Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Dayton, MT

We loved this campground!

Watch our video review!

Why?

Pet friendly! Kid friendly! Adult friendly!

Great dog park, kids area ok, walking distance to store. Driving (15 min) to Glacier National Park. Restaurants close, wonderful fire pits!

Staff was kind and helpful

This place is resort level camping. Two pools, two dog parks, hottubs, two shower houses, and fancy restaurant.

9/13/19 West Glacier, Montana 

West Glacier KOA Resort

Most beautiful location of the KOAs I've stayed at. Nestled against the mountains and less than 3 miles to Glacier National Park. 

Lots of sites to choose from. Ours was a pull thru with nice vegetation between. Fire pit with benches and picnic table. Some sites are close together with no privacy. Some have gas grills and patio furniture. There are cabins and tent sites as well. Bathhouse was average. The cafe was open for breakfast and dinner.Ice cream shop closed for the season. Amazing pool! Nice play area, dog parks. Really nice camp store, firewood available. KOA Workshop on site. RV wash and dog grooming by appointment.

This place was nice. The staff was so friendly. Cafe with giant cinnamon rolls hit the spot. Showers were nice and hot. We were in the middle of tall trees which provided shade later in the day. Nice big dog park. Location is close the west Glacier entrance

LOVED our stay here. We got a prized corner spot with privacy of trees. So nice to have a grassy site, too. Super close to West Glacier, East Glacier is much more of a drive, but we knew that. Quiet and peaceful. Some highway noise but not terrible. Great dog park that we thoroughly enjoyed. We were sad to leave after five days!

We stayed here for 4 nights. Only 5 minutes away from West Glacier Park entrance. Close by is a zip line attraction with a blow up slide in water for the little ones and bounce house obstacle with a slide. Also an adventure park that has go karts, bumper cars, lazy river etc. Great location with so much to do outside the park. We had a corner spot which I really liked for some privacy. Each site has its own fire pit which was nice. Wi-Fi in my opinion worked great. Has a dog park and a little playground for kids. Laundry room and bath houses were very clean. Also has an arcade and loved how they use honesty policy during closed hours where you can pick up firewood or ice and pay the next morning:) I definitely recommend and will come back for another Montana adventure.

This was the perfect place for us during our visit to Glacier National Park. The hosts were very kind and there is a gift shop onsite. Other amenities included playground, dog park, restrooms/showers, and I think there was a laundry room, too. The WiFi was excellent! Spots are rather close, but it doesn’t feel so as the trees and shrubs between the spots provide a little privacy and separation. It is located near a busy road and train tracks, so you will likely hear traffic noise, but it did not bother us. I would recommend this place and would definitely choose them if we come back to this area.

Great amenities onsite. The staff was incredibly friendly and kind. The bathhouse near us was a dated design style but very clean and well stocked. Lots of families with kids onsite, I can see why with all the great amenities. During off season kids are allowed to swim in adult pool and hot tubs. Great spacious off leash dog park onsite. A second smaller K9 park onsite was still nicely maintained. It’s snug, so unless you pay for more spacious sites expect to be close to neighbors. Some of the cabin renters were loud with radios blaring but they were on the opposite side of the park so we didn’t report the noise. Plenty of supplies available at store. Some of the sites had lovely views of the mountains. The nature trail at the KOA was very muddy and some sections had such large mud holes that you couldn’t avoid getting your shoes wet. They should put some gravel or something back there. Just be prepared to get your shoes dirty if you walk it. Despite the muddiness, we found it was a lovely nightly loop to walk.

If you plan to drive going to the sun road: make sure it’s open. And be sure and get a reservation/register your vehicle for Glacier/going-to the-sun road if visiting summer 2022. Go eat at Dan d Lion cafe for a crazy savory meal. You won’t believe it’s vegan and gluten free. Insanely good. Great prices in Hungry Horse for souvenirs. West Glacier was definitely the better stay than East Glacier in our opinion. Much more easy access to stores, restaurants, etc. Whitefish MT had the coolest off leash dog park we’ve ever seen! If you have your 4-legged-bff with you - you simply must take your pup to that park (you’re welcome!) Lake McDonald is a great place to see the mountains and take beautiful pictures. You need bear spray if you go hiking anywhere here. Also, no dogs on trails, of course.

