Military RV Parking

[CWtheMan]

Military Camping

This will probably not be very popular. However, for those that qualify as users it may be helpful. I’m going to start off with one that any veteran with a DD-214 and honorable service can use.

The American Legion (post 137) in Jacksonville, FL probably has one of the highest membership numbers. Its main building houses its management offices. The kitchen serves breakfast every Sunday morning and steaks to order on Friday evenings. It has a very large horseshoe bar close to a bandstand and dance floor. There are pool tables, shuffle boards and dart game areas. There is a full size Olympic swimming pool with a very active Tike bar. There are two out buildings that are used by members of the fishing club and motorcycle club. There is a gated entrance to a large open area behind the main building that borders the Cedar River. There are two paved boat ramps and floating docks. There are also 8 large RV sites. Six of them are FHU with local cable TV and the other two are at the river bank with w/e & local cable TV.

RV sites can be reserved whenever there is no important club business. Being a private club the city will only allow 30 day stays. You have to actually vacate your site and find someplace else to park for 24 hours before starting another 30 day stay. It’s really not a problem because not many will stay for more than 30 days.

You do not have to become a member to stay in the RV area but you’ll have to get someone to sign you into the club every time you enter. No exceptions, they are required to keep a log for non members. Only a member/sponsor is allowed to purchase things in the club.

Once we started full timing we became members and parked there often when in the area. Prior to becoming a member I was a member of the VFW. That is another private club and not affiliated with the American Legion. The VFW requires its members to have proof of service in a foreign war. An Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal will work.

We like site #6 and have almost always stayed there. Here are some pictures. Clicking on them will enlarge them.

You will almost always see our Bat extended. ABC and Dish TV seem to be always arguing about money.



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[CWtheMan]

Anyone that follows our travels probably wonders how we travel so much in the western region without mentioning civilian RV parking. Well, it’s because there are numerous military RV parks out there. They are often very easy to make a destination stop of two weeks or longer because of the availability of adequate parking. Another advantage is, actually being on a military base, is much safer than a lot of civilian RV parks.

Being centrally located at Lemoore afforded us the opportunity to explore the CA costal and mountain areas. When going to the coast we traveled through CA wine country. When traveling to the mountains you see the vastness of the San Joaquin Valley and its transformance into a vast farming network fueled by the CA aqueduct systems.

For a Naval Air Station, Lemoore is quite unique. It’s a long way from the ocean and can be very hot in the summer months. The base is very large in area and houses all the necessary things to make it very much like a small to medium town. The aviation operations area is 7 miles from the housing area. The normal aircraft flight paths are not over the housing and support areas of the base. The base is very secure with all of the military housing being within the base. Everything that a family needs in a small town is on base, including a grade school to 8th grade. There is a medical facility, commissary and Navy Exchange mall.

The RV Park is right across the street from the base gas station and has diesel fuel and maintenance bays. On the other side of the RV Park there is a popular golf driving range.

In the link I’m providing below you will see our trailer in the first photo. I’ve been a member of that link since 2003 and have provided Larry – the link owner – with pictures over the years.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/california/lemoore-naval-air-station-campground

Here are a few pictures. Click on them to enlarge.

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[Frank G]

When you talk about membership in post 1 do you mean membership in Post 137 or membership in any American Legion post? I am a member of Post 183 Pemberville OH for 45 years, not sure I would change that.

[notanlines]

Frank, we are members (both of us) of Post 1, American Legion, in Titusville, Florida. Post 137 is indeed in Jacksonville and a wonderful club to visit. As a member of the American Legion member you will be welcomed into ALL Legions and be afforded all rights and privileges. Some clubs across America have turned to welcoming the general public to try to maintain sufficient income. I believe Cal is correct in that Jacksonville still requires membership to make purchases inside and sponsorship to enter.
Americans as a whole seem to be shying away from clubs and organizations such as Elks, Moose, VFW, etc for some reason.

