West Glacier KOA Cabins Review: Glacier National Park, Montana

Over the years, I’ve stayed at countless KOAs throughout the country, and I have to say that the West Glacier KOA is hands-down the nicest I’ve been to!

In case you’re not familiar, KOA stands for Kampgrounds of America and it’s a franchise chain of campgrounds throughout the USA and parts of Canada. These campgrounds are very family-friendly and offer more amenities than your typical campground, and often have cabins, playgrounds, pools, WiFi and activities. They also have a reputation of being much more expensive than your typical campground.

But I’m actually not a camper. When I stay at a KOA, I always get a cabin – usually just the ‘camping cabins’ with no bathroom – it’s a nice alternative from a hotel and it’s actually really fun, as you can enjoy a campfire, make smores and enjoy the outdoors.

The downside is that you have to provide your own linens (some KOAs will provide linens for an extra charge – contact the particular KOA to confirm). This can be difficult to do if you’re doing a fly-drive trip, as packing pillows and sleeping bags in your suitcase isn’t exactly practical. But it’s great for a traditional road trip!

West Glacier KOA Location:

The West Glacier KOA is located just outside of the town of West Glacier, Montana. It’s just minutes from the entrance to Glacier National Park, making it a great choice for lodging if you’re visiting the park. We stayed here for two nights.

West Glacier KOA Cabins:

My sister and I stayed in one of the camping cabins (no bathroom). It was spotless and super cute, had a fire ring with benches and a picnic table. The cabin had a microwave and mini fridge.

We didn’t have the best weather when we were in Glacier National Park – so one day, we drove Going to the Sun Road up to Logan Pass, found it completely socked in with fog, then called it a day and headed back to the campground. We ended up starting a campfire, making hot chocolate over the fire, and reading Ghost Stories of Glacier National Park. (It’s a good book. Seriously.) And it turned out to be a fantastic day, despite the poor weather – very relaxing and fun! Had we been in a hotel room, it wouldn’t have been the same.

Bathrooms at the West Glacier KOA:

The bathroom facilities are fantastic – large showers with granite stone – these were nicer than some of the Marriott hotels we stayed in on our trip. It was never crowded, despite the campground being 100% full during our stay.

We did 2 loads of laundry in the laundry room – we were thrilled that it’s open 24/7 (other KOAs kick you out at 9 or 10 pm which is not convenient if you’re hiking/exploring all day).

Though we had a cabin, we were very impressed with all the manicured lawn/patio areas for the RVs, as well as the really nice grills on sites. This KOA is very well-maintained.

What to bring when staying at a KOA camping cabin:
In addition to your normal toiletries, you’ll definitely need a sleeping bag and a pillow and perhaps and extra blanket if you get really cold at night. The cabins do have small space heaters. I also recommend a headlamp or some kind of portable light, should you need to use the restroom after dark.

As far as food goes, it’s up to you. Part of the fun of staying at a KOA cabin is cooking over the campfire – roasting hot dogs and enjoying s’mores – but many KOAs, including the West Glacer KOA, offer breakfast and dinners for a very reasonable price – so if you don’t want to cook, you can eat in the KOA dining area (it’s usually outdoors) or just go to another local restaurant.

West Glacier KOA Gift Shop:

The gift shop had excellent prices and being that it was end of season when we were here, everything was 40% off! Time for a shopping spree! The items sold in the gift shop are a lot of the same things found in the gift shops in Glacier National Park, so we took advantage of this sale to get t-shirts and other gifts at a great price. We spent way too much money in this dang store.

They also sell firewood, groceries and they’ll even heat up a frozen pizza for you! The staff here is amazing.

West Glacier KOA Bottom Line:
Pros
It’s a beautiful, well-maintained, clean campground
It’s just good ol’ fashioned, wholesome fun!
Excellent location for exploring Glacier National Park
I’ve never seen so many stars in the sky as I saw when I was here
Love the staff

Cons:
Have to provide your own linens
Deluxe Cabins with bathrooms are usually very expensive. Might as well get a hotel room.
Need to book early!