Williams FamCamp

It is rare that I feel inspired to write a glowing review of a FamCamp, but this one should rightly win an award for Best 2015 FamCamp overall! It's not just that Elisha and Charlie are the friendliest, most accountable and hard working site hosts; it's not just that the scenery (see pics) and site spaces are expansive and beautiful; it's not just that northern Colorado offers lots to do; or that Buckley AFB is new and quickly expanding into a great facility...more than all of this folks have been just plain friendly and fun. I'm in my third year of full-time RV travel, with Buckley FamCamp 14th in my long list of military base stops in 36 months. Buckley AFB and the folks who run it have made my experience here feel like I'm in a *community*. Not only will I come back here, but I wish I could have stayed longer. Other plans and a very full camp are sending me south again (back through Tucson to the Coronado beach for winter) but I would simply stay here if I could. As most of you know, meeting other veterans and their families is a great place to begin any social setting. Here at BAFB, we've all BBQ'd, laughed, gotten to know each other, and just felt true rest in a world seemingly gone mad. The only other place I've had this much fun was at Hill AFB FamCamp, where folks are also crazy fun. The Buckley Outdoor Rec office folks (Shane, Dakota, Jeff) also made it clear that they're doing all they can to offer the best experience for RV visitors. There are plans to expand BAFB Famcamp to add more spaces, but they are also planning to give the sites some shade and to add some better overflow options. Given how new this place is, and how great it already is, I can only guess that Jeff and his staff will soon be even more busy offering this experience to more retirees and their families. Having said all of this, it's also true that there are wickedly scary rattlesnakes (no kidding, I saw one--they ARE here!); an epidemic of rabbits, ground squirrels and prairie dogs, and okay an occasional few hours in the laundry room for a tornado warning....BUT! Once the weather calmed down and we got used to watching where we stepped, it was all worth it! I purchased my first pair of binoculars this year just so that I could watch the beautiful hawks holding reign over the lake behind the park. In the morning, even now as I write, the song birds are a noticeably beautiful backdrop to the shimmering of leaves that are just now becoming yellow-tipped revealing fall is on its way. My favorite bird of all is here, too: the Magpie. Gorgeous, smart and fun to watch. Here's what I would hope to see added at Buckley soon: shade over picnic tables, a 21 day rotation during peak season, an indoor pool on base, more of the excellent (and free) washer/dryers), and a quick repurposing of the empty building where the boat house for the lake once was for the site hosts to use. There's plenty(!) of land here to make this place rival even USAFA's FamCamp, and this year's unprecedentedly full sites reveal the very high interest among military service members. As I always say when I write MCG.com reviews, if you (by whom I mean FSS and Base Commanders!!!) do the math, you'll quickly realize that there's NO OTHER activity on any military base creating this kind of revenue. You would be, if you'll forgive me for saying so, stupid not to leverage the advantages for everyone concerned. At $18k/month for just 30 sites, why not 3 times that and all you need to build that pool? Get ready, Buckley is THE destination for next spring and summer. See you all here....

Spent 2 weeks here. It was awesome. Base commissary is large and well stocked. The MWR office staff are very friendly and helpful. Easy to get into site. Big Rig friendly, level concrete pads, bath house is clean, they are in the process of replacing the washers and dryers. When we first arrived, only 1 washer and 1 dryer worked. Plenty of space for kids to play. Do not expect to have a shady spot. LOL, no trees, but of course it is a high desert area. Beautiful sunsets over the mountains. If you go in the summer, be prepared for ozone alert days, the front range, Denver metro area is very polluted in the summer. Lots of smoke from wildfires in Utah, NW, CO and AZ seem to funnel up into the Denver area.

We had reservations for over a month. Upon arrival the camp is full, our reservations invalid as they were full and the "camp hosts" have a sign on the door stating they sleep during the day and do not knock in big letters We went over to the rec center and there we found out our reservations were filled. Spoke to a manager said that there could not be a sign on the door of the host RV. 3 other RV folks joined into the conversation and all had same issue. Not sure why reservations are accepted if not honored. This camp needs better hosts and better organization.

