KOA’s are more than campgrounds

CAMPING — Commercial campgrounds are upgrading to accommodate people who don’t necessarily like camping.

KOA campgrounds, for instance, are featuring cabins and lodges at many of their facilities. Two KOAs around the outside of Glacier National Park offer cute little cabins and even high-end lodges with air conditioning.

The West Glacier KOA invites a local photographer to present wildlife slide shows and other programs twice a week.

If camping bores you, the facility has a game room and a large log lodge with a pool table, television and fireplace.

No camp stove? No problem. Eat breakfast and dinner in the campground restaurant that’s open all summer. Get a treat from the ice cream shop. Lounge in the heated swimming pool and two hot tubs or head to the state’s largest water park in nearby Columbia Falls.

Across the Going to the Sun Road on the east side of the Park, the St. Mary KOA hosts will day-sit your dog while you hike the trails inside the park.  You don’t have to return to a smoky fire. Instead you an improve your putting skills, play bocce or enjoy the new swimming pool and hot tub complex. Rent a kayak and explore the wilds of Lower St. Mary Lake and River.

No wonder KOA spells campgrounds with a “K.”