Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Great Falls, MT

We were shocked this campground wasn’t full, it’s only an hour from Great Falls and the road is your typical gravel, a few larger potholes but completely doable in any car (or towing). Lots of shaded spots (available on a Friday and Saturday night in mid-August!), super clean facilities, and a very helpful camp host. The partiers stay down below on the road so it was super quiet and had some nice wildlife in the area. We did the Windy Mountain loop, so it was a treat to finish the hike and be back at our campsite 100 yards from the end! Highly recommend for campers looking for an easy, quiet escape.

General: Just about every option you could ask for (except for tents): 50-amp FHU pull-thru, 30/20-amp with w/e(back-in and pull-thru), FHU with patio, glamping tent, one and two-room cabins and cottages. 

Site Quality: Different from many KOAs we have stayed in is that the camper pads are gravel, not paved, and there are quite a few trees that provide decent separation/privacy between the sites. The sites are bordered by railroad ties, and some are a tighter fit than others. A few of the sites at the end of the row before the glamping site appeared a little overgrown. As is usual for a KOA, our site was assigned upon check-in. The first site we were assigned didn’t work out for us since our electric cord could not reach the pedestal. Be aware that electric connections are shared between two sites so if you do not have an extension cord, you may have a problem (or need to be reassigned which was easily done for us). 

Bath/Shower House: Accessed by code. All-in-one units with soap and paper towels. They were clean. 

Activities/Amenities: Many and varied including a water playground (guests can join you here by paying a fee), petting zoo, train, dog park, yard games, bike rentals, propane fill, dump station, laundry, ice, ice cream, and free pancakes. There was even live entertainment! 

We don’t typically stay in KOAs or RV parks (mainly because of cost and lack of privacy between sites) but they are good for us when we need showers, laundry, and a dump station. Although still more than we like to spend for camping, this one was a pleasant surprise with the number of trees on the property. The staff was exceedingly friendly!

I have stayed at the off base park, "Gateway Famcamp", located just outside the main gate, every year for the past 6 years.  I was assigned to MAFB and lived in Great Falls for over 20 years.  I return every year to visit family.  The concrete pads are mostly level...nothing is absolutely level.  Water, sewer and electric are provided.  There is a great walking trail just on the edge of the camp.  A laundry and men and women's shower house is at the entrance.

The MAFB "Annex Campground" is located in a corner on base.  This is the original campground and has not been updated in over 30 years.  The gravel spaces are close together, mostly back in, and small.  Showers are available at the base gym across the road and laundry is at the off base campground.

The base doesn't have an active runway so planes are not taking off at all hours but you will hear lots of helicopters.

Great Falls is the windiest city in America so be prepared for that.  There is a lot of water nearby to enjoy on the Missouri river.

You have to drive through part of Great Falls, Montana to get to this campground, but once you are in it, you forget all about the city. You get the full camping (in a campground) experience, but you can easily drive into the city to pick up whatever you forgot to pack.

Our site was in what they call a tent village, which is a nice roundabout of tent sites. There are walls separating the sites for privacy, but the area is big enough for your vehicle and a large tent, or multiple smaller tents. Toward the middle of the roundabout is a covered area, including a table, counter, electrical outlets, and a large cabinet that can be locked with a padlock. The tent villages are very close to a nice restroom/showers that require a key code to get in.