The brutal New England winter is finally over, and going outside is surely at the top of the to-do list for lots of Mainers. If you’re looking to set up camp and sleep under the stars, you don’t always have to resort to the same old popular campground.
Nature lovers are turning to Hipcamp, a website very much like Airbnb. Complete with Instagram-worthy pictures, amenities and reviews, booking a slice of outdoor heaven has never been so easy.
"If you wanna offer them food or camp firewood, or some type of experience, [you can],” said Janice Knights, who hosts campers on her land in Harrison. She's expecting twenty campers on her property for Memorial Day weekend.
In Greene, John Schott created several campsites on a beautiful plot of land along the Androscoggin River, with picnic tables, fire pits, even an outhouse.
“We generally like to meet and greet the people when they arrive show them to their tent sites,” he said. “I was a little bit apprehensive at first because we like the land not being developed, and felt that maybe people coming here would be a little bit of an intrusion on us. But it hasn’t been.”
For Schott and Knights, one of the most rewarding aspects of the Hipcamp experience is connecting with people from around the world who are enjoying nature in unlikely places.
“These girls from Israel were saying, we want someone to come show us how to do this where we live,” Knights said. The two women were her first campers.
Schott has hosted people from as far away as Colorado, as well as college students looking to get away. Many campers have sent him cards thanking him for his hospitality, with plans to return the following season.
"People need to see it," Knights said. "People need to share the beauty and the quiet.”
If you don't want to rough it, Hipcamp offers glamping, yurts, cabins and tiny houses too.