We arrived late on a holiday and initially found it difficult to access the Base. However, when we found the main gate it was a piece of cake. The campground was very clean and well kept. The camp hostess Aleisha and her husband Charley were superb. They were extremely helpful, accommodating and hospitable. Our stay was very nice and would return except the altitude gave my wife some problems and for that reason alone we probably won't be able to return to this very nice campground. Thanks Aleisha and Charley! The Moore's

Agree with all of the comments so far. We enjoyed our stay BUT the newly planted grass was allowed to grow and go to seed which the field mice loved. We are now in a totally mouse free area and have removed four mice from inside our rig and still counting! We've been full time for 14 years and have never had a mouse. No reservations would be a good change or make reservations but don't assign site until arrival. That would make it so you would not have to change sites in mid-stay. After the fact we discovered that it would have been better to make a reservation for the longest time you might stay and then get a refund if you left early. Strangely, that would not have been a problem for management. Who knew??

This new FamCamp will only improve over time. It has only been open for a few weeks so the facility and the administration are in their infancy. Directions. The base has no markings showing the entrance. Stay in the left-hand lane when crossing Tower. There are two left-hand turn lanes going into the base. Do not follow the commercial trucks into the base. Stay left and just show your ID cards Continue with the rest of the directions once on base. There are no signs leading to or at the FamCamp. Registration: There is no host or MWR presence at the FamCamp. Sites have no "reserved" notes. We chose a site and called Outdoor Rec, (720)847-6100. They confirmed the availability and took our credit card number in payment. We obtained a base map from a fellow camper, scanned it, and sent it in to this site for posting. Thanks. Fee: The fee of $22 seemed a bit high. Eighteen to twenty would have been a bit better at this time. Facilities at the FamCamp: We did not use or visit the bathrooms, but other campers said that they are available and clean. The cement spaces are well designed, level, and separated nicely. Once some landscaping matures, it will be nice. Facilities on Base: We did not visit them but fellow campers confirmed availability of a Commissary, Exchange, and Fitness Facility. Noise: Be prepared. You are right near the flight line. These Top Gun Rocket Jockeys can really bring it! Ahh, the sound of freedom. We may have been a bit critical with our star ratings above, but they reflect a current evaluation with the obvious potential. We are glad that they are open for business and welcoming guests at this time. [email protected]

Our stay here is in 2 parts, with a 10 day gap in between as we travel to Yellowstone. Outdoor Rec took my reservation dates about 6 weeks prior to arriving with no problem, but when I called closer to arrival to add or change a date I was told, "We haven't been able to take reservations for about 3 weeks because of a computer problem, but you should be able to find a spot." Really???? We are now in the second part of our stay and really happy we have a good generator! The entire base is just odd. It is a combination of brand new facilities and what appears to be outright neglect. The Camp has a brand new bath house with 2 FREE washers and dryers, but is not given a very thorough cleaning. The maintenance is performed by civilian contractors who come in from off base. The mowing issue is ridiculous. The story I was told (By a Nat'l Guard member who operates on base and has been here for the last 2 months) is that the grounds keeping contract was terminated at the last expiration and that the "sequestration issue" has prevented them from issuing another contract. Enlisted personnel have to do the mowing, but they have no equipment! So ... they have to borrow mowers from the National Guard side of the base to cut the grass! Nat'l guard have mowers because they maintain the airfield, while the base personnel have the radar & satellites. I dunno ... sounds like a huge "cluster" to me. We are also experiencing a base wide power outage due to bad storms that went through the area last night. It has now been 24 hours with low, intermittent and finally, no power at all. Excel Power is alleged to be the culprit ... but the main gate is shut down because the huge barriers can apparently come up from the earth with no warning, and there is said to be NO manual override. Huh. Two other gates are open, but things are chaotic. I spoke to the wife of one man who was putting their rig into the secure storage lot while she waited at the Exchange. While he was in the lot the power went out again, and he was trapped inside because the keypad to open the gate for exit could not be operated! No one at the Base Switchboard knew who to contact to try and get the guy out. I hope the base Commander gets to read this comment. This park would be a lovely, lovely place to come and could really do this base proud ... but just now it is a mess. BRAND NEW pads and utilities, NEW laundry & showers ... NO HOST and NO MAINTENANCE. What a crying shame!!!

