Best Glamping near Whitefish, MT

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!

The location of the campground is great, very close to the mountain town of Whitefish Montana and right along Whitefish Lake. The sites are small and the road is narrow but it is beautiful. I would be cautious about bringing any large campers to this area but the tent sites are nice. Be aware of ticks. Some sites are nice and level but others have a heavy slope.

Stayed in a yurt for a week. Loved the vibe of the campground. Free coffee was a life safer for early rising to get into the park at 6am. Rented a ebike from rental place next door and was able to ride ebike to the park on a walking trail. Loved the yurt and stayed warm. They were very helpful to book us all side by side (2 yurts and a cabin)

Yo mr the most amazing way to stay here is in a yurt! These circular traditional structures are an experience not soon forgotten buy kids or adults alike

This small campground packs a tremendous punch! RVs (if I had to guess, accommodates 8-12 total), rustic cabins, two yurts, and pondside tent sites - there are no defined tent sites; anywhere along the pond perimeter is fair game.

We stayed just one night in one of the yurts ($35 summer 2021), which is equipped with two cots and a battery-operated lantern. After checking in with the camp hosts (who are lovely!), we got a key to the showers, bathrooms, and laundry room. The hosts keep these areas immaculate, cleaning often. There's also very limited wifi on the porch just outside the bathrooms/showers.

The campground has a great vibe and everyone is very friendly. Between the pond and Swan Lake just across the street, it is buggy, but you cannot beat the location! 

The general store is still closed due to flooding last summer, but new construction is well underway.

Whitefish Lake State Park is located right on the south end of Whitefish Lake. Beautiful sunsets across the lake and wonderful views of the Northern Lights during the summer months. If your lucky and can reserve a spot on the Fourth of July you will see the city's fireworks display on the lake. 

Campground has about 25 camping locations, restroom and showers, public boat launch and on site campground host. Perfect location for kayaking and paddle boarding.

 As others have stated you are right next to train tracks and they do run often.

This campground is located in a great spot for getting onto Whitefish Lake and being near town while still out in the woods. But... There are train tracks about 40 feet away from some of the campsites and trains come through almost all night long. If you are a light sleeper I wouldn't plan on getting much sleep. There are restrooms and water as well as a day picnic area. Overall, the campground is quite nice and has good proximity to some beautiful hikes. Also, if you are into winter camping this is probably one of the best places to camp to get out to Whitefish to ski.

There are a few yurts here, which is where we stayed since some are ADA accessible. Campsites are among the trees and at least half of them are right along the lake. There are showers but overall a nice simple campground. There are some hiking trails here, great wildlife, but boating is the main attraction. WIld Horse island in Flathead Lake is incredible, absolutely worth the trip (by boat only).

This place offers most everything much more expensive sites do. A really pretty park, super clean, very helpful and nice staff. Easy in and out. Close to Glacier, Whitefish (really cute walkable town) Hungry Horse Reservoir, and lots of other tourist activities. GOOD SAMS discount. Pro note: check out the Glacier Pizza in Coram.

Despite being near houses and a load train route - and on the smaller side of things - this campground makes the most of it. Two camp hosts, great signage and brochures, and a pretty sweet little bay to boat in on makes this a good spot. You could land in a lot worse places than Whitefish, MT, let me tell you.

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.

Located west of Glacier Park on highway 2, it’s close enough to visit the park and also close to Whitefish and not super far from Flat Head Lake. Sites are close together but most have trees between each spot so there’s a feeling of privacy. Most sites are pull through and are very easy to access. Bathrooms were nice, but basic. They have a laundry room with pay machines and a deep utility sink where we washed our dishes. There is a little cafe and small gift shop that has some goods, but mostly souvenir type stuff. Get the huckleberry muffin! It’s amazing!

This place just wasn’t for us. It lacked all charm and felt like a Home and Gardens professionally landscaped backyard. There is a wonderful mountain view from many sites, but from others you just look at other people’s RVs. The photo below is from a site that was advertised as being “landscaped for privacy.” All I could see out my windows was other vehicles.

Disclaimer: we do not have kids. If you do, this place is probably paradise. Pools and amenities galore. And my husband loved the ice cream. But we MUCH preferred the Whitefish KOA about 20 minutes away. Lots of beautiful trees and spacious spots. Check out 17, 18, 19, or 20 there! Divine.

The campground offers many lakeside campsites complete with picnic table and fire rings. There were 3 yurts for those interested. all vehicles, including camping vehicles, park alongside road; there are few, if any, pull-in sites. There is room for a tent or two in the sIte. Most of the lakeside sites also have a small amount of slope.

The camp hosts were absolutely fantastic! There is firewood and ice for sale at the park. Polson is about 20-30 mInutes away and has grocery stores, etc. If you go to Polson, check out The Cove Deli for some really great ice-cream.

The showers were really awkward, but did the job. They take $ coins (available from host if needed) and quarters.

If you aren’t bringing your own boat, Boat Rentals and Rides is only 2 miles down the road. We rented 2 glass bottom kayaks. Warning: lake conditions change suddenly and we saw the waves blow in 2 dIfferent directions durIng the 2 days we were there. There were no bear boxes at the sites, only one by the bathroom.

I snagged a spot here for one night on my way through Whitefish. The lake and beach looked awesome and I definitely would've gotten out for a paddle if the weather had been slightly warmer. 

The location was super convenient and just a five-minute drive away from town. The facilities were also clean and well-maintained. 

The campground itself was relatively empty and quiet when I visited, but my site was right underneath the train tracks, which I didn't realize until the first train of the night came by and woke me up around 2 am. 

After that, it seemed like another train came through every hour on the hour. In hindsight, I would've chosen an open site on the other side of the campground to minimize the overnight train noise.

When you see the vintage camper with cartoon animals painted on it being pulled by a vintage VW bug, you know you have arrived. If you are trying to see more than Glacier while visiting the area, this might be a good choice. There's the BEST cherry's in the world grown just south along the East site of Flathead Lake. If they are in season, go to one if the many U Pick Orchards. It's a great time. Whitefish is a really nice town and area. Check out the Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir. It's beautiful and a great story. The local brewery has a nice restaurant and the Gunsight Saloon is a must, especially on Taco Tues. I thought the campground was nice enough. Basic. Convenient. Super nice folks.

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.

While there’s nothing stand-outish about the tent area, at least it’s furthest from the highway, tree-lined and secluded from the RVs. It would be relaxing if there were, at most, only a couple of other tent campers, because it's just an open area. There's decent open space within and especially outside the RV park. You have a lot of uncluttered valley and mountain views. The international airport is about a mile away. It’s a bonus if you like that sort of thing. One of the most gorgeous Montana sunsets happened while I was here. Big Sky Country at its very best.

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.