Camping with the Air Force

The Agave Gulch “FamCamp” at Davis-Monthan Air Force is one of about 144 campgrounds at military bases across the country.  People on active military duty, retired veterans, veterans with 100 percent disabilities, and civilians who have retired from the Department of Defense can use the facilities. Jim retired from the Navy Reserves, so we're included.

Agave Gulch has 266 sites with electric water and sewer hook ups that cost $19 a day.  They also have what they say are an unlimited number of overflow spots where you can camp without hook ups for $8 a day.  You can stay at the sites with hook ups for up to three weeks and can stay another three if spots are available.  If the camp is full, you go into the overflow area and wait until someone’s three weeks is up, then you get a spot.  

The only other military base RV park we’ve been to was in Corpus Christi, Texas.  It was not as well maintained as Agave Gulch; however, it was right on the Gulf of Mexico, a location that’s hard to beat.  From what I’ve read, some military camping parks have only trailers that people can rent, or are filled with folks who live there full time.  But others, like the FamCamp in Tucson, are just like a very nice, private RV park -- an RV park with a grocery store, department store, two 7 Eleven-type shops, rec centers, gas stations, a Burger King, banks, housing, schools and more -- plus fighter jets and missiles. 

Also, for an air force base, this place is amazingly quiet.  Today fighter jets were doing fly overs, and on a couple of days there was a big plane with four propellers repeatedly taking off, flying low, and landing.  (Jim said they must have been doing some sort of loading exercise.) But most of the time we don't hear the plane.  However, I read an online review of Agave Gulch where someone complained about the noise from the planes.  Hello? This is an Air Force base.

This is the front entrance of the Air Force Base where we drive in and show our military ID cards.

The FamCamp Office.  

That's our rig in the middle.  Our neighbors to the left are from Washington State; the neighbor on the right is from Minnesota.  

Our Minnesota neighbor has this guy behind his rig. 

Our Washington neighbors are traveling with their cat, Tommy.

Our rig and the Catalina mountains as seen in the reflection of our neighbor's window.  

The FamCamp has a big dog walk area; we walk Cooper every morning for two miles.

Jim finishing up our walk, along with other dog-owning FamCampers.