The village falls within the Ross, Skye and Lochaber part of the Highland council area for local government purposes.

Native Gaelic speakers who belong to the area always refer to the village itself as A' Chàrnaich, meaning "the place of cairns".

The small Museum was started after a resident discovered "a cache of 200-year-old swords and pistols hidden there from the British Redcoats after the disastrous battle of Culloden".

Glencoe is also a popular location for self-catering holidays; with many chalets, cottages and lodges available for weekly and short break rental.

Travel writer Rick Steves describes the area as exhibiting "the wild, powerful and stark beauty of the Highlands ... dramatic valley, where the cliffsides seem to weep with running streams when it rains".