Arnold AFB FamCamp

We tent camped here for one night. The campground was not crowded on this Sunday. The grounds and the one bath house we used were clean. The site (T3) was right on the water but not very level, acceptable for the one night we were staying. This was a short notice reservation and the ODR staff was friendly and helpful. We paid $8 for the site.

Beautiful location, with almost nothing else to offer. Negatives: The bathrooms nearest my site were sweat boxes and I unclogged 2 toilets in 3 days with a scrub brush, because they didn’t bother leaving a plunger. Very basic cleaning job (one of the toilets was clogged before and after the “cleaning”). The 30A outlet had a ground fault and was inoperable. Dirty used mattresses were piled next to the dumpsters. The WiFi exists in a very, very limited area. The outdoor rec employees seem to not care very much about anything. Positives: Cost was good ($18/night). The washer and dryer were free. The sites were mostly level. The reservoir provided a great view. It’s only 30 minutes to the Jack Daniel’s distillery (their tour was my reason for being in the area). I don’t ask for much from FamCamps; I want them to be relatively clean, utilities to work, and moderately responsive outdoor rec employees. None of those boxes were checked.

I really enjoy camping here.But it has gotten harder to get a site even in off season times because of too many long term campers. I don't mind sharing with non-military but they seem to have taken over. More like a trailer park than a campground. I camped here 2 times this year and saw the same campers just moved around to different sites.This should be addressed by post commander and corrected to serve the ones for which it was established. 

No sewer hook-ups (that is automatically worth a downgrade of one star). Once past that, your rv is parked right beside a gorgeous lake. It is quiet. About an hour from Nashville, about the same to Chattanooga. Jack Daniels and George Dickel Distilleries are real close (the Jack Daniels Distillery is a great tour). Walk around Lynchburg afterward and get a meal at Mrs. Bobo's (reservations suggested). If you are into music, the Bonnaroo festival in the Spring is a few miles down the road.

Absolutely beautiful FamCamp. We only spent one night, but will be back soon! Only nits are that the spots could be more level and the check in office is difficult to turn around at - watch out if you've a large Class A! (Our 38' 5er was OK with a back & forth turn around.) Most sites look onto the water and all are shaded. WiFi works OK where we were in #14, a pull through.

Our site was grossly uneven so much so that the right side tires were off the ground to get level. Our 3 week in advance reservation fell on deaf ears as our name was not posted anywhere in the camp. We had to call the duty Ops person who also had no idea where our site was. We ended up taking a site just as another camper came in that had that site, go figure. They were great about it and all was worked out in the end by lots of phone calls. No sewage hook ups at sites but there were blue dollies for use near the dump location.

Famcamp is right on the lake. Beautiful area. Very quiet. Price was great until September 1st. Monthly rate went to $450.00. Daily rate up to $18.00 per night. Now way overpriced considering they have no sewer hookups. Beach is small and needs some TLC. Like about 30 yards of sand. I would come back. Commissary has everything one needs. No medical services on base. 

A lot has changed at the ole famcamp since I last reviewed it in 2012, sadly not for the better. The Arnold famcamp is more like the Arnold "trailer park." Homesteading is alive and well here in this very poorly managed military rv park. Stays of 1, 2 or 3 months are the norm rather than the exception. There were always 10 drive thru spots designated for long term stays, which is great. However, now it seems any spot can be reserved for stays as long as you want. At 12 bucks a night, its cheaper than storing your rv downtown. I'm sure that doesn't pay the electric bill. In fact, just rent a spot for a few days and stay as long as you want. If someone shows up who reserved your spot, they'll just stick him in any old spot they can, whether or not its suitable for your rv. Ask me how I know. Yes, with the park always full, the shower houses are filthy and should be shutdown by the health department. But at 12 bucks a night no one seems to mind I guess. Most "campers" don't seem to spend much time in their units anyhow. They just set them up and come by on the weekends. They have rules at the famcamp, its just that nobody follows them or seems to care. They play fast and loose with the eligible camper rules also. If you know someone that works on the base, he can reserve a site for you and nobody will be the wiser. There is no accountability at this park. Its off the base proper, so there is no gate to go through, no ids are checked. Sponsors are supposed to be at the site when its occupied, but that doesn't happen. For the very few that are able to work the system and reserve a nice spot for months at a time, its great. For the rest of us, who want to get away with our families for a few days or a week, forget it, you can't do it, all the nice, easily accessible spots are taken. I should be able to reserve a spot 40 days in advance, but forget that rule also. I tried to reserve a spot once and realized I was too far in advance, but then I was told, "oh we don't really care too much about that." If you need a spot for a night, just camp at any open spot, they'll never know it. Don't worry about checkout time either, its optional. They really have no idea what's going on in the famcamp, what spots are open or not. My biggest concern is when the Air Force becomes aware of this gross mismanagement, they'll shut the park down. They closed a beach/picnic area when the base determined it wasn't being used by eligible personnel. Really a shame this famcamp doesn't function as it should and provide a nice camping experience for "real" campers. Instead it functions as a "trailer park" for a few.

I stopped at this campground for an overnighter on my way to Nashville.  While the camp was quite full for a Monday, I was able to get sight #18, which is a premium site right on the water.  The person at Outdoor Rec was nice and helpful.  The campground was neat and clean.  It didn't appear that the campsites were grossly unlevel as noted in older reviews.  The men's bathhouse and shower was clean. If you come in on a Sunday or Monday make sure you bring your own food, as the BX and Commissary are closed on those days. They do have a grill at the golf course but it closes early.  The Jack Daniel's Distillery is close by in Lynchburg TN, so make time to go on a tour!