Playground

Ekstroms Stage Station

26 RV Sites, 3 Cabins, 4 Tent Sites

Where Rock Creek gathers itself before meeting the Clark Fork River at a confluence that every Montana fly fisherman knows by heart, Ekstrom's Stage Station has occupied its spot in Clinton, Montana, for long enough to feel genuinely woven into the landscape. Located just 20 minutes east of Missoula along I-90, the campground sits adjacent to Rock Creek—a stream carrying a Blue Ribbon trout designation from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that brings dedicated anglers from across the country to work its riffles and pools. Two famous bighorn sheep herds are resident to the Rock Creek canyon, visible from the streamside corridor and adding a wildlife dimension that distinguishes the station from standard highway campgrounds. Accommodation options at Ekstrom's range well beyond the typical RV park offering: full hookup sites with 50/30/20-amp electrical service, tent and van camping spots, two rustic cabins, two tiny houses, and a historic hundred-year-old schoolhouse serve the range of travelers who find their way to this wooded tributary. Hot showers, free Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a dump station cover the practical infrastructure, while basketball and volleyball courts alongside a playground serve families with active children. The grounds occupy a large grassy field surrounded by tall pines, with sites level, quiet, and well-spaced for the kind of restorative stay that good fly fishing demands the night before. Rock Creek's Blue Ribbon designation reflects an exceptional trout fishery—clear, cold water over a cobble-and-gravel bottom supporting strong brown and rainbow trout populations that rise readily to dry flies on summer evenings. Fishing access begins effectively at the campground and extends for miles upstream into some of Montana's most productive wild trout water, with the Clark Fork confluence adding additional variety for those who want to swing streamers through bigger water. The on-site restaurant rounds out the experience—a dining option that campers consistently praise as a genuine highlight of staying at the station. Missoula, just 20 minutes west on I-90, provides full urban amenities in one of Montana's most culturally vibrant smaller cities—the University of Montana campus, an outdoor gear district on Higgins Avenue, a legendary farmers market, and a riverfront park system that makes the Clark Fork central to daily life downtown. The Rattlesnake Wilderness and National Recreation Area begins at the north end of Missoula and offers hiking and mountain biking through a surprisingly wild landscape minutes from the university. The Blackfoot River corridor, celebrated by Norman Maclean's novella A River Runs Through It, winds northeast from Clinton and provides additional floating and fishing opportunities that attract literary pilgrims and anglers from across the English-speaking world. The primary fishing season on Rock Creek runs from mid-spring through October, with classic summer dry-fly conditions peaking in late June and July when caddis and PMD hatches bring trout consistently to the surface during evening hours. Fall brings lower angling pressure, spectacular larch and cottonwood color in the creek corridor, and brown trout entering pre-spawn feeding mode that produces some of the year's largest fish. The campground operates through the warm season—contact the station directly to confirm current availability and any reservation requirements, particularly during peak summer fishing weeks when demand for Rock Creek access reliably outstrips available sites.

from $40/night

Boulder Creek Lodge

9 RV Sites, 10 Cabins, 2 Tent Sites, 2 Tipis, 1 Wagon

Boulder Creek Lodge in Maxville, Montana, offers nine full-hookup pull-through RV sites, 10 cabins, two tent sites, and three tipi and wagon accommodations in the Flint Creek Valley, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet. The range of lodging formats is the property's distinguishing feature. Nine pull-through sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 40 feet. Ten cabins, a Conestoga wagon, a tipi, and two tent sites round out the accommodations, which lets the lodge serve couples wanting a tipi stay and RV travelers needing hookups from the same property. A boutique shop, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side. A game room, community fire pit, playground, and walking trails fill the grounds, with a creek running the property and horseshoes and live music through the season. Pets are welcome. Maxville sits in Granite County between Missoula and Philipsburg, in southwest Montana's mountain country. The Flint Creek Valley is unusually rich in accessible adventure, and the local attractions reward exploring beyond the standard Montana national park circuit: Montana Gems and Gem Mountain for sapphire digging, the Sweet Palace candy store in Philipsburg, Garnet Ghost Town, and the Philipsburg Brewing Company are all close. The lodge serves the Montana season, with summer driving the heaviest demand across the mountain corridor and fall bringing quieter conditions and color in the valley. With nine RV sites and a small cabin count, reserve well ahead for July and August.

