NASKW Campground

We wanted to head to Key West this year and heard that they have never turned anyone away, so we headed there. A few days before we got there we heard rumors that they were now limiting the number of people that they could accept, so we were a little concerned we might drive all the way down there and be turned away. We decided to depart the Everglades while it was still dark, and got to Key West before 10 AM. We knew if we got a site it would be boondocking in the overflow, and were happy that we were able to get a site. We had expected to be sent to Trumbo, but they gave us a site on Sigsbee overflow. The site we got was larger than I expected, and we could have easily doubled up if anyone needed to (our camper is only 16' and the site was probably 40' long and 2 campers wide). The restrooms were kept very clean and I never had to wait for a shower (there were 3 in the mens bathroom). Sigsbee is further from downtown than Trumbo, but after driving over to Trumbo to check it out, I liked Sigsbee a little better, Trumbo appears more "packed". You can still bike to town from Sigsbee since Key West is bike friendly, although it is a little further from town. If you don't mind the walk, you can park for free by the ECO center just outside the entrance to the Navy Truman annex. We used our solar panel for keeping our battery charged, although most people use generators (from 7AM to 11PM), and some of those were contractor type that were pretty loud. After Sept 30, 2015 the generator noise level is limited to 74 DB at 25' (currently 74DB at 30'). They have 3 places to dump in a central dump layout, 2 were on an island so you can pull in from any direction, plus another next to that which appears to be primarily for portable tanks but can be used by vehicles too. It appears they lock them overnight, as they prohibit dumping from sunset to sunrise. We used a couple of 2.5 gallon jugs to keep our fresh water tank topped up. There is a self service car wash between the RV park and the NEX/Commissary that will accept large vehicles, and a self serve gas station before you get to the MWR office. Getting to the check-in was easy. We just took a right on Roosevelt, then a right on Sigsbee. There is an entry gate on Sigsbee but they only man it sporadically so you just slow down and then drive through it. Sigsbee then curves 90 degrees to the right, and a couple blocks later you will see the MWR office, and turn left into their parking lot just after you pass the building. Well marked. You can launch your kayaks at the marina boat ramp into a protected cove, and there is also a lounge where you can eat dinner and have a drink while watching the sun go down (check the hours though, they were closed Mondays and Tuesdays, plus on windy/cold days while we were there). We never checked the WIFI since our T-Mobile had good 4G coverage at this location. Discount tickets to attractions are available in the same building as the check-in. The receptionist that checked us in, Susie, was very pleasant and helpful in getting a site or us close to our traveling friends.

This was our second visit to KW FAM Park at Sigbee. The first was the summer of 2013. Plenty of full hook up sites in the summer. My wife has just retired and this was the third leg of a four part retirement vacation for her. We read all the articles on winter RVing at KW and found that all the great information paid off. We have a 38 foot fiver and arrived after hours on 20 Feb. 2015. The camp host on duty arrived promptly and logged us in and had us on a dry camp site at Sigbee in less than an hour. Our fiver has a built in Onan 5500 watt generator. And our Christmas present to ourselves was a Tailgater antenna and Dish service. Did I say the weather was perfect? Mid to high 70's all week. With mid 60's at night. Generator hours were 7am to 11 pm. Most campers had the external twin generator set ups. Gasoline driven. The only discerning thing was some had marine type fuel tanks laying on the ground near the generators. There is no requirement to have fire extinguishers posted by these generators. Although several sites did have them. The best part of these generators was that they are quite and fuel is relative inexpensive. My Onan works uses propane. propane is not cheap on KW. But the convenience of operation including automatic operation was nice. The fresh water and dump stations were clean and close by. I used the recommend the 45 gallon water bladder sold by Camping World. It proved to be quite easy to refill my fresh water everyday. We used our internal facilities for everything. The only thing I added was a small water pump to off load the bladder into our fresh water holding tank. You can do the gravity feed fill but that takes over an hour and on newer rigs like mind, putting the bladder on the top of your truck due to the height of the recessed fill opening for the fresh water tank (with the pump, I keep the bladder on the tail gate). I also made use of the latest 35 gallon waste, roll away (grey) water tank emptied on a daily basis too. I did this routine every morning and I was done after an hour ready to enjoy the rest of the day. Our first dry camping experienced went off without a hitch. We lacked for nothing as far as amenities are concerned. our neighbors were fantastic and everyone appeared to truly enjoy being in KW. The we missed the worst part of winter back in the NE USA to boot! And I will request Trumbo Point next time too. It give easy access to KW downtown and makes biking to town a reality. Parking a big truck in KW will set you back $25-30 dollars a day. We will be back this summer but I would do dry camping again. Maybe install a couple of solar panels (there were a few in use at other sites) and a 1000 watt inverter so we could watch satellite TV after 11 PM. and save on the cost of propane.

