Featured Facilities
Featured military recreation facilities with an in-depth review.
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F.E. Warren AFB was my first assignment, almost 30 years ago. It was fun to return to the beginnings of my military 
career and see how much the base has changed (or hasn't changed). We arrived on a beautiful, warm day in June 2006. Because of the directions on this web site, we knew to enter through the gate 2. But the directions from there on were a little vague. It had been over 25 years since we stayed in the FamCamp, but we knew which way to go. Since our visit, the directions on this web site have been updated to be clearer. If you arrive Mon - Fri, between 0600 and 1800, use the commercial gate on Missile Drive. It is MUCH easier to get to the campground, the gate is wider to get through, there's less turns, and no train tracks to cross. If you do enter through the main gate, FOLLOW the directions posted. If you don't, there are a couple of VERY LOW train bridges you'll run into before the campground.
Once we found the FamCamp, finding the office was even more of a challenge. We followed the signs pointing to way, which takes you around the campground. We arrived to a "T" in the dirt road and came upon the shower house. There weren't any signs telling us which way to go. There was a large brick building to the left, so we headed that way. Wrong choice. This is a temporary lodging building. We headed back to the shower house and there was the office! It's in the same building as the restrooms, but there's no sign telling you it's the office. Looking at the picture now, I guess it looks like an office. We arrived without reservations, but didn't have any problems getting a full hookup site.
Most sites are lined up in a few rows, with large trees between the rows. Although lined up, there's plenty of space between most sites to not feel crowded in. The site is all dirt and grass, with a charcoal BBQ and picnic table. Some sites will have morning shade, while others will have some evening shade. We enjoyed sitting under the large Oak trees, since it was pretty warm out. The tent sites are mixed in with many trees and there's plenty of room for dry camping in overflow. They have one large section marked off for overflow, but there's also over 7 acres of mowed grassland that they will also use for overflow, if needed.
Back at the office is the shower house/restrooms and a small laundry room. We saw 3 dryers and 2 washers, each costing $.75 a load. The office also had a small desk with a phone line available for dial-up Internet access. If you arrive after the office is closed, there's a self-serve drop box in front of the office. While some may consider the campground "rustic", I think this is mainly because there's no concrete pads or paved roads. Otherwise, the sites are in great shape, the grounds and facilities are well maintained. Although the campground is directly against active train tracks, it's very quiet. The trains move slowly through base and we never heard a train whistle, although we did see a few trains during a 3-day stay. Near the campground is a nature trail and an Indian Archeological Center. A short walk will also take you to the base's 2 museums. Both, the missile museum and Calvary museum are very interesting.
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Most of F.E. Warren AFB is a National Historic Site, as it was previously Fort D.A. Russell during the Indian War years. The base has kept the look and design of the old calvary fort. Large, red brick buildings with white columns are all that exist, other than the housing areas. During my assignment here, I had the opportunity to visit the "General's" house. Impressive! Even junior officer's have old, but very nice housing. If you look carefully at many of the buildings lining the back roads, you'll see they are old stables. Complete with the hay loft pulleys. Many of the buildings have plaques explaining the history of that building.
The base also has a few lakes, that they keep stocked. But the fish weren't biting the evening we tried. A visit to the on-base cemetery will reveal many old graves, as well as some German POW prisoner graves. Being an Air Force Base, it's very noticeable for the lack of any fixed wing aircraft. We even rarely heard any of the few Huey chopper's they do have. This base is the home support base for many of our ICBM missile sites and silos. But it's a far cry from when we had the Minuteman III missiles on 24 hour alert during the cold-war. Now days, the base almost seemed abandoned, as there was hardly any activity at all. What was once the 90th Strategic Missile Wing is now the 90th Space Wing. It was also a bit sad to see our old base house had been removed. Actually, the entire housing area we lived in is now gone. Just some barren roads surrounded by grassy fields are there now. But they base does have a new Exchange and commissary, as well as all other amenities you'll find on an active base. The gas was even a few cents cheaper than off-base.
We rated this campground with 3 stars. It's a nice, quiet campground without any frills. We liked the serenity of the location. It's a nice place to stop and relax. Cheyenne, WY is a nice town to visit while here. However, unless you have a specific reason to be in Cheyenne, there's not too much to do in town. A few parks, a couple museums, and (of course) the large Frontier Days Rodeo held the beginning of August. While not well known, you can catch a HOP pretty easily to California on a C-130 with the WY Air National Guard at the Cheyenne airport.
After spending a week at Laughlin AFB FamCamp, TX, we moved a whopping 22 miles to Southwinds Marina (and campground) on Lake Amistad. This marina is also ran by the MWR staff of Laughln AFB. We did have reservations, which is currently listed as being required. However, during our 3 night stay, the campground was never full. I'm sure someone arriving without reservations wouldn't have been turned away since there were sites available.
