Montana Outdoor Guide: Campgrounds, Trails, Beaches & RV Spots
Key Takeaways
- Whitefish Lake’s City Beach is genuinely the best family swim lake in this whole guide’s northern Rockies coverage — sandy, shallow, and lifeguarded
- Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 — a real body of water, not just a scenic drive-by
- Most of Glacier’s iconic lakes (Lake McDonald, Jackson Lake-style glacial water) are genuinely too cold for real swimming — plan for paddling and photography instead
- Book Glacier’s in-park campgrounds and the West Glacier KOA up to nine months ahead for July
Glacier Anchors Everything, But Whitefish Lake Is the Real Swim Spot
Montana’s outdoor identity runs through Glacier National Park, but Whitefish Lake and Flathead Lake do the actual family-swimming work that Glacier’s stunning-but-cold lakes can’t.
Campgrounds
Apgar Campground — Glacier National Park (West Glacier)
Glacier’s largest campground, near Lake McDonald and Apgar Village — the family hub of the park, open May through October.
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Fish Creek Campground — Glacier National Park
Reservable and wooded, near Lake McDonald, with wildlife regularly passing through camp.
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Whitefish Lake State Park — Whitefish
25 tent and RV sites right on the state’s best family swim lake — swim, boat, and fish, and it’s close to town and Glacier both.
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Flathead Lake State Park (Wayfarers, Yellow Bay, Big Arm units)
Lakeside camping with river-rock beaches and boat launches. Finley Point has electric hookups if you need power.
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West Glacier KOA Resort
227 sites with full hookups and heated pools, walking distance to the Lake McDonald shuttle — book up to nine months ahead for July.
Learn moreHiking Trails
Trail of the Cedars — Glacier National Park
A flat boardwalk loop, stroller and wheelchair accessible, through old-growth forest near Avalanche — the easiest genuinely great hike in the park.
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Avalanche Lake — Glacier National Park
A roughly 4.5-mile round trip from Trail of the Cedars to a clear blue lake — one of the park’s most popular family hikes.
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Hidden Lake Overlook — Logan Pass (Glacier National Park)
Up and over Hidden Lake Pass with mountain goats and open meadows along the way — a genuinely great wildlife-viewing hike.
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St. Mary & Virginia Falls — Glacier National Park
A moderate waterfall-chain hike, a real family favorite.
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Lake Como Loop — Bitterroot National Forest (near Darby)
The most popular Bitterroot camping and hiking trail, and for good reason — a great all-around family option outside Glacier’s crowds.
Learn moreLakes & Swimming Areas
Whitefish Lake — City Beach (Whitefish)
The best family swim lake in Montana — a roped swim area, a rare sandy beach for this region, a long shallow stretch for small kids, a lifeguard, and a snack bar. This is the swim spot to build a trip around.
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Flathead Lake — Bigfork/Polson
The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48, with over 200 square miles of water. Big Arm has the best swim beach; Yellow Bay is a good east-shore alternative. Water stays cold even in August, and most beaches are rocky — bring water shoes. Note the southern half sits on the Flathead Reservation and requires a tribal recreation permit.
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Lake McDonald — Glacier National Park
An iconic, colorfully pebbled glacial lake — beautiful for paddling and photography, but genuinely too cold for real swimming.
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Hyalite Reservoir — Bozeman
A high-elevation reservoir with picnic beaches and cool, refreshing water — an extremely popular local day trip, though the summer season is short.
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West Glacier KOA Resort
Full hookups with 50-amp and sewer, heated pools, and bike rentals — book roughly nine months ahead for July given how in-demand this location is.
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Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park — West Yellowstone
Anchors Yellowstone’s west entrance with high-quality amenities and clean facilities — a strong base if you’re combining a Yellowstone and Glacier trip.
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Sun Outdoors Yellowstone North — Gardiner
A quarter mile from Yellowstone, well-managed with a general store — reviewers consistently note how clean and dust-free it stays.
Learn morePlanning Your Trip
Glacier National Park should anchor a Montana trip if hiking and scenery are the priority — base at Apgar and build your days around Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake. But make sure to add Whitefish Lake for actual swimming — Glacier’s glacial lakes are stunning but genuinely too cold, and Whitefish is where your kids will actually want to get in the water.