from $40/night

Lost Moose Meadows Campground & RV Park

36 RV Sites

Lost Moose Meadows Campground & RV Park in Lincoln, Montana, offers 36 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 115 feet, open all year along the Blackfoot River corridor. Meadow view back-ins join standard back-ins and pull-throughs at a family-owned property that opened in July 2023. Thirty-six sites span inside standard back-in, meadow view back-in, and pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 115 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and site WiFi. The 115-foot capacity handles any rig on the road, and the meadow view sites are worth requesting. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and recycling handle the practical side, with year-round operation — worth noting at this elevation. A playground and dog park fill the grounds, with fishing and picnicking from the area and mountains and a river nearby. The campground is new enough that the facilities are genuinely fresh, and the family ownership shows in the personal hospitality and property management that distinguish small Montana operations from the large commercial parks near highway interchanges. Lincoln sits between Helena and Missoula on the Montana Highway 200 corridor, which gives the campground strong two-way gateway utility. Philipsburg, Georgetown Lake, and the area's ghost towns are all within reach, with Glacier National Park, Helena, and Missoula all accessible for day trips. Summer is peak across Montana, with hunting season extending demand into fall. Reserve ahead for July and August.

from $40/night

Outback Montana RV Park and Campground

Outback Montana RV Park and Campground in Bigfork, Montana, provides a full-service camping base in one of the most spectacularly positioned communities in the American West, where the eastern shore of Flathead Lake—the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States—meets the Swan Mountain Range's forested ridgelines just 50 miles south of Glacier National Park's western entrance in a landscape of crystalline water, grizzly bear wilderness, and the small-resort-town character that makes Bigfork a beloved destination for Montana travelers seeking both outdoor recreation excellence and the local arts and cultural scene that distinguishes Bigfork from the purely utilitarian gateway communities surrounding Glacier. The park's facility serves the outdoor recreation visitor who needs reliable infrastructure alongside the natural surroundings that define Bigfork's appeal: full hookup RV sites, cabin rentals, dining, a playground, boutique shop, firewood, Wi-Fi, dump station, and the pet-friendly policy that Montana outdoor recreation visitors require for their hiking dogs provide the practical and experiential amenities for extended stays in Flathead Lake's eastern shore community. The planned activities programming connects guests with the area's seasonal recreation opportunities, and the national park proximity ensures that the campground serves as a de facto Glacier basecamp for visitors who find Bigfork's small-town character and Flathead Lake's recreational resources a compelling alternative to the crowded West Glacier gateway. Bigfork's position on Flathead Lake provides immediate access to the lake's cherry orchards—a microclimate created by the lake's thermal mass produces cherry-growing conditions unique in Montana, and the summer cherry harvest at the working orchards lining the east shore creates one of the most distinctive agricultural experiences available in a Montana lake community. The Swan River's outlet from Flathead Lake through Bigfork provides a short but productive stretch of whitewater and the Bigfork Summer Playhouse's professional theater season creates a performing arts experience of genuine quality that has operated continuously since 1960 in one of the American West's most established rural theater traditions. Glacier National Park's western entrances at West Glacier and Apgar provide access to the Going-to-the-Sun Road—the 50-mile scenic highway that traverses the Continental Divide through the park's most dramatic glacier-carved scenery in a drive consistently rated among the most spectacular in the world. The park's 700 miles of hiking trails access the glacial lakes, wildflower meadows, and the grizzly bear and mountain goat habitat of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem in a wilderness experience of the highest quality. Bob Marshall Wilderness, the largest undeveloped wilderness in the continental United States outside Alaska, lies immediately south of the park in a contiguous protected landscape of over one million acres. Outback Montana RV Park operates seasonally from spring through fall in the Flathead Valley's mountain climate, with the peak summer season from July through August driving maximum demand for both Flathead Lake recreation and Glacier National Park visitation when the Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open and the park's trail network is snow-free. The Logan Pass wildflower meadows peak in late July and early August, creating the most intensely competitive reservation period for Glacier-area accommodations, and guests targeting this window should book several months in advance as Bigfork's limited campground inventory fills quickly. Fall's October foliage and the quieting of summer crowds provides a compelling alternative season for guests who accept some trail closures in exchange for dramatically reduced competition.