Our first visit to Key West was made much easier by reading over reviews on Military Camp Grounds, and talking to experienced “Snow Birds”. Recommend reading “Sigsbee For Newbies Article by Steve Johnson circa 2009-10” as it contains a wealth of information. Staff/Camp Host was all very informative and helpful. Plan for wind—lots of wind during winter months. Recommend doing an overnight in Homestead (the wife and I dry camped at Miccosukee Casino for free) and get an early start. It is a very slow and tiring drive South on Rt 1. NASKW has a small commissary, PX (great ITT), small gym--nothing fancy but adequate. Bath houses were nice, and laundry machines in working order. We visited the Navigators Lounge on NAS Key West a few times and recommend it. Sunset Lounge at Sigsbee is open air (in need of repair). Great experience and we look forward to doing it again—a bargain for military folks.

January 2015. My husband and I just came back from key west. The full hook up sites on sigbee is 5 weeks. No big deal for us but just incase you need to know. They have more people this year so they put us on Trumbo Point in a field. We had s feeling we would be dry camping and signed a sheet saying that we would be willing to move of needed. The lady said since we would only be 4 days we shouldn't have to. Well the next day a note on the door to move to another site at 10am. I'm glad I didn't make plans that morning for we detached the 5th wheel and set up. So we broke down and moved to the overflow. Generators are allowed 7 am to 11pm. Trumbo Point is a great location. Walk to everything or ride bikes. The gate is guarded so remember your ID. Key west is beautiful. Also go to Truman annex next to fort Zachary of you want to see the sunset without so many people around. There is a private beach.

Area is good for winter weather. If you have a rechargeable fan you can keep cool when humidity is up. Yes, quite a few years ago we had a fun time and our own activities directors at Trumbo. Since MWR took away the electric hookup for camphosts and activities dir. Also didn't have fences put up on the base to keep us military retired persons off the tarmack. Also they keep away space for campground in the field at Trumbo. Weather is good as long as humidity is down. Since you have to dry camp and have generators off at 2300 you have to depend on a rechargeable fan to keep cool! Rules change as the wind with MWR. OK for a very short stay! Only military campground that has NO just electric at least to stay on until a full hookup is available.

I read a couple other reviews and one individual found lots of faults.... that was not my experience at all. Many times people seem to have a need to search out problems. I arrived on a Saturday and the camp host was AWESOME. He lead me to a waterfront dry campsite as the full hook-ups were full. The campground was just beginning to fill up. After one day I was informed by a camphost that on Monday I was slated to move to a full site - again waterfront. The older portion with full hook-ups is tight quarters but hey you are there for KEY WEST... At first I thought the rotation from dry to full hookups was odd but it QUICKLY made sense. Excellent BX, Commissary nearby. Went to the sunset bar and it was a nice experience and the food was good, even tho they would be well served to repair the building. Awesome marina! I learned that this is the Navy's best money maker but they are forced to share revenues with all facilities nationwide so the changes they would like to do are difficult. Most people say you will get 2 weeks on power and 3 to 4 weeks off power. I found the shower and laundry facilities to be well kept and very good showers. I was able to ride my bike to the attractions pretty easily and had an amazing time. I look forward to returning and staying for most of the winter. Nothing is ever perfect - more electric sites would be great but the value is amazing. Try comparing the rates to what people are paying on the community for RVing in Key West and EVERY complaint would quickly show its irrelevance. The only minor downside was a little more confusion than should have been when I extended my stay for a couple days. The staff was excellent at assisting and recommending things to see - rebates and places to eat. If you go.. you won't want to leave!!

