Desert of Maine

Informative but slightly over priced. Interesting facts but you have to like that sort of thing. Not a must but good

So I thought to myself, «Self, do you really want to go on this tour for 10 $» and I answered «yes» because I just had to know, what is The Desert of Maine? Well, I won’t spoil the surprise, but I will tell you, the tour was interesting, the guide was friendly and knowledgable, and I enjoyed the ride on the tram behind the Jeep. I was glad I went on the tour and would recommend it to others. I did think the price was a bit steep, but hey, you gotta make a living?! If you are someone that loves weird Americana and tourist traps, like Route 66 or Wall Drug, this place is right up your alley.

It may seem kind of cheesy but this is actually a very interesting site to see in Maine. This is an actual natural desert that sprang up about a hundred years ago due to improper farming of the land. You seriously don’t realize how big this desert is until you step out the back door of the Desert of Maine and make your way over the hill and stare out into the vast sandy expanse that is the Desert of Maine. They offer informational tram tours or you can explore the desert yourself. They also have a campground you can stay at which offers an above ground swimming pool, horseshoe pit area, bathrooms and showers, and washer and dryer.

This is a very interesting place I love the history behind it and the good old fashioned Ingenuity that went into making a tourist attraction.

What an awesome day trip. The tour guides are so much fun and the tour, while short, was very informative. (I actually prefer short tours!) — took the 30 minute tour then walked around on the trails in the Forrest part of the desert by myself. A lot of fun. I would recommend this place for kids and adults alike. Great couple of hours of fun.

OK To everyone that thinks this is a REAL phenomenon IT IS NOT. IT’S simply a FAILED ROTTEN POTATO FARM that went barren and the people of this Maine Appalachian Family decided to make the most of it and steal as much money from tourists and bored Maine people just by starting a rumor of some miraculous desert. The place is in the backyard of a ghetto residence. The owner who lives in the trailer close by is rude and incomprehensible. There’s a fence around «the desert» and to anyone that pulls up he demands 9.50 per person before they may even take a peak at it. Oh but what’s included in the 9.50 is a guide of the gift shop, the butterfly room, and potato yard. And you may even catch a wonderful glimpse of the palm tree neon lights by the flat poolside right next to the families trailer. Had the worst feeling when I got here. I didn’t even know Northern people could have such a thick not understandable southern accent and be so uncivilized in every way possible. And not to mention that it was my bday and we drove all day just to be treated rudely by the lineage of some failed potato farmers. This sort of feeling was found all throughout Maine. Never again, never going to Maine.

One of the more unique and interesting campsites around the area. A dog park, horse shoes, basketball hoop, small pool, badminton, butterflies, and of course the desert all help pass the time or provide entertainment for the kiddos. A few semi secluded tent sites and several outlet spots were nice. AAA discount too :-).

ITS A REAL PLACE
The tour is included in the entry fee of 9.50 so you might as well go because you learn a lot on it.
Don’t forget to take pictures with the camels.
It’s way bigger than I thought, because my friend said it was the size of her car…

The place is truly worth a visit! A Proper Desert in the middle of thick lush vegetation. The folks are friendly alright but the place definitely is lacking publicity and marketing expertise! The place has not been well invested in. Old, worn out flyers and pictures through the course of the tour. The butterfly room needs to be bigger and better. Short tour, small place but is a natural phenomenon worth a visit!

Hmmmm… I think ONE visit to the Desert Of Maine is enough! It’s an awfully «SMALL» desert. They hype it all up like I’d be walking the «Sahara». Really… a tram? I could have walked the entire desert in about 10 minutes!
We were guided onto our «tram tour» by our guide who thought he was the next «Jay Leno.» I wouldn’t mind. But, could you at least maybe wash your Guide apparel and not have stains all over your shorts and shirt if you’re going to be welcoming guests to a park all day? I’d rather not see what you had for lunch all week while you’re explaining to me how this desert formed. It actually seemed like his clothes hadn’t been laundered in at least a week. To top it off when he got out of the tram to talk about how the Desert ended up here in Maine. his toes came popping out of his shoes that had a hole in them! Yikes.
He then passed around some pictures that were so old about the «Maine Desert» that were laminated. They were so freaking old you couldn’t make out anything in the pictures. How hard would it actually be to go on a computer and print out new ones and laminate new copies so everyone can see what they are looking at? 15 minutes, maybe? These photos had to be years old. Everyone on the tram was complaining they couldn’t see anything on the photos.
I’ll still give the Desert 3 stars because it was a pretty neat place. Too bad you weren’t allowed walk it all by yourself… Without Mr. Tram Toes! I think I’d like that better!
The butterfly house was pretty amazing. I had butterflies flying all over me! Now you’re talking! That was worth the price of admission right there!!!

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE CAMPSITE, NOT THE ATTRACTION
The bottom line: small, basic, cheap, cozy campsite with several attractions to keep your family busy for a day or two
The Pro’s: for tents: grassy spacious camp sites. Quiet. Good location for Southern Maine locations. Several small attractions for families including a free pass to walk or bike through the «desert».
The Con’s: perhaps too small if you are planning several days of stay.

Go. Just embrace it and go. Yes, it is kitschy, but it is also pretty neat. And learning about how sand dunes that reach up to ninety feet naturally overtook a 300 acre farm is actually really interesting.
It’s a great road side stop, and makes for a funny story. So grab your sandals and do it!

I loved it. LOVED it.
The Desert of Maine is a quirky freak of nature that is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding flora. The tour guide does a good job of explaining how and why the desert appeared and how and why it is disappearing. This attraction is a nice break from the surrounding area, which is all typical New England small town-​iness.
They also have a butterfly room which is pretty cool. Stay in there long enough and you can get a couple of photos of your loved one with a butterfly on their head, shoulder, or (if you’re lucky) face.

Excellent, fun guided tram tour. Benches for seating as you roll through a completely legitimate desert in the middle of Maine, one of only three in the world like it.
Buried cabins, sand dunes and 90 foot dune cliffs make this an enjoyable visit. Gem hunting and sand art along with a gift shop and an outdoor caged room in which you can sit with butterfies are all novelties.
Worth the ten bucks for admission on the tram tour!

An kitschy place that is kind of fun to stop by if you are in the area. The entire staff (all of which were over 60) were very excited about their work and leading tours. It’s pretty interesting to see such a wide expanse of sand in the middle of the forest. Learning the history on the tour and walking around after make for a pleasant afternoon. They also have a little butterfly house. Admission is around $ 10 a person.