Beale AFB FamCamp

Only just got here, staying one week. Beware main gate, (Schneider) is closed. Height limit on Doolittle gate is 13' I had to turn around and go through the Wheatland gate, clearance is 15'.

Other comments posted on April 2017 are accurate. My comments, all sites are back ins in a circle so check first for easiest way to enter also there are thistle burs making it somewhat tough on pets. Visit the MUSEUM OF THE FORGOTTEN WARRIORS it's amazing just a few minutes outside of Beale. We had a 43' 5th wheel.

We came up from Sacramento using the directions on this page rather than following our GPS and have sent the administrator updated directions. Checking in was easy and after driving around the building on the gravel road, we made it into our site with no problems. We were assigned Site F2, a long and sufficiently wide asphalt parking pad. The slope to the loop was significant but we were able to level using some shoring under the tires (don’t like having the front tires off the ground) and then got the jacks down. The camp’s WiFi is usable (from our site) some of the time depending on the time you connect. Best early in the morning and late at night. We did have a good Verizon 4g LTE signal. We also were able to get a strong Directv satellite signal. Diesel fuel is not available at the gas station nearest the park, only at the one near the Vasser Lake gate. The laundry facility only has two washers/dryers but one of those was not working during our stay. The park manager is great and very helpful. We will return.

If you want some peace and quiet this is the campground to visit. Located about 15-20 minutes from town, the base encompasses 25,000 acres of which only a small part are used. Lots of rolling hills and even a few cows are around. Plenty of room to walk the dogs or ride your bike. Campground is set up in 6 circles with 8 back-in sites in each circle. Our site was level asphalt and plenty long for our 42' 5th wheel and truck. Small patio and picnic table at each site. Laundry room and fishing lake are also on site. Commissary and exchange on base along with a bowling alley and movie theater. Free wi-fi which can be spotty and our satellite had no problem here. Friendly office staff, but office is open only 9-12 weekdays. Lots of fulltimers that have been here a long time. I believe it is their permanent residence. Not sure how long you are "suppose" to stay or if there are any rules. Office staff said they have to turn a lot of reservation request down......maybe if they had rules about length of stay it would help!

Not having a reservation, and arriving on a Sunday, I went to the "Fam Camp" office to get the number for the host. They are very helpful, and found me a spot for a couple of days. They meet me at the park with a hostess packet and showed me where the spot was. They were very friendly. After hook up I took a shower and watched some TV. Things at this point are great. After about one hour I get a knock at the door. I answer and a gruff little man asks what my name is and lets me know that I can't just pull in anywhere I like. I try to explain that I got help from the number at the office and he tells me the guy was wrong. At this point I can tell you I will not be back. I thought the first part of this was great, but it's people like the little old bitter man that makes camps like this unwelcome. The whole thing could have went differently with a different attitude. I would think the purpose of a camp Host is to make the camp nice, help people, make them feel welcome. Starting this June I stayed at Grand Forks AFB, Minot AFB, William Henry Harrison, Mountain Home AFB, Kingsley Field, and now here. I had great fun and all of these places were great in there own way except this one. Even if the Base is fun, this one person will ruin this camp for me, and that is sad.

We just completed a 10 day stay at Beale – nothing has changed since our last several visits.  As usual, there is quite a cadre of homesteaders and the Wi-Fi is pathetic.  Tangent time:  Every wonder why you can’t get a reservation at a military RV Park during prime vacation time?  Chances are the RV Park has an abundance of homesteaders occupying the best sites.  There is an interesting perspective about homesteaders in the forum section of this website.  Poor Wi-Fi service seems to be the norm at many of the military RV Parks.  RV Park management response is always the same: “We are aware of the problem and are working on it”.  Sadly, nothing ever seems to get fixed.  If you can’t provide a good service, don’t advertise or offer it.  Enough venting.  Let’s move on to some fun and positive things.  We like coming to Beale because we find many things appealing.  The paved and lighted walking trails are great. If you are a shutterbug, you can find many scenic views of the landscape and wildlife without having to travel off base.  For us, Beale offers a great basecamp for playing “day-trip” tourist in the surrounding area.  There are too many great attractions in the local area to mention all of them.  During this stay we took a trip to the quint little downtown of Placerville, CA., hometown of the late Thomas Kinkade.  Our mistake: we should have planned at least a two-day venture.  You can get to Placerville quickly by going to Roseville and travel east on Highway 50 to Placerville.  That approach will give you plenty of time to wander around the town, have lunch, and browse through the shops.  We took a different route to Placerville and regret that we didn’t do a good job with our homework.  We could have easily spent multiple days traveling and stopping along the 48 miles from Auburn, CA to Placerville on Highway 49.  The scenery along the route is very picturesque. There are several parks that offer easy and challenging hiking trails, as well as, access to the American River.  If you are the adventurist type, there are businesses offering river rafting trips on the American River.  River rafting looks like a lot of family fun, but at our age we think we’ll pass on that adventure.  Sutter’s Mill, where gold was discovered in California, is another highlight along Highway 49 and the American River.  If you are into quint little historic downtowns then you may enjoy visiting Nevada City, CA.  Easiest way to get there from Beale is to use the Grass Valley Gate, go east on Highway 20, then north about 7 or 8 miles on Highway 49.  For us, it was a day-trip to Nevada City that was fun and interesting.

This is our first time at this FamCamp and we had a good experience. Yes, there are active duty full-timers (altho for how long each one stays?), goodies stashed outside a lot of the RV's and the occasional dog visit, but no loud music or other disturbances. It is, after all, their FamCamp that we are allowed to share. No trash or debre lying around, facilities and grounds in good order and repair. Rodents? Ants and rattlesnakes? They are there for sure, but we didn't experience any negatives from that source. Staff was cheerful, helpful, polite and eager to please. Each site is well positioned, and LOTS of room between each one. The numerous shade trees should make the warmer weather easier to enjoy. Commissary and BX are not far away. It was a quiet, peaceful two day rest from traveling. After all, it is an AFB and sure to have the noise from normal operations, but that is the sound of freedom.  Our rating for "Location" is because this FamCamp is "remote" from the majority of the base, but then the base is also remote(about 6-7 miles) from "townies".