The marina and campground is about 15 miles west of Del Rio, TX. There are no signs for the marina until you are within 1.75 miles from it, so it's a bit tricky finding the correct turnoff. Actually, we tried to find this campground in March, 2005. We didn't look hard, but didn't find it and ended up spending the night at the Amistad National Recreation Area campground down the street. To get to the marina and campground, find Del Rio, TX on your map. West of Del Rio is Lake Amistad. You'll be driving on US 90. There's a large train bridge crossing the lake adjoining US 90. You can't miss seeing this bridge. On the east side of the lake and train bridge, you'll turn south onto Hwy 349 heading to the Dam and the Mexico border. There are signs pointing to the dam on US 90. About a mile down the road and immediately before the road narrows for the dam, there is a small sign pointing to the right (west) for "LAFB marina 1.75 miles". Turn right here onto a small, windy road to the marina and campground 1.75 miles away. When you arrive at the campground, turn at the first right (which is past the playground). This will go down a small hill to the marina store, where you check-in.
The campground and marina is for military personnel only. However, the boat ramp and shoreline is open to the public. Around the playground are 4 small tent sites with a BBQ, and a picnic table under shade. There's also 4 small rental cabins. We laughed when we saw these small cabins with signs on them stating (resort). Near the top of the hill going to the store are 5 RV sites without sewer, but they do have Water and Electric, a BBQ, and a picnic table under shade. The remaining 15 RV sites are at the top of the hill lined up. They have W/E/S/ and CATV. The RV pad is level asphalt, with loose gravel in between sites. There's a picnic table and BBQ, but no shade. Being on top of the hill, in the open, there was quite a bit of wind during our stay. Also, the RV sites are along a public road to the lake. Especially on the weekend, we had quite a few trucks and boats zooming by. There's no overflow, so you're out of luck if the sites are all taken. However, there are a few Amistad National Recreation Area campgrounds nearby, as well as private full hookup RV campgrounds.
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There are minimal items available at the marina and campground, primarily boat rentals. There is also a RV sewer dump, but it has a narrow entrance on torn-up concrete and a very tight turn. We didn't use it (since we had full hookups), but the only way I saw to use the dump was to pull into the small space provided, dump, then pull back out. Forget about pulling-thru the dump area. There is a nice playground and large picnic pavilion. The laundry room had 2 washing machines, which are free. Except one was broke. There are also 2 dryers, for 25 cents. The marina store isn't really a store. They might sell bait, but that would be about it.
Other than the high wind (at times) and the weekend road traffic, the campground was fairly quiet. We did have a constant showing of wildlife. Jack rabbits, cotton tail rabbits, and road runners were all over the place. A small herd of deer didn't seem afraid of us, as they were walking between RV's. At one point, I went out to BBQ and was startled to see 4 deer 3' from our door!
If you have a boat, this would be a great place to setup base camp and enjoy the lake. We wanted to rent a boat at the marina, but as with almost all military marina's, you need to attend their safety course first before you can rent a boat. Unfortunately, the safety course here is only taught a few times a year. We also inquired about the houseboat that was listed as being available to rent. The houseboat rental was discontinued over a year ago. Southwinds Marina is near Del Rio, TX, which is host to the Whitehead Memorial Museum and the Val Verde Winery. About 55 miles away is historic Fort Clark and Alamo Village, an active movie location and the site of John Wayne's Alamo movie. Judge Roy Beans' Saloon and home is 60 miles north, in the small town of Langtry, TX.
We rated this campground with 3 stars. In our opinion, the speeding vehicles, the location on top the hill, only 20 RV sites, no overflow area, and not being able to actually use the marina or rent a boat prevented us from giving this campground a higher rating. We still enjoyed this campground. For our purposes, next time we'll either stay at nearby Laughlin AFB Famcamp or use one of the public campgrounds.
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In March of 2006, we spent a week at Laughlin AFB FamCamp, TX. We arrived without reservations on a Saturday afternoon. We didn't have any problems finding Laughlin AFB, as there are plenty of road signs pointing towards the base. It's located about 5 miles east of Del Rio, TX directly on US Hwy 90. We used the main gate, which is open 24 hrs. There is a west gate, but it's closed on weekends and we don't know if a large RV could fit through the trap. The main gate did have a small obstacle course of concrete barriers, but they are placed far enough apart for a 40' rig to slowly navigate through, even with our tow vehicle still attached. The gate guards were pleasant and provided directions to the famcamp. Getting to the famcamp from the main gate is real simple. Just keep going straight through the main gate to the end of the road. You'll drive right into the famcamp.