We stayed at the NAS Key West campground in January, 2014 as we have for the past 15 years. We are not going back this year. Why? 1. Some of the new camp hosts are very rude and unhelpful. 2. The generator policy has changed - now it is allowed to run generators from 6AM until 11PM. Why? This is too long, there was nothing wrong with the old hours of 7AM until 10PM. Additionally they are not enforcing their sound level rules: Someone about 3 units from us was running a generator without a muffler. This generator could be heard all over Sigsbee circle yet neither the camp hosts nor the management did anything about it. 3. Authorized users are now allowed to "sponsor" civilians with no military connection into the campground. Once again why? This is contrary to the published list of authorized users and they are taking space away from those of us who have served honorably. 4. The bathhouses were not kept clean. 5. Garbage was left to pile up around the dumpsters. (smelly)

I don't have much to add to the previous reviewer besides the signage is indeed up directing you to the new parking lot for registration. It's a nice paved pull through lot that will accommodate several rigs. You pull in behind the registration. Rotation had started when we got here because of Fantasy Festival. We arrived on the last day and only had to stay in dry camp three nights. Now the number of guests seems to have dwindled somewhat. Nothing much seems to have changed since last year except that quiet time for the generators starts at 7 am now instead of 6 am as it did last year. The information booklet they give you has the old hours but there was an attached letter that outlined the change. Oh yes, and there's a rooster and two hens (that we saw). When we fist came here there were chickens and roosters. Last year I was sad to see that there was only one hen left. Scuttlebutt had it that the rest were killed b/c people complained about the noise. I hope the chickens are allowed to thrive! You can't beat the location, the camp hosts and office folks have all been friendly and helpful so we will continue to come here as often as we can.

This essentially is a cut and paste from my post on the forum. Haven't been here for several years and never during the off season. Others have reviewed. We had nothing but good contacts with the hosts and office. One host had biscuits for the dogs like Loretta used to do. Bottom line is that everyone was professional and pleasant. -Roosevelt Blvd is finished so no need to do the alt route described in the directions...BUT it is a good thing to do to avoid the hard right turn by the motel when there are vehicles exiting Sigsbee. But, it is not a big deal either way. -Gate IS manned, sometimes...usually during the day and not at night! It varies so have your ID card handy. I was asked once if I had weapons to declare. I didn't. -Don't know if this is new but it seems so: don't turn left into the street in front of the office...they built an access just behind the office that leads to places to park for registration. So, proceed about 25 yards before turning and you'll see the access. The office told me that signage is being made to better depict this and should be in place for snowbird season. -Nice folks in the office...but, man the paperwork the base requires! Do carry your vehicle reg/insurance and pet papers. -THERE IS NO WifI any more except at the office. This is recent, I think. The wifi radio is broadcasting in the CG area but it isn't connected to anything. Maybe they will get a new contract in place soon. -Not new but some folks don't know it, there is NO TV unless you have satellite. No over the air or cable. -Maybe not new but the CG Duty Office at Trumbo is now next to the pedestrian gate and you can park at the CG station and walk into town. (when last here you had to walk through the main vehicle gate and another time you had to go into HQ bldg to get the gate code.) Gate closes at, 2200 or thereabouts. Also, no more fishing from the pier like you could several years ago. At least, that is what the signs say.