Don't know about the previous bad reviews & comments, but our experience has been one of the best we've had anywhere. I called about a week in advance and made our reservation, but our travel from Offutt to here were shortened by a heavy rain storm, so we arrived around noon (check in is at 2 PM). Went all the way to the CG without seeing 1022. The host was very friendly and said that they'd probably check us in since spaces were first come, first served and several had just left. The directions should probably be updated, as we'd driven past it after entering the Mississippi Gate (watch out for the speed bumps!). If you download the .pdf base map, this building is on it (I didn't look!). Our experience at Outdoor Rec. was also great. Although there's not a large parking lot, once you get inside, they are very professional and courteous. We wanted a hot spot and since they'd just received a batch of new Verizon ones and were having some difficulties with them, they thoroughly checked out one for us to be certain we wouldn't have to come back. The CG is clean and the grass is short enough considering it's native for the area and not a golf course. Laundry has two washers and two driers, all free. Although it's off one side of the runway, there's not a lot of flight ops here so it's quiet. More noise from trains than planes. Only possible complaints have to do with not having any diesel on base and having to find an empty spot on your own. Since Outdoor Rec. is all the way on the other side of the base, I can understand why they have to do this, and no diesel is the Exchange's issue. We'll be certain to stay here again if we're in the area.

We are leaving in a couple of days and I wanted to add a few comments before I forget them. As others have said the Famcamp is experiencing the new RV park growing pains (the reason for the 4 rating),i.e., letting the grass grow too long (it will be mowed very soon according to the staff) signage,no shade trees,one dumpster only, hosts to help with checkin and letting the staff know what is needed in the campground. Many pluses: near I-70 and I-225, located in the greater Denver metro area, 4 miles from a world class hospital complex including VA, washer and dryers are new and free, clean bath facilities, large sites with hardstand parking (almost level), a lot of space between sites, new lake and playground facilities, BX and Commissary close, miles of walking paths located at the famcamp, outdoor rec center staff are very helpful and friendly (a major plus). Negatives that will not go away: flightline is close (but they do not fly at night, so far), windy (nothing to break the sometimes strong winds), a firing range not far from the famcamp (little popping noise only but constant during the day), the base does not have a golf course or auto hobby shop. One other plus IMHO is the 30 day stay policy from April to October (no homesteading! Although Jeff did say the 30 day limit can be extended if the campground is not full (again they are flexible but once this famcamp gets to be known we expect it will be full in the summer). It is very quiet at night and the security people do patrol periodically. As the famcamp matures this will be one of the best in the system if they can keep up with what they have started, definitely on the right track. We hope the future plans call for planting trees to break the wind and add shade, both are needed.

My husband and I have used this FamCamp many times and not all visits have been perfect. Our kids all live in Colorado, we did until we went full-time a few years ago, this is very convenient for us in the summer. I'm sorry for those folks who did not enjoy their stay here. I guess I(we) don't expect an RV resort and appreciate the cheap 'rent', free laundry and awesome views. Did I mention the great comissary and bx on base? We also understand that Colorado is normally part of the semi-arid highplains. This year brought never before seen rains that caused floods in the canyons,the Foothills' and the northeast plains-so yes it did get muddy here. People died, homes and crops were destroyed, 'weeds' thrived. But we were ok. We saw the rescue helicopters close up-and the emergency generators and other special equipment being readied for use. Oh, I almost forgot the jets taking off and how LOUD the engines are. I love it here.

We have been staying at Williams FamCamp for several yrs when we visit the Denver area and our grandkids. It's a good location for us, clean and it was a good value at $23 per night. We heard that they had raised their rates, which I knew many military campgrounds had gone up to $30 per night, but was shocked to see that Williams jumped to $40. We probably will not be staying there any longer, we have other, less convenient places to stay that do not cost as much.