Fort Sam Houston Army RV Park is one of the largest, and busiest, military campgrounds in the San Antonio, TX area. In March 2008, we called to see if there was space available. The best we could do was get a 6 day reservation a week away. I guess we should feel fortunate that we were able to get that. At the end of our 6 days, we asked to extend for another night. They granted us the extension and had us move into a different site. But it was free, since the 7th night is free during a week's stay. The funny thing is, we saw empty sites all week long. After we moved for the extended night, nobody took the site we were told to vacate. When we arrived, we discovered the driving directions posted here were only half right. Of course, we've corrected the directions, including adding driving directions when the "bridge is closed". When we first arrived, the bridge was open and we found the campground without issues. However, it was raining that day and the bridge was closed later that evening. It seems a creek overflows during the rains and they close the bridge. Even after the rains had stopped, a week later the bridge was still closed; they were waiting for the Corp of Engineers to approve the safety of the bridge. While this is the prudent thing to do, it sure made our stay less enjoyable for the week.
Read more: Featured Facility - Fort Sam Houston Army RV Park, TX
In April of 2006, we spent a few days at Fort Bliss RV Park, TX. Besides some heavy traffic going through El Paso, we didn't have any problems finding the RV Park. However, all directions had previously stated to use exit 5 from US-54. Note: It is now exit 25. I know all maps and atlas' show it being exit 5, it is definitely marked exit 25 on the highway signs. The RV park is located off base, so there's no problems with gate security or obstacle courses. If you follow the directions on the Ft. Bliss information page on this web site, you'll go directly to the RV park. When you arrive, turn left inside the park gate and there are long diagonal parking spaces to use while you check-in. If the office is closed, the camp host is directly past the office.
We paid by credit (debit) card without issues. Since this RV park doesn't accept reservations, we planned to arrive early. The usual routine is many guests pull out each morning, then new guests start arriving. The park seemed to get full each day by 3:00pm. When we arrived at 1:00pm, there were 6 or so sites available. They have a 14 day stay limit, which helps keeping the rotation moving. There is no overflow, so if the park is full, you'll need to find another location to stay for the night.
Our first impression of the sites was WOW! All of the 73 sites are about 70' long pull-through sites on level concrete pads, spaced far apart. There are trees and other landscaping at the end of each site. They are all complete with Water, 20A,30A, and 50A Electric, and Sewer. Each site also has a metal (plastic coated) picnic table and BBQ stand on a concrete patio. Between sites is 1" gravel with bushes and trees. To say the least, these are very nice RV sites. During our 3 day stay, they got full every night.
The RV Park is right along highway US-54, which is a 6+ lane freeway. There was no getting away from the highway noise, even in the sites furthest from the road. Directly across from the RV Park entrance gate is a shopette and Class VI store. The main facilities on Fort Bliss are about 2 miles away. There, you'll find a large Exchange and Commissary, the gas station, library, post office, museums, and everything else you would find on a large base.
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Fort Bliss is HUGE! Their primary mission is Air Defense training. This is the home of the Patriot missile. Fort Bliss also has a long history, starting in the mid 1800's as an Army post for settler protection during the Indian wars. The base is actually the sixth location of Fort Bliss, constructed in 1893. We visited each of the two museums on base. The Air Defense museum has been moved into new facilities (looks like the old Exchange) and is still slowly being expanded. They've done a good job of showing the history of Air Defense and have numerous exhibits and weapons on display, both inside and outside. We also toured the old Fort Bliss museum. It's supposed to be a representation of life at the early Fort Bliss. It's okay, but we weren't impressed. It was a series of bad displays of various life settings in the early 1800's. Nothing to do directly with the history of Fort Bliss. Outside of the Air Defense museum, which is located next to the Commissary, is a box with self-guided driving tours of the fort. This was a pretty good driving tour that took you around the older buildings of Fort Bliss. Explanations of when the buildings were built, their original use, and their current use was covered.
The famcamp has their own laundry facilities, which were clean and modern. There's 5 washing machines available at $1 each, and 5 dryers for 75 cents for 45 minutes. Directly next to the laundry is a very nice recreation room. Here, you'll find free WiFi and dial-up connections. There's a TV, comfortable couches and some games. But we didn't expect to see a set of exercise equipment. There were about 6 pieces of treadmills, exercise bikes, and other similiar equipment. There's also a large, fully equipped kitchen for guests use. I could see some pretty good party's, social hours, or get-together's in this room.
Ft. Bliss is right in El Paso, which is full of history and culture. Almost anything can be found in El Paso. Juarez, Mexico is just a mile down the road. Although not on this trip, we've enjoyed trips into Juarez. To just visit and shop, there's "The Trolley", which is a commercial service that takes you across the border and drives around Juarez, making stops at various locations. You can get on and off as you please.
We rated this campground with 4 stars. In our opinion, the poor location of the RV park is it's largest downfall. Fort Bliss covers many thousands of acres. We understand the old park was further into/on base. We wonder why the new RV Park wasn't built further away from the busy highway. Otherwise, this is a very modern and clean RV Park that we highly recommend. We see the policy of not accepting reservations as a good thing, as it allows many travelers to stop and enjoy this great park.