Lantern Camp

ORLAND, MAINE

Personalities

Solitary wanderers. Creative souls. Free-spirited couples. Families introducing young eyes to the wilderness. Adventurers traveling with their pets. Groups reuniting under open skies. Travelers who crave real connection to nature.

Moments

Waking up to a hundred-mile view. Purple-stained fingers from picking wild blueberries as you wander along private trails. Quiet steam rising from the private cedarwood sauna. The sharp pop of dry birch in your fire pit. Midnight stargazing wrapped in wool blankets, watching the cosmos drift over the landscape.

Best Visiting Months

The camp awakens in mid-April as winter frost releases its grip and songbirds return to build their nests. By late May, mountain laurel blooms and fresh green foliage blankets the property’s 166 acres, offering a tranquil alternative to the regional summer crowds. High summer brings peak wild blueberry harvest from mid-July through August, transforming the hillsides into a natural foraging playground. As crisp autumn air settles in, bright foliage sweeps across the valley, making the heated cabins, outdoor fire pits, and cedar sauna deeply comforting retreats through mid-November.

COST

Why Stay

High on a sunlit ridge in Maine’s Downeast / Acadia region, Lantern Camp Orland occupies a raw, elevated landscape, where the built footprint covers just two of its 166 total acres. Rolling meadows and spruce forests stretch in every direction, offering sweeping 100-mile views that reach all the way from Mt. Katahdin to Penobscot Bay. Conceived by co-founder Addison Godine, the simple, modernist architecture takes cues from classic New England farm structures and rugged backwoods shelters. Generous wall-to-wall glazing turns the natural elements into living art, while local timber finishes, stainless steel kitchens, and natural wood fiber insulation keep the environmental footprint minimal.

Twenty-four elemental cabins dot the hillside, split between light-filled Field Cabins with private en-suite baths and intimate Forest Cabins tucked beneath the canopy. Each dwelling functions as an architectural portal designed to pull focus directly outward toward mossy boulders, swaying ferns, and endless horizon lines.

Daily rhythms revolve around deep restoration and tactile connection with the land. Guests spend unhurried mornings wandering miles of private trails, afternoons collecting wild lowbush fruit, and cheerful evenings around the grill. Quiet nights include gathering around fire pits, private sessions in the sauna, and stargazing under dark skies.

Why Wander

Tucked just off the coastal highway, the camp acts as a tranquil refuge within striking distance of Maine’s most iconic shoreline. Acadia National Park rests just a short drive away, granting seamless access to tidal coves, granite ocean bluffs, and rugged coastal peaks.

Coastal discovery unfolds effortlessly along nearby peninsulas. Guests can head out on early morning boat rides to spot Atlantic puffins and blue whales, explore historic stone lighthouses, or hunt for secret gravel beaches along the outer reaches of Blue Hill and Mount Desert Island.

Quaint maritime villages invite endless afternoon detours. Quiet harbor roads lead past coastal art studios, antique barns, and working docks where classic lobster boats haul in the day's catch.

Indulge In

Slow, intentional cooking takes center stage as an essential evening ritual with cabins that feature thoughtfully equipped kitchens, firepits, and grills, simple dinners turn into open-air feasts. The camp store stocks artisanal local basics, snacks, and firepit essentials for treats under the stars.

Memorable culinary stops lie scattered through the neighboring towns and fishing harbors. Travelers can reserve a table for refined farm-and-sea cuisine at Aragosta or Arborvine, or swing by rustic wood-fired pizza ovens, coastal craft breweries, and roadside lobster shacks for a true taste of coastal Maine.

Getting There

Tucked down a winding dirt road that climbs to an open ridge, the property feels wonderfully remote yet accessible. The camp is an easy 35-minute drive southeast from Bangor International Airport, or a scenic two-and-a-half-hour drive north from Portland through Maine’s spruce woodlands.

Wild Initiatives

Radical conservation guides every design decision across the property. By intentionally clustering the cabins on a small fraction of the land, more than 160 acres of continuous forest and meadow remain completely undisturbed. During construction, workers hand-transplanted thousands of wild blueberry bushes, permanently replacing chemical sprays with a native mowing practice to protect delicate soil biomes. Under a certified forestry management program, the surrounding woodlands are left to rewild, restoring native habitat for local wildlife to thrive for decades to come.