First, let's lok at each category. Location: Some might think Buckley's location in greater Colorado is rather industrial and very close to the flightline, but on the other hand consider it is just minutes from I-70, a major E-W Interstate, and just a few more from I-25, major N-S road. And then there's BIG Denver, just minutes west on I-70, or through some reasonably nice suburbs, via old US-40 (THE E-W road before I-75 was built, via mainly residential Alameda Avenue, or south on I-225 to booming Douglas County and every imaginable shopping experience including IKEA, Nordstrom's, Macy's, etc etc etc, All things considered, this one rates a clear 4 of 5, only thing lacking is a rural, quiet, pastoral, dreamy, "perfect" setting, but hey, that's almost perfection! Cleanliness/Hospitality: The park is almost brand new, and lots of growing pains and kinks are being worked out. First, cleanliness. 100% paved roads and nice concrete pads throughout. Pads tilt very slightly to allow water runoff, so you may wish to use a chock under either side of your RV, or you can just live with what we found as a 'no big deal' very slight tilt. There is no camp host yet, so clean up duties are being shared by Outdoor Rec staff. The place is reasonably clean, and there's every indication it is headed for a "5" in a month or two, once a host is hired and in place. Hospitality: Top drawer. Ask to see "Sue" when you check in. None finer or more cooperative! Same for Jeff, the Manager at Outdoor Rec. Both repeatedly told me they WANT to get on-the-spot feedback from campers as they want their RV Park to be pleasing for all their clients! Again, as the place grows and matures, there will be more sineage in place at the park, a knowledgeable host, etc. If you come soon after this report was rendered, you might find the grass looks like it sure needs mowing, and the reason for its length is that it was recently seeded, and it needs to settle in before the first mow. It is planned to be kept mowed and trimmed. For now a "4", headed to a "5" for sure! Amenities and Facilities. About as god as it gets! A mile and a half west on Steamboat Road where the park is located is huge, new, well stocked Commissary, BX, gas station, and Fitness Center, which has hot showers. great workout facilities, a nice lounge, and great, helpful people. Handball, racquetball, a gym, and excellent outdoor running trail, paved, runs right thru the campground. The RV park is also adjacent to a nice lake, picnic tables, and is open for use in warm weather months. And off base there is literally almost everything. If you can't find it, you don't need it. There's even a NY City Deli in Denver complete with fresh tongue sandwiches! Great ethnic restaurants, and of course the Rockies within an hour's drive. Clearly a "5" Value: For $22 you get full hookup on every site, 50 Amp, nice bathhouse with hot water, free washers and dryers, fully paved park, tons to do and see in Denver, and nice, new shipping facilities on base. ONE THING: Buckley, because of the adjacency of so much shopping, has CLOSED their chow hall! The old 'Dining Facility' now is a small club, serving all ranks breakfast and lunch M-F, and is also open Thursday - Saturday afternoons for snacks, beer, soft drinks, etc. Value? A 5+. Overall: All things considered for the typical camper? A 4. Once cleaned up, mowed, and with a host on site, this park should be a 5. YOU SHOULD KNOW: Buckley is unusual for a military RV park in a non-resort area in that it takes RESERVATIONS. As of this writing, here's how it works: You may make reservations per the instructions on this website for Buckley, and you're encouraged to. You'll be asked to pay in advance for your entire planned stay, but you'll definitely receive a REFUND if you leave early. YOU MAY REQUEST A SPECIFIC SITE. If available it will be assigned to you when you reserve. Otherwise, you WILL be assigned a site number when you reserve. You may also merely arrive and take your chances. If you arrive without reservations, you'll be assigned a site when you check in at Outdoor Rec, or if after hours, you can take a site that is NOT MARKED RESERVED. Because this park assigns sites when people reserve, you MAY be asked to move IF you've plopped down on a site that is being held for someone who reserved. Most of the time those sites that are reserved should be so marked. But if you stay for, say a week, and want to stay longer after you've checked in, you MAY have to move. Campers should be AWARE of this policy before arriving! The staff will do all they can to accommodate your wishes within this policy, including assisting you in every way possible to give you a site without having to move in the event you stay longer. But, remember this policy and know you MAY have to move under certain circumstances outlined above.