[CWtheMan]

Admiral Baker Park is a very large USN Recreational complex located right in the mission valley downtown section of San Diego, CA. It’s close to interstate highways I-8 and I-15. It's a gated complex.

The complex has two full sized golf courses, tennis courts, huge swimming pool, numerous picnic areas of all sizes and of course an RV park. The multi-million dollar golf center has formal and informal dining areas and a fully stocked golf equipment store. The golf driving range is situated about a half mile from either golf course and is an independently operated facility. All the roads are paved and that includes the RV park. If you’re headed into the San Diego area and use this park you won’t be disappointed.

When parking your RV in the RV park you won’t have another RV parked behind you. The RV Park is designed in a semi-circle. Almost all sites are back ins.

This vast Navy recreational area has gone public since the last time we were there. All the information you need is in the link below.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/california/admiral-baker-field-campground

When we last stayed, there was no waiting list for RV parking. That's probably changed when it comes to civilian reservations. However, the reviews aren't bad and the location is outstanding for such a large city.

[McRod]

I use allstays CRV military app to find bases with RV sites. I used to do a lot of short term camping on bases. Then I went to Ft. Myers, FL and I realized I had joined the wrong branch of service. :facepalm: Beachfront housing...who wudda thunk it? :banghead:

[CWtheMan]

Naval Station, Mayport, FL

There are two RV parks at NS Mayport. The one used almost exclusively by seasonal patrons (Osprey Cove) is out of the way and back near the Hanna Park gate.

This is about the most popular, Pelican Roost RV Park. It’s out on the north jetties at the mouth of the St Johns River as it enters the Atlantic Ocean. It’s my most favorite RV Park in all of Florida.

I searched everywhere for an aerial view of the RV Park but the only one I could find is depicted below. In it, the park is located on the frontage road on the bottom left just out of sight. This is an older picture and shows the whole Mayport Basin with the Carriers Saratoga & Constellation moored there. Since the retirement of the Carrier John F. Kennedy there have been no others stationed at Mayport. The basin is not deep enough for Nuke carriers and that’s all we have nowadays. Florida and the Navy department have never been able to come to terms with the costs of dredging.

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Pelican Roost is very hard to get into without reservations. The most popular front row sites are always in high demand. We have never been lucky enough to get one. However, we did get a preferred one backing-up to a ball field. It’s depicted in the pictures below.

All of the shipping traffic to the city of Jacksonville and Blunt Island must pass the RV Park. The jetty is a very popular shutter-bug or fishing enthusiast hang-out. Covered/uncovered picnic tables, trash containers and porter-potties are also provided along the jetty. The RV Park office has cut bait for fishing. Porpoises can be seen along the jetty and all the way into the basin year-round.

The following link has the particulars and lots of pictures.
https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/florida/pelican-roost-rv-park

Click on any of the pictures for enlargement.



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[McRod]

You forgot to mention the pancake breakfast at Pelicans Rooster. I stayed in the back row there (not beach side) and scored some Daytona tickets from the MWR. If you don't have reservations (and they are full) they send you down the road to the state camp ground near the main gate.

[CWtheMan]

During the time of our stop at Barksdale FAMCAMP we were heading west for the winter and were traveling with our friends in the Montana in some of the pictures below.

Reservations are not accepted here but when we called ahead to inquire about site availability we were told to drive on in as there were plenty available. We were looking for a place to spend the thanksgiving holiday and this place was going to fit the bill.

We got in early on Wednesday afternoon and got all set-ups including finding some good dish signals. That evening upon returning from dinner it started to rain and only stopped once - for a few hours - all the time we were there.

For thanksgiving dinner we ate at the general mess hall with the troops. The meal and service was outstanding and lots of people came over and talked with us. It was a rewarding and fun time for all. We stayed five nights and got underway early Monday morning.

The FAMCAMP is about two miles from the main base facilities, well away from all the hustle and bustle of base activates…..and the noise.

