Eielson AFB Bear Lake FamCamp

In all my travels I have not seen a FAMCAMP in the poor of a condition. We drove through with the intention of staying a few days, but after observing how overgrown and dirty it was we continued on to Fairbanks.

Had a boil water notice since May and staff did not know if still in force. We moved to Fairbanks commercial park. Hope they resolve water issue as rest of campground is OK.

Wake up every morning to the sound of Freedom! Love it! It’s been one year since we stayed. No significant changes and our biting pesky friends were still there to draw our blood inside and outside the camper. Staff is friendly and responsive. High water from rains have reduced number of camping spots by roughly 1/3. Some sites have humps and curves limited trailers to less than 35 ft length due to turning radius.

Campground located AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY! So if you don’t like the sound of FREEDOM every morning at 0800 sharp than look else where. Big rig friendly. Very family friendly. Bathrooms are toilet/shower combinations. Parents please clean up after your kids or teach them how to use the bathroom. My family would appreciate it and I am sure the young folks cleaning the facilities would appreciate it too. Water is rusty, no amount of filtration can remove it. Air base facilities are a comfortable bike ride away. Staff was friendly and accommodating.

Camped in a 43' MH. Wide spaces, 50amp + water. Great pull through dump. Did not use restroom. Laundry nice. Met some very nice service personnel living at the camp which "made" the stay delightful. Given grand tour of the base. Really enjoyed Heritage park commemorating our great service men and women. Enjoyed the visit to the knowledgeable and well staffed Nature center on base. Close proximity to Fairbanks, North Pole and Delta Junction only 70 miles away! Yes our closest neighbor was the mosquito; but we fully expected them and came prepared with what all the folks there use, the mosquito fogger! There is nothing like armed guards at the gate to keep you safe and loved the "sound of freedom"!

Couldn't wait to leave. Mosquitoes were the least of the problems. Toilets and sinks had been swished out but the rest of the place has not seen a mop or a broom since the snow melted and the flood receded. We have spent dozens and dozens of nights in military famcamps and this is the worst we have ever seen!

Amount has increased to $22.00. Did not use laundry or showers. Biggest negative is the mosquitoes.

I arrived at just after 12 noon on June 24. I asked the two young individuals in civilian clothes if they had any 50amp sites available. They looked at me like I did not know what I was talking about. They told me to just go get a site and make my payment using the envelope at the bath house. I told them I needed to get my Air Force Frequent Camper Book stamped. They stamped the book and I paid them with my credit card - $18.00 a night now. They have a large map of the sites hanging on the wall but they do not have the electric annotated, only the site number. The same with the map board at the FamCamp entrance. Site 36 looked the largest so I asked about that site and was told if no one was in it to take it and call them to tell me the site I was in. All the sites looked like the weeds had not been cleared in six months or more. The water pressure is very low. The FamCamp is overrun with mosquitoes. There is no Wi-Fi at the FamCamp or FamCamp office. All the sites are in the trees and satellite dishes will not work at the FamCamp. I did not use the laundry or showers so I cannot comment on them. The BX food court Wi-Fi was not working when I went Sunday evening. I went to the base library on Monday and found out it was closed on Monday's as is the commissary. There is plenty of room to pull your RV into the FamCamp office and swing around heading out. I have a 40 foot RV and towing and I had no trouble. Although small, the BX and commissary are nice. The Heritage Park on base is nice.

Wooded sites give great privacy. As others have stated, no one seems to be around. Trash bin is not close. The washers and dryers are having a problem accepting the quarters. They get hung up and one has to really pound on them to get the quarters to fall. Could find no Wifi location on base.

Price is now $18 per night. Only 15 minutes to Fairbanks and a good base to travel to the northern parts of the area on day trips. Generally a good value but as stated in prior comments there seems to be no one in charge or if there is then they need some supervision. The bathrooms are individual bathrooms and have sink, toilet and shower. The showers have plenty of hot water and good pressure and paper products are replaced regularly but they need a good scrubbing at least once a week and a sweep out daily. We were here for a week and no one cleaned the bathrooms other than taking out trash. Sites are in heavily wooded with plenty of room between them. The have water and power, no sewer but there is a dump site. Mosquitoes are the only pest problem and there are a couple of propane mosquito killers in the campground. Generally a very nice area the sound of freedom is heard throughout the day, we didn't hear noise till around 8 AM and not after about 8 PM so not bad. There were plenty of sites available during the week we spent here, usually 4 or more empty the whole period. The place could be a lot better with someone taking a interest in managing it and keeping up with the maintenance.

Sites are in heavily wooded areas and mosquitoes are a problem in season. Generally a very nice area, but the wash house was a total disaster. Smashed mosquitoes on the walls (Yes, I expect someone to scrub them off.) Full trash cans were not emptied on a regular basis and broken limbs or overgrown shrubs blocked some sites. Someone needs to be in charge of keeping things in order and it is obvious that they are not, or they need better supervision! We can do better.

While this park is about 30 miles south of Fairbanks it is of good value and a good stop over with Bx/Commissary on Base. The bath house needs some attention and a camp host would be a great help. The "sound of freedom" was present daily, but being a retired AF guy I didn't mind at all. Sort of like having an air show in the back yard.