Worth the miles
The 5 Destination FamCamps That Belong on Your Bucket List
Ask military RVers for their favorite FamCamp and you'll get twenty different answers.
Some are great because they're cheap. Some are convenient. And some you plan the whole trip around.
This list is about those places.
We looked at 230+ FamCamps and scored them on scenery, recreation, the drive, booking demand, site quality, and how often they come up in groups and forums.
Here are five worth the miles.
#5. Peregrine Pines FamCamp, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
Ponderosa forest and the Rampart Range on the U.S. Air Force Academy, the ground Peregrine Pines sits in. U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley. Public domain.
Pines, mountain air, the Front Range, and Colorado Springs just across I-25.
Peregrine Pines sits on the Air Force Academy grounds northeast of Falcon Stadium. It has 105 RV sites, bathhouses, laundry, Wi-Fi, and enough trees that the campground feels more like camping than parking.
The Academy and Colorado Springs give you plenty to do once you're unhooked.
Peak season runs April through October. Active duty can generally reserve 90 days ahead, with most other eligible campers at 60 days.
One current catch: the Cadet Chapel is still closed for restoration, with public reopening currently estimated for 2028.
Why go: This is the pick for people who would choose pine trees and cool mountain mornings over palm trees.
Know before you tow: The campground sits near train tracks. Some campers barely notice them. Others remember the horns.
#4. MacDill AFB FamCamp, Tampa, Florida
MacDill Air Force Base on Tampa Bay. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tiffany Emery. Public domain.
MacDill isn't the prettiest drive on this list.
It may be the best place to spend January.
The FamCamp has 359 full-service sites along with dry camping and water-and-electric spaces. During winter, it becomes its own little military RV community.
Golf. Kayaks. Boating. Tampa. Warm weather. Neighbors who may be staying for weeks or months instead of one night.
That's the appeal.
Most full-hookup sites can be reserved well in advance, while a smaller number remain first-come with shorter stays and a dry-camping rotation.
Why go: If your idea of a successful winter involves shorts, Tampa Bay, and a campground full of other RV travelers, MacDill makes sense.
Know before you tow: It's big, busy in season, and the approach is Tampa traffic, not a scenic highway.
#3. Cliffside RV Park, NAS Whidbey Island, Washington
The bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Ebey's Landing, on Whidbey Island. National Park Service photo by H. Richards. Public domain.
Now the scenery gets serious.
Cliffside sits along the shoreline of Whidbey Island looking across the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward Vancouver Island, the San Juan Islands, and the Olympic Peninsula.
There's a walking beach below the campground and sunsets that make sitting outside the RV part of the day's plans.
The 52 RV sites have concrete pads and full hookups. Showers, laundry, and Wi-Fi are available, but the real amenity is the location.
Drive across Deception Pass. Explore Fort Ebey. Walk the shoreline. Come back and watch the sun go down.
Why go: Cliffside is one of the military campgrounds where the campsite itself is part of the vacation.
Know before you tow: You are on an active Naval Air Station. There are jets. Do not blindly follow standard GPS routing. NAS Whidbey warns RV travelers to use the proper RV gate. Open Gate Access in the VetCamps app and tap Navigate. It aims at the primary RV gate, not the camp loop.
#2. NAS Key West, Sigsbee Park, Florida
Sigsbee Park, NAS Key West. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cody R. Babin. Public domain.
Warm water. Palm trees. Bikes. Key West.
And the waterfront site everyone wants.
NAS Key West has 93 full-hookup sites plus hundreds of dry and camping spaces spread among Sigsbee, Trumbo Point, and Truman Annex.
For the bucket-list version of the trip, Sunset View and Gulf View are the names to remember.
Get the right site and your evening plans are basically handled: pull out the chairs and wait for the sky to change colors.
Downtown Key West is only a few miles away.
The downside is predictable.
Everybody else wants to be there too.
Active-duty members, dependents, and reservists can generally reserve 12 months ahead. Retirees, eligible veterans, and other eligible patrons typically get a six-month window. Winter stays are capped.
Why go: It's hard to beat military waterfront camping in Key West.
Know before you tow: Winter is competitive, sites can feel close together, and waterfront wind means don't forget about the awning.
You'll probably forgive all three around sunset.
#1. Seward Military Resort, Seward, Alaska
Seward Highway through the Chugach National Forest. Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public domain.
And then there's Seward.
If you're going to drag an RV all the way to Alaska, this is the kind of place you want waiting at the end.
Seward Military Resort sits near Resurrection Bay surrounded by mountains, fishing, hiking, and the kind of scenery most of us spend the rest of the year seeing on somebody else's Facebook page.
But the campground is only half the reason Seward takes #1.
The drive might be better.
From Anchorage, the Seward Highway runs along Turnagain Arm and through the mountains before reaching Seward.
It's the kind of drive where somebody keeps saying:
Pull over here.
Once you arrive, there's charter fishing, shore fishing in season, harbor trips, hiking, and the Kenai Peninsula to explore.
The resort has 40 RV sites with water and 30/50-amp electric, plus laundry, showers, and a dump station. There is no sewer hookup at the individual sites.
The season is short, generally running from around mid-May into September, and reservations can open 365 days ahead.
Why it's #1: This isn't just a FamCamp stay. It's an Alaska road trip with a military campground sitting at the end of it.
Know before you tow: Don't expect a manicured luxury RV resort. Sites are fairly tight gravel pads.
That's probably not what you'll remember anyway.
You'll remember Alaska.
What's your top 5?
Build your own list in the VetCamps app.
Just off the list
Five spots means some good ones get left out.
Del Mar Beach at Camp Pendleton puts you near the Southern California sand.
Blue Angel Recreation Area gives Pensacola travelers another waterfront option.
Agave Gulch at Davis-Monthan AFB is a favorite for Arizona winter camping.
And Eagle Hammock RV Park keeps earning praise from military travelers on the East Coast.
Any one of those could be somebody else's #1.
Hours, reservations, and gate rules change. Confirm them with the camp before you travel. Defense Department and Library of Congress photos do not imply an endorsement.
More field notes in Guides.