Wolf Lodge Campground

48 RV Sites

Wolf Lodge Campground in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is situated at Wolf Lodge Bay on the eastern arm of Lake Coeur d'Alene, one of the most spectacularly beautiful mountain lakes in the American Northwest—and the site of one of the lower 48 states' most extraordinary wildlife spectacles: the winter congregation of hundreds of bald eagles at Wolf Lodge Bay, where kokanee salmon die after spawning and the eagles gather from November through January in numbers that have established this remote lake arm as one of the premier bald eagle viewing sites in the continental United States. The campground's lake position provides the kayaking, boating, paddling, and fishing access to a lake that national travel surveys consistently rank among America's most beautiful, in a protected bay setting that the main Coeur d'Alene waterfront's development pressure does not reach. The campground's facility delivers a comfortable outdoor recreation base with the services that Kootenai County lake camping requires: kayak rentals, paddle boat rentals, boating access, canoeing and kayaking on the lake, bike rentals with biking trails nearby, fishing, dining on site, a general store, propane fills, pavilion, dog park, laundry, showers, dump station, Wi-Fi, basketball, shuffleboard, corn hole, horseshoes, hiking trails, and swimming in Lake Coeur d'Alene's clear water collectively serve the outdoor recreation-centered guests whose Wolf Lodge Bay stays center on the lake and the surrounding Kootenai County forest terrain. The dining facility provides the social gathering space that lake camping communities naturally develop. Lake Coeur d'Alene's 25-mile length, 109 miles of shoreline, and the clarity produced by the surrounding Idaho Panhandle National Forest's protected watershed create a lake experience that consistently ranks in national surveys of America's most beautiful bodies of water. The lake's surface reflects the forested slopes of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in a combination of mirror-calm morning light and afternoon whitecaps that makes the Wolf Lodge arm—the most protected and least developed section of the main lake—the most pristine and wildlife-abundant portion of this iconic Idaho lake. The St. Joe River's wild cutthroat trout waters and the surrounding Idaho Panhandle National Forest's trail systems extend the recreation beyond the lake. Downtown Coeur d'Alene, approximately 15 miles west of Wolf Lodge Bay via I-90, provides the resort amenities and commercial infrastructure of a year-round lake resort community—the Coeur d'Alene Resort's floating boardwalk and the lake's public beach front, the North Idaho College campus, the Sherman Avenue dining and shopping district, and the Centennial Trail's 62-mile bike path from Coeur d'Alene to Spokane collectively create the urban infrastructure that complements Wolf Lodge Bay's wild lake environment. Silverwood Theme Park in Athol and the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley provide the commercial entertainment complement to the natural recreation that defines the region's primary appeal. Wolf Lodge Campground operates seasonally from spring through fall for camping, with the eagle viewing season from November through January providing the most compelling natural spectacle available from the campground's location even outside the main camping season. Summer's warm lake temperatures, the June salmon fly hatch on the nearby North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, and the long northern latitude summer days that stretch outdoor recreation into the evening hours together create the campground's most active recreation season. The spring and fall shoulder periods offer the quietest lake conditions and the most uncrowded kayaking access to Wolf Lodge Bay's wildlife-rich eastern shoreline.