Authorized user and all other CG info can be found in the link blow.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/louisiana/barksdale-afb-famcamp

You can click on the pictures to make them larger.


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[CWtheMan]

Palm Oasis RV Park & Resort. That’s its name and it’s out in the desert, away from just about everything. It has a community atmosphere because in the winter months the RV residents outnumber the base residents.

It’s not a place we ever planned to visit. I had been there a couple of times when on active duty. Back then it was known as the National Parachute Test Range (NPTR) and mostly Navy attack squadrons from other bases around the country came there to practice bombing in the nearby bomb ranges. Later on it became a NAF when the Blue Angle flight demonstration squadron made it their winter home.

We stayed there for a couple of months because of the excessive rain fall and mud sliding in San Diego, CA where we had planned on spending our winter months. It was also raining in the deserts near El Centro and a lot of people were leaving because the dune buggy riders had no place to ride and went elsewhere. We were very surprised when we called from San Diego and were told there were a couple of sites available for us in the overflow area. That particular area had full hook-up service with 50 amps and another 15 amp plug-in for extension cords.

Our site was located in an old paved parking lot and backed-up to a ball field. Across the street there is a bowling alley, chow hall and a golf driving range. We could eat in the chow hall without reservations except on weekends and holidays. We got our mail from a general delivery box at a US post office about three miles outside the main gate.

It you can’t find something to do on base there isn’t much else close by. We did find a nice 9 hole golf course about 10 miles away. After we had been there for about a week the Blue Angles showed-up and there were no more quiet days except on Sundays. We had dish TV and finding a nice clear signal was no problem at all.

The rain caught up with us and it rained so long and hard they had to rent huge trucks with vacuum hoses to get the water out of the parking lots around base. We drove over to Yuma and found people there were also leaving early for other areas and we found a couple of side by side sites to spend another couple of months in.

Here are some pictures of our sites, the Blue’s flight line and from around base.

https://militarycampgrounds.us/california/el-centro-naf-campground

Larry has used one of my pictures for the front page of the link so I’m posting the Phantom II just al little beyond that F/A-18.

The link is good and my pictures will enlarge by clicking on them.

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[Chief Mole]

Quite a few years ago, we stayed at the Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Area. Our son was graduating basic at Fort Leonard Wood, which is why we went there. Nice campground, beautiful area. First morning in, 0630, the Army Engineer classes came marching up, singing cadence while carrying their inflatable boats. I was out walking the pup. DW wasn't happy with this noise level increase and as the first boat was nearing the the rig we had at the time, she slammed the front door open and bellowed out in a Chief's voice: Good! People! Are! Sleeping! and pulled the door shut. The boat crews and instructors immediately went to silent march (no cadence). The following morning (and the remainder of the time we were there) you could hear cadence up to the main gate of the rec. area and then the call of silent march. As the boat crews passed me and the dog, I would get greeted with "Good morning Chief. I hope your wife is sleeping well."

[Big1]

Whidbey Island In Washington State it is a beautiful place and this is when we first stay there in our first TT. We stay there two other times and love it, this is up by Deception Pass I have more pics but just not on this computer. We were looking out over to the Canadian Border but the only thing I didn't like about it is sometimes the jets fly overhead.

[CWtheMan]

Home to Chief of Naval Air Training, Training Air Wing 4, the Corpus Christi Army Depot and other tenants, NAS Corpus Christi has supported pilot training and operations since 1941.

One spring while roaming around in Texas, we found ourselves all the way down in the western gulf coast corner of the state. It was still early spring and we were very lucky to get a RV parking site at the Shields RV Park aboard the Naval Air Station. Not only did we get a site with a great view of the gulf waters, it also had a very unique feature, a covered patio area. We spent a week there and was on the go every day from dawn till dusk. Every recreational enterprise was very conveniently located at the recreation facility or very close by. The golf course is just inside the main gate and the fishing pier is right in the RV Park.

