Best Cabin Camping near Glacier National Park

We stayed in a cabin at Lake Five 28 years ago so when planning this trip, we decided to stay again particularly since it put us as close to the campground in Glacier NP that we hoped to snag a site at. The cabins are essentially the same but now there are electric hookups for the RVs and a live entertainment stage (we were there on a Monday so did not see any entertainment). The other thing that is different is that there are fewer mosquitoes (I remember they used to be vicious) due to bats (although I did not see any). Located right on a lake just a few miles from the west entrance to the park, there are accommodations to fit everyone’s needs. Cabins, some with bathrooms, some with kitchens, RV sites, and tipis. In my opinion, Cabins 1 and 2 are the best with full lake views but these are larger cabins and better suited for families. We stayed in Cabin 8 this time, with a bathroom but no kitchen. We had a picnic table and fire ring so enjoyed our dinner outside. The cabins are rustic (think summer camp) but clean. They have very limited outlets! One in the main room, used for the fridge and fan, and one in the bathroom, so don’t plan on charging your devices after being in the woods camping! Make sure you bring towels– while there are sheets on the bed, there are no bath towels. Cabins are a bit pricey but that is to be expected in a prime location. The RV sites are close together; the sites on the outside of the loop are more private with trees behind them. Sites 1-8 have NO privacy or separation between them and while lakefront, the view is filtered through the trees. Other amenities include a utility sink, showers (for campers only) and reasonably priced laundry, although with only one washer and dryer, there was a big back-up! This is a great place from which to explore Glacier National Park or just relax by the lake. Lots of families swimming and boating and hanging out. The office is open from 9am-9pm. Owner Ron has a dry sense of humor and is very welcoming, along with his two very large dogs. The resort is open spring through fall, with discounts in the spring and fall. Check is the preferred payment when making a reservation and you will receive a confirmation as soon as the check is received. Note if you are using Google Maps: if you are approaching from the west, Belton Stage Road is gravel (about 1.5 miles) but there is another paved entrance from the east.

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.

So, its a KOA which is awesome for some and not for others. I have only been to a handful but they are way too managed and the stereotypical "glamping" situation. Reason we booked was because we were headed from a nearby camp on Flathead lake and wanted to get closer to Glacier before walking in for a permit. This KOA is less than 20 minutes from the Apgar permit office... We booked a primitive cabin online before the trip, and then the night of our arrival, about 1 hour till their general store/office closed, we got a phone call saying that they made a mistake and they over booked. How did they handle it? They put us up in one of their luxury full cabins! Now, that is not the experience we were looking for, but for us this was merely a one nighter to get to Glacier. So we accepted. Campfire ring, picnic table, private parking, and our own little cabin complete with flat screen tv and surround speakers in the ceiling. 2 other bedrooms one with bunks that went unused, a kitchen with coffee maker and mini fridge, and a bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower... While not the experience we were looking for it sure made it easier to pack up and get into glacier for that walk in permit. Although there was some mistake with their booking they owned it and gave us what would be considered a huge upgrade, and we made it to the permit office early without needing to worry about deflating our sleeping pads. Thank you West Glacier KOA!

We arrived to this brand new campground and stayed for a week at the tent site. We were a group of 11 and it was such an amazing experience! There was still some construction going on, and a few advertised details were not up and running, BUT it did not deter our group at all. There were 2 fully working bathrooms with showers, picnic tables, and a fire pit. The tent site was very open with soft dirt and grass, which was very comfortable for us, and gorgeous views of Glacier park! The nearest grocery store and gas station were about 15 minutes away. The east entrance to Glacier National Park was about a 15-20 minute drive! We will definitely be back here again in the future when it’s 100% completed, because I know it’s going to be PERFECT!

For full disclosure we were compensated for this trip for testing the Dyrt's reservation system.

Our trip to Swan Lake Trading Post & Campground started out by reserving the campground through The Dyrts's new reservation system. Reserving the site was extremely easy and fast to use, way better than other systems we have used before. We had a confirmation from the campground with in a few hours of using the reservation system.

Now for the campground. We were highly impressed by this small campground. The tent camping area was located around a small pond/lake. The site has picnic tables and fire rings as well as plenty of chairs available for siting around the fire or along the little lake. The campground has 8 RV sites, 3 cabins and 3 yurts (the yurts had not been set up for the season during our visit). The trading post has all your basic camping needs and anything you need if you forget something, they even have Ice Cream. If you don't want to cook breakfast the trading post will take care of that for you by cooking up a breakfast sandwich for you. The campground provides clean restrooms and showers. Tent sites were very reasonable at $20, just two more dollars than the Forest Service campground down the road which does not have flush toilets or showers. The camp host are very friendly. We were provided with the camps wifi password, but you do have to be on the trading post back porch to use it. The porch has plenty of table an chairs for sitting at. They also have games you can use to pass the time, we didn't use them but was nice to know they were available. It was nice and quiet at night with very little traffic on the highway, plus the creek running by really muffled any noise from vehicles driving by. This campground will definitely be on our list to stay at the next time we visit the Swan Valley and Swan Lake.