from $57/night

Moose Creek RV Resort

42 RV Sites, 6 Cabins, 4 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites, 1 Cottage, 1 House, 8 Suites

Two and a half miles from the West Entrance of Glacier National Park in West Glacier, Montana—in Flathead County where the Going-to-the-Sun Road's 50-mile cross-park traverse, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex's 1.5-million-acre roadless interior, and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River's Wild and Scenic corridor create the most concentrated wilderness landscape accessible from a single campground address in the northern Rockies—Moose Creek RV Resort provides full hookup RV sites, glamping pods, nine-room bed and breakfast accommodations with a morning breakfast buffet, cabin and cottage rentals, a farmhouse stay option, a Sweets and Espresso Cafe, a fitness center with sauna, electric vehicle charging, a dog park, laundry, sports courts, mini golf, a zip line, and nightly campfire gatherings in the fully amenitied resort property that the 2.5-mile Glacier National Park gate proximity makes the most completely equipped private lodging and campground base in the West Glacier corridor. The Going-to-the-Sun Road access within three miles, the nine-room B&B with breakfast for the non-RV guest, and the glamping pod options at a property with full hookup RVs as well define Moose Creek as a multi-accommodation-format Glacier gateway rather than a single-use campground. Full hookup RV sites with electric, water, and sewer connections and views of the surrounding mountain terrain serve the RV camping market in the forested West Glacier environment. Four unique glamping pods provide the furnished, climate-comfortable outdoor accommodation for guests who want the Glacier gateway experience in a structure with beds and weather protection without the RV commitment. Nine bed and breakfast rooms with a breakfast buffet served daily from 7 to 8:30 a.m. provide the indoor accommodation that makes Moose Creek accessible to every travel format. Cabin and cottage rentals with rustic charm and modern comforts, and a farmhouse stay provide additional enclosed accommodation options. The Sweets and Espresso Cafe—serving pastries, ice cream, and espresso drinks daily—provides the morning coffee infrastructure that Glacier visitor logistics require before the Going-to-the-Sun Road's morning crowds develop. A fitness center with sauna, an EV charging station, a well-stocked gift shop, dog park, coin laundry, basketball court, ping-pong, badminton, volleyball, mini golf, and a zip line complete the on-property resort amenity profile. A nightly campfire gathering provides the social infrastructure that the West Glacier visitor community particularly values after a day on the park's trails. Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road—the 50-mile engineering achievement that crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass at 6,646 feet elevation—provides the primary visitor experience from the West Entrance within three miles of the resort. The road's seasonal opening from mid-June through mid-October makes summer and fall the park's primary visitor season, with wildflower displays on Logan Pass peaking in July and larch trees turning gold through October. Check current park entry requirements before planning the Logan Pass visit. The Middle Fork of the Flathead River—forming Glacier National Park's southern boundary and accessible from West Glacier—provides the whitewater rafting, fly fishing for westslope cutthroat trout, and the Wild and Scenic River corridor that the outfitter operations based in West Glacier serve with guided raft trips and fishing float experiences that frame the river's character for first-time visitors. Moose Creek RV Resort is open from May 15 through October 8. The Going-to-the-Sun Road's vehicle reservation windows in June through September, the Logan Pass wildflower peak in July, and the September larch color represent the three demand peaks that fill the resort weeks in advance. Book early for mid-summer, get the espresso before the road, and let the two-and-a-half-mile West Entrance proximity earn the Glacier National Park base camp experience that no other West Glacier property provides with quite this range of accommodation formats.

from $32/night

Choteau Mountain View RV Campground

18 RV Sites, 3 Cabins, 6 Tent Sites

Choteau Mountain View RV Campground in Choteau, Montana, offers 18 RV sites, three cabins, and six tent sites along the Rocky Mountain Front, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 85 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Full-hookup and water-and-electric categories deliver panoramic views of the range, including Ear Mountain's distinctive silhouette. Eighteen back-in sites run in 50/30-amp full-hookup and water-and-electric-only categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 85 feet. The 85-foot capacity handles a long coach with a tow comfortably. Three cabins and six tent sites round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side. A game room, mini-golf, playground, and walking trails fill the grounds, with a lake and golf course nearby. The mountain views are the property's defining feature — this is the interface where Montana's high plains meet the alpine terrain of the Front, and the sightlines are exceptional. Choteau sits in Teton County within 90 miles of Glacier National Park's St. Mary entrance, which makes this a natural overnight on north-south routes through western Montana and a comfortable staging point for the Bob Marshall Wilderness corridor south. Local draws include the Montana Dinosaur Center, the Old Trail Museum, Freezeout Lake, and golf at the Choteau Country Club, with hiking trails and outfitters throughout. Summer is peak, with Glacier traffic driving demand from June through September. Reserve ahead for July and August.

from $32/night

Alderwood RV Resort

101 RV Sites

Alderwood RV Resort in Mead, Washington, offers 101 full-hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service just north of Spokane, open all year. Deluxe back-in, premium pull-through, and deluxe pull-through categories join standard back-in and dry camp sites, with a recreation center, walking trails, and dog park. One hundred one sites span standard back-in, back-in deluxe, pull-thru deluxe, premium pull-thru, and dry camp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted on 30 and 50-amp. The dry camp tier gives self-contained rigs a lower rate — a useful option that many resorts do not offer. A laundry, propane fills and exchange, restrooms, showers, and RV storage handle the practical side. Check-in is 1pm and checkout 11am; contact the office about early arrivals or late departures, as fees may apply. A recreation center, walking trails, playground, and dog park with fenced pet areas fill the grounds. Skiing, a state park, and wine and beer tasting are all nearby, and the birding through the surrounding evergreen corridors is productive. Pets are welcome. Mead sits where the forested northern fringe of Washington's second-largest city gives way to the evergreen corridors and agricultural valleys of rural Spokane County — close enough to the city for dining, medical care, and the airport, far enough out for genuine natural surroundings. Year-round operation and nearby skiing make this viable well outside the summer window. Summer draws the heaviest demand, with the winter months serving snow travelers and extended stays. Reserve ahead for summer weekends.