Value: considering it is KW, you can't beat the price. Civilian places cost! Hospitality: Camp hosts are ok. Not the best but ok. One host there should get a job at the county jail He is rude and his NAZI approach to you is horrible. He has his good old boy club. When anything went wrong and he wanted to nail you for some mickey mouse thing he always made sure to tell his good olde boy club members (the RVers he loved). This guy is bad news. Name is *****. Base: has all you need. Commissary, NEX, gas station etc. Only problem with Sigsbee location is there are no longer guards on the gate. Job Blow the civilian can drive through all they want now. Yes base security caught a few of them and escorted them off base. But still not a good feeling. The ladies in the office are great. The camp ground hosts need to improve on their manners and customer service. Some of these host never made it past E3 in the military and now being the all mighty host they want to play CSM (E9). ((Thrumbo still has gate guards)) Bath house: most of the time was dirty. Over used. Laundry: broken machines that never seemed to get fixed. People brought their dogs into the laundry. Even got hostile when told no pets in the laundry room. Guess this is how military camping is these days. Guests: Lots, repeat lots, of CIVILIANS signed in by a authorized sponsor (i.e. retiree, base member etc) are staying in the Fam Camp. You will not notice these types until you ask their status and how they got on base. Few told us "we were signed in by some guy we met who is in the Navy." Worse is these sponsors are never to be seen again and leave these CIVILIAN to be on their own. Sign these civilians into the Fam Camp and never come back. THIS IS WRONG. MWR should be more about taking care of the military instead of worrying about making money. Military have earned the privilege to use such a place. I agree sponsoring a CIVILIAN is ok IF they are related to or immediate guests of the military person signing them in. This is a get over system by civilians (don't mean civil service folks...mean civilians who have not worked or served in the military) to get a huge savings on camping in Key West on base. Tent camping: tent campers are not allowed at Thrumbo. Was nice when they could camp next to the pool. But new commander, so we were told, decided NO tent camping at Thrumbo now. Few tent camping areas at Sigsbee. One is along the water in front of the RVers. The RVers whine and cry about tent campers and their POVs "blocking their view" Well folks the tent campers didn't make that location for tent camping. If you want to whine, whine to the office NOT the tent camper. The hosts are not the nicest bunch of guys towards tent campers. Guess these guys graduated from Howard's Univ (at Hill Fam Camp) with a degree in how to be rude. They are building a tent area on the far side of the FamCamp. Will be a &_#&@( to tent camp where they are making this area now. No view. No breeze. Parking will be tight. Can already see the RVers act like they own all of the spaces along the street where the new tent area is being made. We would NEVER tent camp there.
Overall Experience: KW is great. Love downtown. Most of the RVers are ok. Great number of them are snotty. Generators running all the time. Despite turn off hours. Again its who you know and b&@% if you can get over on the rules. Majority of the RVers never go far from base and their RVs. Seem to have their "groups - clubs - who is who gangs" Sad thing is when asked many of them do not know beans about KW. Never been to Fort Jefferson or anywhere in the area. Few are town drunks. Thrumbo: Thank God ***** the head NAZI is no longer a host there. The " I know everything in the world" maint guy (or wanna be maint guy) at Thrumbo is still there. And still rude as ever. Suggestion: if MWR even reads this page -- put a time limit on how long a host can be a host in KW. The longer they stay as host the more they start to think they are the base commander and make rules up as they go along. That is exactly what host named ***** was doing last winter. Making up rules as he went. WRONG.

