight. Over our stay we had adventures with your family walking the island, reading up on the history, seeing the eagles and other raptors as well as many monarch butterflies. There were also several bikes to use. A fun adventure with the kids was to canoe to Richmond and get some sweets at Anna's. We also canoed around Little Swan Island. Most of the time we were in shallow water, another plus for canoeing with kids. Our stay was pleasantly uneventful. Only consideration is to think about bringing some water if slightly cloudy water is unpleasant to you. Would love to come back for a day trip again.

Had a beautiful run out on the Island! Cant wait to go back.

Enjoyed the ferry boat to and from the island. Toured the island on ebikes. Highly recommend ebikes because of the hills.

Sweet option that is very local and yet feels miles away from civilization. There are plenty of sites to pitch a tent and most offer a fire-pit and picnic table. If you can visit during Richmond days you can view the fireworks without the crowd on your "own island." Prepare for bugs and lots of ticks, but if you want to camp outside you should already be aware. The ferry from Richmond is less than 10 minutes, runs frequently and has plenty of space for all of your camping gear, your dog, and whomever you choose to camp with.

Swans Island is cool, take the tour so you can learn the history of the island.