This free camping area has unbelievable breathtaking views especially at sunrise/sunset! The stars are also extremely visible since you’re staying on the rocks right along the river. The only reason I rate this place a 4/5 is the potholes leading up to the camping! There’s ways through it softer than others but almost no way you won’t bottom out. My fiancé and I have a Chevy truck and a 16ft camper and we bottomed out about 3-4 times before reaching the rocks. It’s Worth it I’d say, everyone who’s stayed around us has had friendly pets (cats and dogs) and they’ve all been extremely friendly and welcoming as well! You can stay long than the 3 day limit as well that’s what we have been told, BY LAW you can’t stay long than 14 days dispersed camping but we had been told by a man who visits here monthly that the locals just have an issue with people staying longer than 3 days because they want their own space. Sharing caring, and I’m glad we had the friendly people around us that we did, made the experience so much better. The water was too cold to bathe in so we fished instead! Caught nothing. Locals were jumping off the bridge, lots of flys but not many bugs. All rocky unless you’re staying in the trees where it’s mostly tent camping! Overall we loved this spot! It’s amazing and we are staying longer than expected and definitely coming back here!

Private campground. Level sites, stayed in #6 right by office. Sites fairly close together. Nice pet walk area. Showers clean. Full hookups. Solid, clean, well kept place to stay.

This park has super friendly and helpful staff. The park and it’s facilities are clean. The pull through site we had was nicely located in the trees, but isn’t the simplest pull through I’ve seen. There is a nice designated pet area with a small fenced in area.

Finley point is a unit of Flathead Lake State Park, and has both tent camping as well as RV camping. There are RV spots practically right on the water, as well as tent spots. There’s also boat-in camping available, but you much sleep on your boat as there is no place for a tent next to the boat slips. The rangers do evening programs on the weekends, which are awesome. It’s a fabualous place to swim, paddle board, and spend time with family! Pets are allowed on leashes. There is not electric hookups or showers.

This place is amazing and Steve the host was extremely kind and helpful.  We brought our short RV and camped next to a horse corral.  Our two kids had a great time petting and feeding the two horses and riding bikes around the property.  It's clear that Steve takes great pride in this property and everything is well taken care of.  This site almost deserves to be the lead photo on thedyrt.com website because it is exactly the off-the-beaten-path that many of us are looking for.  We definitely plan to visit again if we're in the area.

Ahhhh. Finley point. 3rd trip here. I haven’t been here in 9 years and expected it to be the same. Sadly I was mistaken. BIg changes here. It’s not the quiet place It used to be. We arrived around 4pm only to find our parking space taken by day users. Disappointed that at a reserved site this was allowed. It was pure chaos boaters everywhere, people all over and very noisy. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing spot, don’t come here! The view is as nice as ever and tent area by the water is nice. Vault toilets wIth hand sanitIzer, dont see this often, and no showers. Pet friendly with stations for doggie clean up bags.

This campground was very cute. The owners were so friendly and accommodating. The resident cat Poncho was a hot with our kids. The showers were small, but we're hot and free! The lawn was great with a communal fire pit and small playground. They let travelers camp there for 12 per person per night in a tent if that's what you're looking for. The cafe was cute and the drinks were delicious. We didn't eat, but it looked good! I would stay here again foe sure.

I was reluctant to reserve a site at Fish Creek Campground because they are mostly pull-in, and very few back-ins. I stayed in a couple of sites in Loop A. To my surprise, I was actually digging the pull-in sites because it offered more room to a site. RVs or vehicle combination longer then 21 feet or 8 feet wide with the mirrors are allowed in this campground. It became an interesting entertainment watching RV owners park the vehicles just the way they want it and decorate their site. Each site offers a fire ring, a table which can be moved to anywhere you want, and plenty of trees where you can hang your hammock or temporary clothes line. Each sites are very spacious and you cannot hear the campers next to yours, even if the campground is full. The trees offered great aesthetic and shade to cool down on a very hot day. The camp hosts, John and Mary frequently do their rounds, and converse with the campers, along with the NPS law enforcement. Pets are allowed but has to be on a leash no longer than six feet, and must not be left unattended. 