We've stayed at the Sigsbee RV Park (NASKW Campground) with our toy hauler (and PWC) a number of times through the years. During the summer, off-season there are always full-hookups available. During our stays we've always found the staff awesome--always helpful and professional. Although we rarely used them, in our opinion some of the bathroom and shower facilities could stand some updating and more thorough cleaning from time to time. And, yes, the full-hook-up sites are mostly rocky coral and a bit on the small side. However, these issues are very easy to overlook if you're adventurous and willing to seek out the full Key West experience. For those into watersports (including snorkeling/diving/kayaking) and fishing, Key West and the Florida Keys offers up some of the best in the country. Water temps are typically 85-90 degrees during the summer! If you bring your boat or jetski, you can park it within walking distance of your RV site for a small daily fee. The Sigsbee Marina (open 7 days) and Sunset Lounge (open 3-4 days a week) are only a 1/2 mile or 10 min. walk away. The marina has fuel, bait/tackle, boat/kayak rentals, and a small launch ramp. The Sunset Lounge is open-air and serves up some very tasty treats along with some breathtaking sunset views. The exchange and commissary, although smaller than average, is also a very short walk away and well stocked for most needs (including RV, fishing, and watersport items). Suggest bringing along your bicycles. We've found them to be the best and most efficient way to really experience Key West (FYI, helmets mandatory on Sigsbee). There's plenty of live entertainment and great food available 7-days a week, downtown, near Duval Street (3.5 miles from Sigsbee). Don't forget to catch the "Sunset" and all the performers at Mallory Square (NW end of Duval St.) at least once during your stay!

Overall, we thought the NASKW is a very nice place to stay and all the previous comments hold true. It's location in Key West is perfect for hitting all the touring spots on the island. We arrived after normal duty hours and called the Camp Host who took us to the overflow lot. The overflow lot has a fantastic view. If you don't mind dry camping, save yourself some money and just stay there. The full hook-up camp has one row of sites that have a good view. We were lucky to get one. We stayed for two weeks. We really have no complaints about the RV Park. There is an ITT office located in the same building as RV Registration so check out some of the discount tickets. We went on the Fury "Reef and Rita" snorkeling excursion. Excellent weather, excellent water, excellent margarita's. Pace yourself on the margarita's. They make them pretty strong and the effect does not hit you till you get off the catamaran. If you ride a motorcycle, plan to go during the winter months as full body armor is required and it gets pretty hot.

What a fabulous place! We stayed at Sigsbee Park for six nights, in a part of it known as "the rockpile" because the spaces are gravel. We were three rows from the water but still had a water view. The spaces are very closely packed together but nobody, including us, seemed to care. Everyone we met was super friendly, probably the friendliest folks of any military park we have ever been at. Check in was quick and easy, and a host gave us a golf cart tour of the campground, lots of excellent tips, and answered all of our questions. The showers and laundry were clean and well kept. The Sunset House beach club has great food and is a short walk from the RV spots. We toured the other campground areas, including all the overflow spots. Trombo Point (also commonly called Trumbo Point) is all dry camping. It is a magnificently beautiful area right on the water. Another jewel is the Navy facility at Truman Annex. It has a fabulous beach and a nice club with food service and other amenities. If you want a virtually private beach in Key West, Truman Annex is the place. You can walk to the Key West downtown (Duval Street and surroundings) from Trombo Point. The downtown is a short drive from Sigsbee Park, but there is free parking near Truman Annex. One of the RV park hosts told us of the free parking and it's a big deal - parking everywhere else is very limited to non-existent, and if you find parking it is extremely expensive. Make the effort to find the free parking and use it, you'll be glad you did. We loved everything about Key West - the RV parks, the military facilities, and the tourist spots. I could not possibly recommend it any more highly. We hated to leave.

Thanks for the alternate route to avoid the construction. It worked well, but missed Kennedy. Street sign very small. I think it is the first stoplight after turning onto Flagler which might help. We had dry camp space one row back from front, so could see the water. Arrived after 3, but camp host very efficient and helpful. Showers and laundry could have been cleaner, but with so much use, would need a full time person to do any better. ITT staff very helpful & good suggestions. Loved the Sunset Lounge and the close proximity of BX & Commissary. Have waited a long time to get to Key West and was not disappointed. Only negative was lack of generator stacks to keep fumes from going into neighbor sites. Did not see any except ours. Also, some portable generators in use were very noisy. Did not feel the hours were misused.