The RV park is situated on a large parcel of land and the sites are quite large. Each section takes on a different look as you can see in some of the pictures.

You can click on any of the pictures to start a slid show and view them in a larger view.

We had this long eared friend that visited us every day. He ate clover from the field near our site.

Fishing bait can be purchased at the MWR office/store and then drive right up to the pier and park.

To get more information on this RV park or any others around the country go to the web site in the reference provided below. This RV Park is now open to the public. You must have a MWR guest card. The link has a P/N to call to inquire about MWR guest cards.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/t...ecreation-area

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[Hellbilly13]

Thanks for the pics. NAS Corpus is on my list of must see military campgrounds. Did you play the golf course?

Thanks for starting this thread also. I plan on adding to it once we are finally able to get out on the road.

[CWtheMan]

Thanks for the pics. NAS Corpus is on my list of must see military campgrounds. Did you play the golf course? Yes! Like most FL courses it's quite flat and easy to walk.

Thanks for starting this thread also. I plan on adding to it once we are finally able to get out on the road.

There is a very unique helicopter blade test facility a the Army Aviation Depot.

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[CWtheMan]

Of all military RV Parks/Campgrounds we have stayed at, the one at El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) is the most modern.

This RV Park has a first come first serve policy. When wanting to stay there for a few days we always tried to get there in the very early afternoon. We start calling the office about 10 AM to check on departures - it’s almost always full - and keep calling every 30-45 min. Their policy is firm and they are not going to pencil anyone in. Once there and assigned to a space you can stay up to the limit allowed during the season you are there. The Park is off base and right across the street from military housing and the 27 hole golf complex. Fort Bliss is a large base and a great place to stop and stock up on needed items. When lucky enough to get a site we would stay at least 10 days. Whenever traveling through El Paso we've been very lucky to have been able to stay there. Over the years we've seen it expand into the great RV Park it is today, with super modern facilities including a fully equipped workout building. The WiFi system has enough capacity to service everyone. It’s very easy to get a connection with our Dish TV so we have never used their CATV system.

You name it and they have it. Here are some pictures. We have also been very lucky in site assignment almost always being assigned to a corner site.

The pictures are from two different stops and at different times of the year. One whole year it rained everywhere we went, even El Paso.

The link is active and explains the new rules for veteran us of the RV Park. When browsing the link you will see our rig on a corner lot in the photo section.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/texas/fort-bliss-rv-park

Click on any picture to get a larger view.

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[Big1]

Wow, yes it does look nice, so do you know if the military RV parks open?

[CWtheMan]

Wow, yes it does look nice, so do you know if the military RV parks open?

Most of the military RV Parks/CGs are allowing those that are already there to stay. No new patrons until further notice.

[CWtheMan]

This is about the Military Short Stay Outdoor Recreation Area.

It’s managed by Joint Base Charleston, SC. Its actual location is north of Moncks Corner, SC a few miles off US-52 and right on the banks of Lake Moultrie. It’s a gated facility with around the clock security. This is a large complex with just about any type habitat or recreational equipment available for authorized users. There is a large well stocked CG store. They also have a wide selection of fishing equipment for sale and live bait.

Even though I have an uncle and five first cousins in the immediate area, we have only stayed there once. There is two other military CGs in the Charleston area. For a long stay it’s just too far from town and we would have to manually dumping our gray & black tanks. For a long weekend of just camping out with family and friends and doing some fishing it’s great.

We had a very large corner site up under the trees and away from most of the nightly activities.

The link is active.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/south-carolina/short-stay-navy-outdoor-recreation-area

Click on the pictures to enlarge them. And, yes all of the pictures are of the recreational areas. The large condo type buildings out on the point are for large groups. Smaller cottages – not shown – are near the boat rental and docking area. There is a large sandy beach with life guards on duty when in season.