from $72/night

North Haven Campground

20 RV Sites, 5 Cabins, 2 Glamping Sites

North Haven Campground in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, offers 20 RV sites, five furnished log cabins, and two glamping sites on the Kootenai River in Boundary County, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 85 feet. Back-in and pull-through categories carry full and partial hookups in the northernmost county of Idaho, 30 miles from the Canadian border. Twenty sites run in water-and-electric back-in, full-hookup pull-through, and water-and-electric pull-through configurations, all carrying 30 and 50-amp, sized to 85 feet, with fire pits and site WiFi. Five fully furnished log cabins and two glamping sites serve guests without a rig, with Conestoga wagons and tipis proposed for future glamping expansion. A general store — the Outpost, which doubles as the office — plus laundry, a bathhouse, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Quiet hours run 10pm to 8am, and an updated campground map shows cabin, RV site, bathhouse, and Outpost locations. On-site amenities are practical rather than extensive: a playground for families and walking trails through the property. This is a rustic and comfortable base rather than a programmed resort, and the setting does the work. Pets are welcome. Bonners Ferry sits on US-95 in the Kootenai River valley, where the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains meet in the most dramatically mountainous corner of the Idaho Panhandle, amid old-growth cedar and hemlock. The Canadian border at Eastport is 30 miles north, putting Nelson, Cranbrook, and Kootenay Lake within reach. The campground serves the northern Idaho season. Summer is peak — reserve ahead, particularly for the cabins.

from $49/night

Granite Point Resort

Granite Point Resort occupies 28 acres of Loon Lake shoreline in eastern Washington's Stevens County, offering lakeside sites and accommodations with a beach, boat rentals, a general store, and on-site dining. A recreation center, game room, and sports courts round out a self-contained summer destination in the inland Northwest. Lakeside sites and accommodations serve guests across a range of formats. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. On-site dining covers meals, which matters at a resort where guests tend to settle in for a week rather than an overnight. The lake frontage carries the recreation. A beach gives direct swimming access, boat rentals put guests on the water, and boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boats all run from the property. A recreation center and game room handle indoor hours, with sports courts, pickleball, basketball, volleyball, and horseshoes outdoors and a playground for families. The programming is well-rounded enough that guests rarely need to leave. Pets are welcome. Loon Lake sits in the ponderosa pine and mixed conifer country of northeastern Washington, among the clear glacially scoured lakes and quiet small towns of the inland Northwest — a summer retreat quite different in character from the Columbia River and Puget Sound destinations that draw the bulk of the state's visitors. The resort has built its reputation over many seasons as a family destination, and demand reflects that. Summer is decisively the peak, with returning families booking year to year — reserve well ahead for July and August.

Smiley Creek Lodge

6 RV Sites, 7 Cabins, 2 Yurts

Smiley Creek Lodge in Blaine County, Idaho, offers six full-hookup RV sites with 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet, alongside seven cabins and two yurts on the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. A lake, beach, and general store serve guests near Sun Valley and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Six back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 50-amp service, sized to 40 feet — note that all sites are 50-amp, and the 40-foot cap suits mid-size rigs rather than the largest coaches. Seven cabins and two yurts round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side. With six RV sites, reserve well ahead. Pets are welcome. A lake and creek run near the property with a beach for swimming, and canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, and fishing all available. Hiking, biking, and stargazing run from the site, with a playground for families and live music through the season. Wine and beer tasting is nearby. The byway position is the advantage. This is one of the most scenically extraordinary mountain routes in the American West, where the Wood River Valley's cottonwood corridors open into the granite peaks and alpine lakes of the Sawtooths. The lodge gives the most direct access to the Sawtooth Wilderness trail network and the Stanley Basin's fly fishing on the upper Salmon. Directions: from the north, drive 22 miles south from Stanley on Highway 75; from the south, 37 miles north from Ketchum. Summer is the season at this elevation. Reserve well ahead.

from $100/night