There are showers and flush toilets, but there are no sinks to wash dishes. Fortunately, the camp hosts offers basins to lend for the campers to use to clean dishes, and must practice Leave No Trace. Scraps must be collected and contained, while the gray water or dirty water must be broadcasted or put in a cat hole at least 200 feet from any water source. The showers are free to use for registered campers. There are several if not a couple of spigots where drinkable water are accessible throughout the campground. 

Wildlife frequent this campground and do not feed them. Be Bear Aware, and always carry your bear spray, and flashlight especially at night. Properly store food or smelly attractant items in a hard-sided vehicle or special bear containers. Coolers are not bear proof. There are secured bear proof lockers that campers can use but it is shared with other campers. Keep a clean campsite, especially when you are not present. Several deers strolled through loop A in the morning, along with squirrels, chipmunks and birds. Fish Creek was pretty clean, and the bathrooms were free from bugs that stare at you as you do your business. There are dump stations near the entrance/exit.  The hosts does sell firewood for a price. I bought mine outside the park. It was tough to keep the fire going because it had been raining on and off. A short stroll between sites 19 and 21 is a mini trail that leads to a staircase to the Southwest Side of Lake McDonald where kids and adults can take a dip in the water. Mosquitos were not a problem but it is good to have protection from them.

Though recreation.gov indicates that the campground is full, there were sites that were open, either from cancellation or no shows. The neat thing that NPS does for the Glacier NP campground, is that they list the campsites' number on the campground entrance window that certain sites are open due to cancellation, and then it becomes first come, first serve. On this campground, the NPS does not take cash, only credit card. You can pay the NPS in the morning if you arrive late. So there are no envelopes where you can stuff cash and claim a site. Please follow the honor system. I was lucky to get a free site for one night because their credit card machine was broken. I did have Verizon cell signal but was very spotty. I am not sure about the other mobile services. Overall, this is one of my favorites because it is spacious, clean, lots of amenities and access to water.

We loved this place ! This is a peaceful, very well taken care of CG . It’s about 3 miles of the main road around Flathead lake , nestled in a beautiful lakeside neighborhood. The road to the CG is well paved & dotted with lovely lake homes , orchards & a few fresh produce stands if the season is right. Everyone’s yards were chocked FULL of deer!! They were everywhere! I never get sick of seeing deer & this was no exception. They were thick as thieves & a fun sight to see! Nothing like a ton of deer to welcome you on your travels . Once at the CG we were greeted by a friendly ranger , given some nifty area maps / info & kindly guided to our site. Our site was fantastic. Site 5 in an upper loop. It was up on an overlook & had a fantastic view of the lake thru a few beautiful pines. The site was paved, level & super easy to back into with a travel trailer. We sprung for an electric site. There’s a picnic table & fire ring too. There aren’t many trees between sites but they are well spaced & situated so that you aren’t staring into your neighbors site full on. Once we got settled in we took a stroll & followed a little path leading from the upper sites down to the water front sites & boat slips & beach. There’s a designated beach area where there are rv sites & tent sites available. While I wanted to be lakeside, these sites are a little bit busier & bustling due to the beach area & boaters. It’s to be expected at a CG with such a big boat launch area. It got a little busy during the day but it completely tolerable, & we cherish our peace & quiet ! If you just walk down a small strip of shoreline from the designated beach area, there is an area of small shore that’s quieter & less populated. The tent sites in this area looked very cool. Overall we found this CG to be lovely. It was actually pretty quiet despite some minor boat activity & beach noise. Somehow it all just blended into the background buzz. Everyone seemed to be respectful of the area & just wanted to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The grounds are well kept & the hosts are hard at work staying on top of things . And all the hosts were very nice . This park is also very pet friendly! There are cute little statins set up , fully stocked with poops bags & Flathead Lake personalized leaves . Such a thoughtful touch! We loved this place so much , we stayed two days , left for a night , then ended up coming back for another 2 days !