The one time we stayed there we had a very large corner site up under the trees and away from most of the nightly activities. I took about 30 minutes to find a place for our Dish antenna to receive a strong signal but it was good all the time we were there.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them. And, yes all of the pictures are of the recreational areas. The large condo type buildings out on the point are for large groups. Smaller cottages – not shown – are near the boat rental and docking area. There is a large sandy beach with life guards on duty when in season.

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[CWtheMan]

Today this USAF station at New Boston, NH only accommodates smallish campers and tent dwellers. It’s strictly dry camping with water only.

Years ago when we were there they had sites to fit all sizes of campers with 30 AMP elect service and water. They allowed us to dump our gray water in a ditch near the back of our trailer as long as we didn’t dump any harsh chemicals.

There are a lot of restricted areas because of unexpended ordnance used when it was a practice range.

The time we were there we were traveling with our long time friends and full time RV travelers. We stayed a week and dumped all tanks at the dump station when we departed. We had very nice parking sites on a smallish pond. There is a full service Wall Mart in New Boston that provided all our supplies. We roasted marshmallows at a fire ring, had great success fishing in the pond and played a lot of Mexican Train. We were well rested when we continued our travels north into Maine and beyond.

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[Cbrez]

Naval Station, Mayport, FL

There are two RV parks at NS Mayport. The one used almost exclusively by seasonal patrons (Osprey Cove) is out of the way and back near the Hanna Park gate.

This is about the most popular, Pelican Roost RV Park. It’s out on the north jetties at the mouth of the St Johns River as it enters the Atlantic Ocean. It’s my most favorite RV Park in all of Florida.

We had reservations for the second week in April but the park closed and they cancelled our reservation. Several weeks before they cancelled the reservation they called to tell us about new (2020) security procedures. Anyone entering the installation without a valid CAC is required to stop at Pass & ID and have a background check. I have a retiree CAC but my wife does not.

She has a squeaky clean background so not worried about that. Biggest worry was how long it was going to take and where to park the rig while we wait. Pass & ID doesn’t exactly have RV parking. It was recommended to not get there late in the day or you risk being told to “come back tomorrow”.

Not sure if this is a Mayport thing or if others are experiencing similar procedures at other installations.

We love Pelican Roost and try to stay there every spring on our way out of Florida. Appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through this new procedure at Mayport so we know what to expect next year.

[CWtheMan]

This RV Park is located on the St. Johns River. About a half mile from the park (on base) is a full service marina where boats from small Jon boats to full size pontoon boats can be rented.

Right across the street, (on base) there is a 27 hole championship golf facility - one of the busiest golf courses in southeast Florida – with a full blown golf shop, snack-bar and full service restaurant.

We had lived in JAX for 23 years when we sold everything and went full time RVing. This RV Park is - sort of - our home park.

There are more than 3000 civilian employees aboard NAS JAX. Many of them are military retirees. It’s a very busy place during shift change hours. The NADEP has 3 shifts. If you’re coming there for the first time, try and wiggle-in between shifts.

The Link below is active and lists all the amenities found at NAS Jacksonville.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/florida/jacksonville-rv-park

When these pictures were taken we were parked very close to the rest rooms and free laundry building.

Our site shows two TV antennas. That’s because the trailer on the other side of us couldn’t find a signal so I loaned them another 50’ of cable and we moved his antenna next to ours.

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[CWtheMan]

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Palm Oasis RV Park & Resort. That’s its name and it’s out in the desert, away from just about everything. It has a community atmosphere because in the winter months the RV residents outnumber the base residents.

It’s not a place we ever planned to visit. I had been there a couple of times when on active duty. Back then it was known as the National Parachute Test Range (NPTR) and mostly Navy attack squadrons from other bases around the country came there to practice bombing in the nearby bomb ranges. Later on it became a NAF when the Blue Angle flight demonstration squadron made it their winter home.

