St. Mary / East Glacier KOA

The Great Outdoors

One of the best places that you can take RV rentals in Glacier County is Glacier National Park, and it’s just outside your front door when you’re camping at St. Mary/East Glacier KOA. Known for its spectacular mountain peaks and deep valleys which were carved by glaciers over millennia, Glacier National Park is as much a dream destination for photographers as it is for adventure seekers. There’s certainly no shortage of recreational activities and no matter which season you choose to visit with a campervan rental, you’ll find plenty of things to keep all the family busy.The mountain slopes of this national park are threaded with hiking trails, many of which are open to horses and bicycles and range from easy to challenging. The best time for hiking is fall when the trails are draped in shades of red and amber. One of the most popular trails is the Sun Point Nature Trail, which rewards hikers with breathtaking panoramic views over St. Mary’s Lake. During the winter, these trails are ideal for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Anyone visiting with little ones can have fun sledding or challenging friends and family to a snowball fight.Summer is the prime time for swimming and boating. The park's rivers and lakes remain between cool to icy all year round, and it’s a refreshing break from the summer heat. You can canoe or kayak on Lake McDonald, the largest of the park’s lakes, or apply in advance for a motorized boating permit.After exploring Glacier National Park, you can hop across the border to the Police Outpost Provincial Park in southern Alberta, Canada. The park takes its name from the police outpost which was mounted on this open area in the 1980s in order to deter smugglers. Today, the lakeside grasslands and murky wetlands are a natural habitat for flora and fauna, and a natural retreat for nature lovers. Here you can see a wide variety of birdlife and even grizzly bears from the park’s boardwalks and hiking trails. Marsh wren, American bittern, and sandhill cranes are just some of the species that you can spot. Once the snowy season takes off, visitors can use these trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Meanwhile, Outpost Lake is suitable for paddle boats, tubing, canoeing, and kayaking.Another unique place to visit with your RV rental is the Blackfeet Nation Bison Reserve. The herd congregates on the southwest border of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The protected area works to maintain indigenous culture and traditions and conserve wildlife habitats by encouraging ecotourism. You can see the Blackfeet herd of bison by taking your St. Mary camper rental on a scenic drive through the reservation.

Explore the Area

If you’re ready to learn more about the American Indian Heritage of Montana, then take a short drive to the town of Browning. Within the foothills of Glacier National Park, this town isn’t just a gateway to the great outdoors, it’s also a cultural hub and home to Montana’s largest American Indian Tribe, Blackfeet.Visitors can learn about their culture and traditions while renting an RV at the Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery on Central Avenue. The gallery hosts the works of over 500 Native American artists along with artifacts which range from handmade jewelry to watercolor painting and decorative quilts to pottery. In the center's display, you can also find contemporary books, fine arts, and the fossilized skeleton of a baby dinosaur.Another point of interest is the Museum of the Plains Indian on Museum Loop. Along with Blackfeet arts and artifacts, the museum hosts artwork and items which originated from a number of the Native American tribes who inhabited the Northern Plains. Here, you can see life-sized waxworks of tribe’s people with traditional clothing, toys, and household items. Chippewa, Northern Cheyenne, and Shoshone are just a few of the tribes represented in the museum.If you take your vacation in the summer, you can enjoy a livelier display of Native American Heritage at the North American Indian Days in Browning. Throughout the summer, the region's indigenous heritage is celebrated with vibrant costumes, dance performances, and rodeos. There are also traditional games and competitions that you can get involved in when you rent a camper near St. Mary, Montana.