Campsite Review: Palm Oasis is a military-only campground located on NAF El Centro, west of the city of El Centro and north of Interstate 8. It is a very nice place.
From Interstate 8, take Drew Road northbound. Past the train tracks turn right on W. Evan Hewes Highway. After the Highway turns slightly right to the east, turn north on Bennett Road to the main gate. After the gate turn left at the Y on B street and left on 1st street. 1st Street turns into D street as the road turns north. Check-in is across the street from the Auto Hobby Shop. On weekends check-in is at the Auto Hobby Shop.
Palm Oasis NAF El Centro is one of the nicest military RV Park we have ever been to. It has 106 RV parking sites, all are back-in. Most have ample space between the RVs. Sites furthest south have the most room between sites.
Now that I said it may be the nicest military RV park we have ever stayed in, I still don’t like RV Parks. They are just not my thing. I far prefer State Parks and other locations. Palm Oasis met our needs in terms of location and full hookups.
Here is one of our blog posts when we stayed at Palm Oasis. Great news
Details
Website: Palm Oasis NAF El Centro
Address: Bldg. 318, NAF El Centro, CA 92243
Link to Google Map for the area: NAF El Centro
Phone Number/Reservations: 760-339-2486, you can also get reservations on 1-877-NAVY-BED (628-9233) but usually I find the direct number much more effective than the central reservation number.
This military campground accepts reservations up to one year in advance for active-duty personnel and six months in advance for other authorized patrons. Some references state different reservation windows.
Stay is limited to no longer than 180 days. This is a hard and fast rule that doesn’t always seem to be enforced but we have only been there for a couple of days so I don’t have any personal direct knowledge on the subject. There is no way I could stay there for more than days, El Centro is very hot, starting in the early spring, all the way until November.
Here is the link to an article on authorized patrons: Who can stay at military campgrounds?
Reservations are highly recommended in the winter.
Sites #1 – 21 are overflow sites and do not have full hookups and are not located in the RV park area.
Dates stayed: February 6-7, 2019, January 29-31, 2020,
Comfort: Temperatures were nice. Cool in the morning and pleasant for the rest of the day. In the late afternoon, nice in the shade.
Elevation: 45 feet below sea level
Season: Year-Round
Price Paid: $20/ night, discounts are available for month to month stays at about $13 per day.
Our Site: #44 and others
Hook-ups: Full, Electric/Water/Sewer – 50 amp
Dump station: No dedicated dump station found
Restrooms: Yes
Shower: Yes
Laundry: Yes, not used
Potable Water: Yes
Water to fill your RV storage tank: Yes
Cell service: We have ATT and Verizon, I don’t remember complaining but I also don’t remember any details.
Observations
Campsite Review: Palm Oasis NAF El Centro insider info:
The isn’t much to do at NAF El Centro the number one detail that is important is that the weather is mild in the winter and very hot in the summer.
For long term winter reservations, with full hookups, the price is excellent. I really recommend that you arrange to stay in sites #92-106 if possible. Sites further north have had some flooding/mud problems in the past. Now that I said that, getting a spot in sites #92-106 may be difficult. They have variable and changeable rules, some pertaining to pets and stay durations that exclude these sites from temporary guests.
There really isn’t a reception area at Palm Oasis. Park along D street in one of the many wide spots and then find your way to whatever office is going to check you in. Then enter the RV park. I say this because depending on your spot all roads don’t end up at the same place and there is no reason to drive through the north-loop if you will be staying in one of the loops further south.
Bonus
NAF El Centro Campground the home of the Blue Angels training winter training center. Nearly every day we have stayed at El Centro we have had one or occasionally two airshows. We have also used the free pressure washer to wash our car however, the water is very hard here and water spots were almost instant.
Layout & Satellite Views
That is our campsite review of Palm Oasis NAF El Centro Campground. Here is our link to our interactive map. Campsite Reviews