The Campground Office was well marked. Our reception was welcoming and efficient. We were shown the available sites in Overflow and allowed to choose which we wanted. Most of the Overflow sites are spacious, most have tables and all are well defined. We never intended to wait for hook-ups but were told to expect 4-5 weeks wait. Staff was always cheerful and helpful. Their suggestion to eat at Goldman's was spot on. A driving tour of Trumbo Point made us feel we were better off at Sigsbee. Trumbo was clearly homesteaded, with most sites storing accumulations of stuff and all the sites facing the water looked very long-term. Restrooms were clean but there was always a line waiting for the showers. Wifi was non-existent but Fleet & Family had internet connected computers to use. Commissary and Exchange were small but adequate.

We just spent 10 days here and had the most amazing experience. The location could not have been better (we're active duty) right on the water, ITT staff were helpful not only with getting tickets for local attractions and Dry Tortugas, which we thoroughly recommend, but also good, local restaurants. There was no wifi at the campsite and it was slow at the office but let's face it, with that view you weren't in your RV much.

We knew we wouldn't get a FHU site within the two weeks of our stay and we wanted to be closer to downtown Key West. We purposely asked to go into dry camp at Trumbo Point. Many friends said this would be a mistake, as it wasn't as nice as Sigsbee. We didn't have any problems and liked it at Trumbo. Being able to walk out the Coast Guard gate and be at the pier near Mallory Square was great. Since this was the first time we had spent anytime at Key West, this worked out great for us. We didn't need to fight traffic and the road construction around Sigsbee. We walked into town almost everyday. We kept busy for two weeks walking, bike riding, kayaking, visiting the Dry Tortugas, and many happy hours with numerous friends and website users. The office was very friendly. We arrived a little after 1500hrs and I didn't know they closed then. They stayed open another 15 minutes to help us get settled. I think the office hours are very limited. 0900 - 1500 hrs, Mon - Fri. ITT was VERY friendly and useful with information on where to go and what to see, where to eat, etc. Some of the happy hour deals around the pier are good deals. The weather was cool, breezy, some rain, then some humidity. Most days were good for us. While it really can't be prevented, the only negative was the many of the other campers dry camping insisted on running their noisy generators all day long and starting them at 0600hrs. The Navy is supposed be cracking down on this abuse, but some campers got away with it. However, we would still return.

Once again a great experience at Sigsbee, friendly folk and a great location. One week in overflow and two weeks on the rock pile. The only problem was the Wifi service. I signed up to receive Wifi and paid for four weeks usage. The only real place I could get a signal was sitting outside the laundry. Moved into hook ups and now there is nothing at all. Had to walk over to the office to receive a different Wifi which is now free. Very slow downloading. Took a trip over to the Fly Navy building to use their Wifi in the Lobby. Couldn't get a signal. Took the computer to town to Starbucks. Nope, couldn't get it there either.

Just a facilities update here. I just returned from 10 days at Fly Navy Building on Key West. I usually stay at the RV park but had limited time on this trip. Couple of new things since I was there last (summer 2012). 1) Wifi is provided FREE now most places on base. Just need to log in to set up an account (CC is required for ID purposes but no change). 2) The RV park check-in is moved to the old ITT building across from the BX on Sigsbee. 3) Good computers and access at Truman Annex now at no charge. 4) The quality of the food at the Beach Patio on Truman is really good now and you can still get attraction tickets there. This was my first stay at the Fly Navy Building and I surprised to get a room...suite at $75 per day (no tax of course). This room would sell for $450 in KY (I worked in the hotel business in KY). Enjoy.

Great to be back! Ken checked us in within 5 minutes @ the Rock Pile. Spent last evening @ Sabastin Inlet State Park. It was scheduled for a week but the bugs and anti-pet policies wasn't in our comfort zone. No problem, pack up and head for the Keys.. The sign in process and hospitality was above grade and a neighbors cold Beer topped it off. We could look for the negatives if we wanted to but that's no fun. Went to the Sunset Lounge for a sunset dinner and a wonderful chill out after spending time on the road. The bikes are ready to go and a fishing trip has already been set up for Tues. As an added bonus we expected to be in overflow but there's about 10 spots open and life is good. We wish everyone safe travels and invite Key Westers @ heart to return :-). Leave your negatives at the last fill-up and enjoy what you have left.