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mowermech's avatar
mowermech
Explorer
Aug 14, 2021

We had to go to Kalispell....

to attend a funeral. Planned to arrive 5 Aug, leave 7 August.
Every campground close to town that I called was fully booked, no sites available.
EXCEPT the relatively new RV Park right on the edge of town. The one that I said I would not stay in because of the price.
Yep, "Montana Base Camp". Lots of empty spaces. It is easy to see why...
First, the price: $120/night!
Second, all sites are back-in. No pull-through sites at all.
Third, amenities, or lack thereof. No store, the office is difficult to find (it looks like just another laundry/shower building). Free laundry, though. a washer and a dryer in a little cabin with the shower facility in the other end.
Fourth, new park, so no shade. What few trees there are haven't grown enough yet.
Fifth, it is right next door to a log home building business, so that is noisy. There is also quite a bit of highway noise. We slept soundly, but I can see where some would find it terrible.

On the plus side, the single access road and all sites are paved. The sites (full hook-up) are well laid out, with lots of space. There is an emergency exit at the cul-de-sac at the end of the road. They allowed our kids to pitch a tent in our site ($27/night extra, not bad, really.). The park was easy to find. Entrance and exit is from/to a round-a-bout, so quite easy.
All in all, not a truly BAD experience, except for the price. I doubt if I will go back again.
Montana Basecamp, Kalispell, MT Good spot when there is nothing else available!
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Out west, in the mountains , I do not mind paying $70 per night (one night/week and usually on Sunday) since they have a short season. I agree $100 per night, especially in a new park that’s still under construction, like I paid in Alpine Wyoming this summer, is a rip off. Only reason we stayed there was our daughter and grandes had booked it plus it was warm enough that we would have to run the generator 10 hours Boondocking further away..
  • Geo*Boy wrote:
    Jon, did you try Columbia Falls RV Park?


    No, because of transportation. Had to leave the Jeep home due to an electrical problem that wasn't discovered until hooked up and ready to go. So, wanted to be as close to Kalispell as possible.
    After we got home, I found the problem; bad 7 pin to 4 pin adapter.
  • The business that rents one space at $120 per is making a bigger profit than one who rents two spaces at $60 per.

    Supply and demand at work. They had you and they knew it. Thanks for the heads up. We won't be stopping unless forced to do so.
  • Ridiculous! :( "Free laundry"? For that price I would expect them to do my laundry.

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