Fort Chaffee RV Park

This is a beautiful campground overlooking a small pond and the Arkansas countryside. Having read all the warnings about the culvert at the entrance, we took special care to look out for it. They are working in that area, so signage was missing, but it isnt hard to miss the campground. The sites are nicely spaced and were in need of some grass mowing. The roads in the campground, especially as you exit need to be regraded as they are full of ruts from water drainage. We will return here if in the area again. Hopefully for a longer stay!

This is a pretty small but nice little campground. All of the sites are on a hill overlooking a pond. They all appear to be pretty level as well which is surprising considering it is on a hill. You check in at the billeting office so you will have to pull off to the side of the road. It is a Guard base so not much in the way of amenities but still worth a stop if you are in the area.

Nice quiet little park. Our site was on the hill side overlooking the pond and golf course and we enjoyed that view. Only downsides were no garbage disposal of any sort...had to go driving around the base to find dumpsters. In addition, they need to re-grade the gravel roads into and around the RV area as storm water run-off has made huge ruts. Our coach was rocking and rolling despite proceeding at a crawl. Be ware your phone's GPS app might lead you to a different (and closed) gate!

We arrived 26 November planning to stay one night. But Oklahoma City, OK and Amarillo, TX (our next two stops) had an ice storm and the weather service advised not traveling unless it was absolutely necessary. The Billeting Office was very cooperative in allowing us to stay an additional 2 nights. There are only 20 sites (18 back in, 2 pull through), all have water and sewer, 9 of them are 30/50A, and 11 are 50A only. I have submitted those changes. Also, there are no weekly or monthly fees. Keep in mind that this is a National Guard base, not an active duty base. We will definitely use this location again if it fits into our travel plans.

HINT TO ADD TO THE DIRECTIONS TO GET TO THE CAMPSITES AFTER ENTERING BASE: We arrived after the RV Park Office had closed and as directed, checked in with the Military Police who really gave us a helpful hint... So, picking up from the directions that listed in the Camp Details... At the 4-way stop after entering the gate, Right turn on Ft Smith. The MP station is on the corner of Ft Smith / 2nd - there is a gravel lot that can be parked in while doing check in. Only one went in, signed a doc and about to be sent on our way with a map before I started asking questions about the best route. Options in leaving the gravel lot - Exit to 2nd by taking a right / Exit to 3rd by taking a left, Follow either road choice down to 23rd and take a right where you will "T" into 4th. Just a slight dog-leg to the right making wide turns and the culvert that is mentioned is MUCH easier to maneuver. We are a 42' 5th Wheel and F350 Truck, no problems and much easier than what we were thinking using the very good directions already provided. NOTE: We are going to use the reverse of this as our exit. Sadly, only a 1 night stay as we have a need to meet a schedule but will plan to come back... Yes, it is older but it's charming and quiet... It was nice to hear Colors again as it's been since March that we've been on a Base... Happy and Safe Travels!

If you want to stay in the Ft Smith area to see the historic sites or to visit the area casinos, this is a great place to park your unit. There are several "residents" but there are plenty of open sites. Previous reviews spoke of issues with the water source, particularly on site #10. Great news! They updated the water source, brought it above ground, and made it keyless. If using your GPS when leaving the RV park, don't forget there is only one way in and out of Ft Chaffee, all other gates/roads are closed. For the price and the military security, we would certainly stay here again.

The weird water connections are the biggest problem at this Famcamp. The office people state that they are working on getting them taken care of. Some leak all the time and some are rusted shut. You still need the key to turn the water on and off. The camp is quiet and clean. There are no shower or laundry facilities. You do get used to the speakers playing taps (at 10:55 PM and 11:00 PM), reveille (at 7:00 AM) and when the flag is lowered (5:00 PM). The speakers are right in the center of the campground. But for $8.50 a night it is a great bargain. The town of Fort Smith is just down the road with all the big stores and restaurants. We stayed in a motorhome and will return when in the area.

Like many earlier reviews.....a great value for $8.50.....but I have a real issue with the water connections. The site #10 water box would not turn on with the "key" provided by the billeting office, but the camp host had a 4 way key that worked. He suggested running some water before hooking up my hose, which I do all the time, but.....with the connection below the level of the box top I had to connect my hose to the connection that was under water. Seems like a very serious.....potential....safety hazard of safe water supply. Tried the PX. Great price for ice, but no 2 liter soda and no milk at all. Guess that's what keeps Wal Mart in business. I also strongly agree with the review about going into the park from the north...off of I-40. Take exit 3 off of I-540 and go south on Hy 59 to Hy 22, then left turn for just a mile or so to the main gate.

Quiet little park. A little more rustic than most military campgrounds. Sites are large but not necessarily level. We drove behind the gym and billeting with the camper and parked beside billeting when signing in. They were very friendly. Very FEW 30 amp sites. I guess you can buy a converter in town for about $25 but have never had a need for one in the last 6 years of camping. The water was at ground level and you need a special tool to turn it on. Luckily our neighbor had purchased one (original purpose was to turn on gas in a fireplace). They may also have one at the office if they are open. No garbage as mentioned before. We found the Elvis Haircut Museum at Fort Chaffee. Small but VERY informative about the history of the place. Enjoyed the free tour of Miss Laura's in Ft. Smith which serves as their visitor's center.

After hearing so many good things about this RV Park, we made a side trip to spend the night here. As said before, a no frills RV Park in a quiet location. A GREAT value - what a military campground should be. Although there's a few long-term residents, their RV sites were not trashy. There were a few vacant sites available. We arrived without a reservation. If we had the time, we would have been glad to spend a month here. There's a good article on this website about the RV Park and Fort Chaffee. We learned a few things from that article. We didn't know there was "Elvis" history here.

Ft Chaffee is an Army National Guard post. Park is WELL WORTH the ~$10 (including tax) per night. Weird setup for water connection...faucet is at ground level. Have a screwdriver handy to lift the sewer lid. Very few pull-thru sites. I had site #2, a back-in site with great shade trees. Nice view of the fishing/duck pond from my garage door patio. Park driveway is one block past the PX. Other reviews said the campground entrance could be a little difficult to turn into, so I pulled into a gravel driveway prior to the "real" driveway and drove thru to the campground. No trash dumpsters in the park, so drop your trash in the dumpsters behind the dining facility. Wifi is available at the gym. There seems to be several fulltimers staying at the park.

We came in late and checked in with the MP office to see if a site was available. They took our information and told us to take any site that was open. There was several sites free but other campers were parking their extra cars in them. There was one site open. Electric, sewer, and water is all they offer. No bathhouse or restrooms. The water requires a key but the one on our site was warn so we had to purchase one at Lowe's. Good location, nice PX for a small post like this. People were friendly. We stayed two nights. Loved hearing the range, did not hear it in the camper. Good location.

Great little campground. It's clean and quiet. Talked with the people over the phone they set me up for an over-nite stay. There's no extras. Just plain pull-in full hook-up and stay. It was close to town so I could pick up items I needed. I was in site 7 and it did have a great view. It's a little off the beaten track but as has been said before for $8.50 a night you can't go wrong.