Military Family Camps

By Patty Gill

WHEN MY HUSBAND, Shane, was in the Air Force, and we were stationed in North Dakota, we bought a travel trailer to take our boys camping for the summer. This was our very first camper, and we were young and didn’t have much money to travel. I found out about military campgrounds, which allowed us to travel to some great places inexpensively. Once Shane retired and we decided to RV full time, we knew we had to stay in military campgrounds as much as possible—not only because they keep us on budget, but also because the beautiful campgrounds just feel like home to us.

Each base has different types of recreational services, such as tennis courts, swimming pools, and rock climbing walls. Some have campgrounds— usually called FamCamps. These campgrounds are great for camping families like us, as well as families moving to the base who need a temporary place to stay. Some of these campgrounds are so popular you need to make reservations a year in advance.

FamCamps are our favorite places to camp while we travel in our RV.

I use Allstays’ “Military FamCamp Campgrounds” app, which shows all the FamCamps in your area or on the route you’re traveling. The app shows you the campground’s name, address, phone number, website, photos, and amenities, plus information about the campground, like who’s allowed to stay there and even which gate to use when you get there. It can be a bit tricky to get in and out of the gates at each installation— especially in an RV—and sometimes you will need to go to a different entrance. So even though the app tells you which gate to use for entry and exit, we still call ahead to make sure.

Some of these campgrounds are not even near a military base—a couple of the sites we’ve visited were located right on a beach or a lake. The campgrounds themselves usually only have a few amenities, such as a bathhouse and laundry, but the military installations have all the amenities you’ll need—like pools, golf courses, dog parks, gyms, grocery stores, and even liquor stores. Military bases are just like little towns, so you usually don’t even need to leave the base unless you want to. They’re also usually located in a town that has sites or parks to visit while you are camping. Most of them also have cabins, trailers, or houses you can rent for yourself or family and friends who want to come along.

The most frequent question we get when we talk about FamCamps is, “Who can stay at the military campgrounds?” Our advice is to call the base campground office, because the rules vary. Eligibility covers a range of requirements, including an active-duty member, a retiree, other uniformed service members, veterans with 100% service-connected disability, Department of Defense civilians and federal employees, veterans awarded a Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, or Prisoner of War medal, and families, guests, and caregivers of the members. Just be sure to call the specific installation you want to visit first to verify your eligibility, because base commanders can make their own rules about who they will allow, even if the regulation states you are eligible to camp there.

From a remote beach to large cities, and even some near national parks and monuments, we have been to nearly 20 military FamCamps. They are located all over the United States, and we continue to be amazed at their beautiful campsites and amenities. Call for yourself to see if you are eligible to stay, and make your reservations as soon as you can— you will not be disappointed. They are just like any other campground, except they are located on a military base! You might even hear Reveille and Retreat played a few times a day while you’re camping.

Patty shares her travels on Instagram at @gillsonwheels