We stayed there for a couple of months because we decided to leave southern CA (where we had planned on spending our winter months) because it rained so much there, it was causing dangerous mud slides near our military camp site at San Diego. It was also raining in the deserts near El Centro and a lot of people were leaving because the dune buggy riders had no place to ride and went elsewhere. We were very surprised when we called from San Diego and were told there were a couple of sites available for us in the overflow area. That particular area had full hook-up service with 30 amps and another 15 amp plug-in for extension cords.

Our site was located in an old paved parking lot and backed-up to a ball field. Across the street there was a bowling alley, chow hall and a golf driving range. We could eat in the chow hall without reservations except on weekends and holidays. We got our mail from a general delivery box at a US post office about three miles outside the main gate.

It you can’t find something to do on base there isn’t much else close by. We did find a nice 9 hold golf course about 10 miles away. After we had been there for about a week the Blue Angles showed-up and there were no more quiet days except on Sundays. We had dish TV and finding a nice clear signal was no problem at all.

The rain caught up with us and it rained so long and hard they had to rent huge tanker trucks with vacuum hoses to get the water out of the parking lots around base. We drove over to Yuma and found people were also leaving there for other areas and we found a couple of side by side sites in a seniors (+ 55) park to spend the rest of the winter months.

Here are some pictures of our sites and the Blue’s flight line.

The link is active.

https://militarycampgrounds.us/california/el-centro-naf-campground


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[kjbrooks]

I saw you post about the AL Post in Jacksonville that allows honorably discharged veterans with a DD-214. Is there a way to search, or filter, on the Military Campground web site, or app, for places that allow just honorably discharged vets?
Thanks, Kevin

[CWtheMan]

Texas is another state where we parked almost exclusively at military RV Parks & CGs. There are 18 military CGs in Texas.

Laughlin AFB is a flight training command located at Del Rio, TX. As AFBs go it’s kind of small but has all amenities the larger ones have. When last there the FAMCAMP – as the air force calls them – had 22 FHU sites. The larger of them on the main entrance road all had privacy fences. We had the last one at the far end and very large.

The base also has a CG with RV sites out on Lake Amistad. They don’t have sewer connections and I’m not good at hauling a blue boy to a dump station and avoid places without a complete hook-up. (We did have a 30 gallon blue boy because you just never know).

Lake Amistad is a huge reservoir bordered by Texas & Mexico. The water is clear and the fishing is excellent. The AFB has a smallish marina at the lake CG. There are fishing boat rentals from the recreation department. We rented a small Jon boat with a small powered motor and really enjoyed the fishing and bird activity.

There is an Indian casino right on the border with Mexico. I don’t recommend spending any time there after dark. In fact ,you should find another vehicle to follow going out and back.

Here are a few pictures. The aircraft one is at the entrance to the wonderfully manicured golf course.

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[CWtheMan]

The year we stayed here; at Ellsworth AFB FAMCAMP near Rapid City, SD it was HOT. It was 105 degrees the day we pulled-in.

We had called here from our last stop in ND and requested a two week reservation. We got a nice large FHU back-in, close to the FAMCAMP office. That was good because we were going to take a lot of MWR sponsored van tours and they started and returned to the FAMCAMP office. We highly recommend the van tours. The drivers are mostly retired military and very familiar with all the attractions on the tours.

Ellsworth is a large base loaded with amenities and things to do. Right outside the main gate there is a huge military aircraft museum. They also provide a van tour of the base including the flight lines.

Don’t miss a trip to town for a walk around; lots of history. We ate at a basement lunch/brunch place that has the same unregulated temp in the 70s year round.

We went to all of the attractions. Some we had visited in the past and the newest, Crazy horse.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures we took during this visit.

The link is active.

https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/south-dakota/ellsworth-afb-famcamp


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[ACJCF2]

Spent a four day weekend at the Shaw AFB FAMCAMP in Sumter, SC. Nice campground with full hook ups and 30/50 amp service. Friendly campers and staff. We were visiting our daughter while she was there TDY.