Featured Facility - Kirtland AFB FamCamp, NM

We stopped by Kirtland AFB FamCamp in late June, 2006. They don't take reservations, which was fine with us. We rarely make them. Located on the east side of Albuquerque, the campground is on base and located only a few miles from the Interstate. Unlike our previous visits, we got a full hook-up site immediately. It must have been due to the heat, as the campground wasn't even half occupied.

Since it was mid day, we followed the directions posted on this web site for the Eubank gate. They are perfect, except I'd add that it's a very narrow fit through the gate. No problems getting through, except there was only a few inches of clearance on each side. I also verified that the main gate directions are accurate. If you arrive during normal hours, someone will be in the office to check you in. If arriving after hours, there's a sheet showing open spaces and instructions for self check-in.

The campground is located on Kirtland AFB, in dry desert. There's a variety of types and sizes of RV sites. Some sites are large, some smaller. Some have electric only, others are full hook-ups. Some sites have 30amp electric, others have 30 and 50amp. Some are on a concrete pad, others are on gravel. Some have grass next to them, others dirt. Some sites have a picnic table and/or charcoal BBQ, others have nothing. Depending on how busy they are, you take what is available. Besides the large variation in the quality of the sites, there's a large problem with the location of hook-ups. We were lucky and got a site that had W/E/S hook-ups close by in the normal street side location. But many RV sites have electric far from the site, on the patio side. We saw RV's that had to use 100' of water hose to reach the closest water spigot, which was on the other side of the next RV site. Some had to stretch their electric cord or use an extension, and the same with sewer connections. As a previous reviewer said, be sure you're prepared with extensions for all hook-ups. When talking with a fellow guest about the large variance in sites, he mentioned the campground plans to completely upgrade the utilities and make it more standard.

In addition to the hook-up RV sites, there's 66 dry overflow sites. The campground is on the edge of the base, next to officer's housing. It's in a middle area between being rustic, and an RV resort. It satisfies all the basic needs, but nothing fancy here. The laundry room has 3 washers for $.75, and 4 dryers for $.75 a load. There is also a computer dial-up connection in the laundry room. Unlike fancier military campgrounds, there's no recreation room, exercise room, game room, WiFi, or rental lodging (cabins). There are restrooms and showers in fair condition. During our short visit, it appears they were installing propane to be resold.

Kirtland AFB FamCamp is a no frills, regular RV campground. The base has all of the regular facilities. Immediately off base is a plethora of restaurants and stores. Within 20 miles is historic Albuquerque, much cultural tourist attractions, and the famous yearly Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. We rated the campground as average, with 3 stars. It's a good place to stay while touring the local area, and the prices are a little lower than the local commercial RV parks. Despite any negatives I may have mentioned, it's the most exclusive gated RV park in the area, complete with armed guards. We'll return again.