Who can stay at military campgrounds? Generally, the answer is all personnel on active duty, most military retirees, some other veterans, and some DOD employees.
Who can stay at military campgrounds?
Roughly the groups are outlined as follows:
- Active duty and families of active duty — including reserves who are currently on active duty.
- Gold Star family members, where the service member died in armed conflict.
- Military retirees that get retired pay regardless of whether or not they retired from active duty.
- Some other veterans that did not retire. This group expanded in January 2020 to include all disabled veterans and veterans awarded the Purple Heart Medal.
- Some employees of the Department of Defense (DOD) and sometimes even retired employees of the DOD.
- Sometimes local commanders open their campgrounds to nonmilitary and non-DOD civilians.
Usually, there is a preference for active duty, but the other categories don’t usually establish a pecking order. Sometimes the active-duty preference establishes longer lead times for registration. The other groups usually fall on a first come – first serve order.
DOD Instruction about who can stay at military campgrounds
DOD Instruction 1015.10 is the regulation pertaining to recreation facility access.
It also depends on each location to set its own rules. Local rules supersede the instruction which usually creates a more restrictive benefit — but not always more restrictive. The only way to know is to call ahead to make sure you qualify — get reservations as far in advance as possible.
Base Access
Typically the campgrounds are on the military base. If you don’t have access to the base then either get access to the base (which is more difficult than you may think) or find some other place to camp.
Things change often
Sorry to be evasive on the answer, but not only does this change depending on the service branch and location, but this also changes due to changes in the law. The most notable recent law change was in January 2020. The Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act took effect on January 1st, 2020. This expanded the list to include disabled veterans and former prisoners of war. Veterans awarded the Purple Heart medal for injury, even if it did not result in disability, are also included.
Even though this “new law” took effect at the beginning of 2020 it isn’t being applied. At least not yet. It appears the campgrounds nor the bases they are established on, have made provisions for the new group of veterans.
Sometimes retired civilian DOD personnel are included on the above list. Rumor has it that some local commanders have opened recreation facilities to nonqualifying civilians for a variety of reasons including to have enough revenue to sustain operations.
Homesteading
Military campgrounds are considered recreation facilities but frequently this description gets blurry. Some military campgrounds are occupied by active-duty personnel as if it were a housing option. Most military campgrounds have rules restricting this use by issuing stay limits. Other military campgrounds have very few active-duty personnel. Active-duty personnel are usually given preference pertaining to reservations, but not always.
The term homesteader is given to people who elect to stay as long as possible. These are not just active duty. Many military retirees have decided on long-term stays at military campgrounds as a lifestyle. Campground managers often turn a blind eye to what is referred to as “homesteaders”.
Insider Club
Sometimes homesteaders have had the run of the place and create an insiders group of campers who watch out for each other. There have been cases where a local commander has fixed the problem and in other cases, the problem persists.
There is a location in Tampa that has a reputation for being an insiders club with very limited access to outsiders who desire a short-term recreation stop. Sometimes snowbird insiders make reservations for the following year while they are still at a location before any campsites are released outside the clique.
Campground managers fill all the available spots with little regard for travelers, bragging that they have very high occupancy. Most recreational campers quit calling, give up, and look elsewhere. The reservation system (stated as if there is only one system) is easily exploited by loyal insider patrons and cooperating managers.
Rumor has it that some services give preference to members of their own group — such as Air Force personnel on Air Force bases, but I haven’t found this at any location that I have been at.
COVID changed many things
With good intentions and an abundance of caution, some commanders have restricted access to numerous bases in an effort to keep “infected” outsiders out. I think this represents a shift from previous American ideals espoused in the motto “live free or die” to the more current ideal of “better safe than sorry”.
I have heard rumors of the base commander clearing the family camp and putting the RVers on the road during the early COVID scare. Things today seem to be getting a little less drastic.
One of my favorite Navy idioms for many years was “now muster the over-reaction team” which is like a similar statement, “anything worth reacting to was worth overreacting to”. The same people would make a “mountain out of a molehill” and like Chicken Little, running around proclaiming that “the sky is falling”. Sorry, I am very tired of this virus…and the trends in American culture.
Best Advice
If you qualify, then get an ID card that establishes general base access. Call ahead and reserve a campsite whenever possible.
Post updated January 3, 2023.
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Posts about our stays at military campgrounds
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Thanks for sharing this information and your opinions. I have only one Fam Camp experience so far, and pre-covid. I stayed at NAS Lemoore (Hanford, CA, near Fresno). The hook-ups were full, but the “overflow camping” area (away from the main base) had plenty of available spots and was quite pleasant. Having worked fighter aircraft for several years in the ’70s, I was pleasantly reminiscing to the sound of fighters taking off in the morning.
I was told that the base had some issues with housing and many of the spots were taken by active-duty people (homesteading). I intend to try my luck again, and at some different Fam Camps.
(By the way, I recently upgraded from a 2000 30′ gas Class A to a 2000 Allegro Bus. Definitely takes more care in getting in and out of parking lots, especially when pulling a trailer.)
An active duty military personnel or veteran can use a military campground. However, most campgrounds also welcome a military dependent, including a minor immediate family or a spouse of an active member, a disabled veteran, or a member killed in combat.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Veterans or any active duty military personnel are allowed to camp on military bases. In addition, active duty military personnel and their families can receive a free yearly entrance pass to any federal parks and preserves.
Military campgrounds frequently offer rental cabins, RVs, playgrounds, bathhouses, and other amenities. Service members and their families have access to all of these benefits.
A military campsite requires you to be a veteran or an active member of the armed forces. All military dependents, such as a member killed in action, a disabled veteran, or a minor in the family of an active member, are welcome in most campgrounds, though.