Kirtland AFB FamCamp

We’ve been coming here every few years for 18 years or so and the same manager has been here all this time. We have 4 words for her — “It’s time to retire.” I’ll refrain from specifics. That said, this place has almost tripled in size since our first years. They now seem to use a 30 day max stay and it is pretty full. There is a younger maintenance fellow taking care of some things. The older section is the most pleasant looking and the newer section has the most spacious sites. Wind seems more an issue in the new section. Watch your awning. Half the rigs have doors facing west, too. Ugh. No WiFi anymore. Laundry room has been upgraded. All gates have changed from a few years ago. We used to use Eubanks gate nearby, but all gates have been narrowed and it is tight. Truman is the best bet now— it is a bit wider and has fewer obstacles. This is a busy base which is good to see. Commissary and BX area are good. There are Rec activities everyone can participate in. The golf course needs more TLC but is okay. Its restaurant is a busy place for breakfast and lunch, too. A great attraction is the Nuclear Energy Museum out the gate north several blocks on Eubanks. Very interesting. 

Location is marked low because of the placement of the FAMCAMP on the base and orientation of the parking spaces. The "new" area is exposed to a LOT of wind--prevalent winds hit the camper broadside--no sleep. Nite host was exceptional and has far better customer skills than the full-time staff. On-base facilities are good, but the campground could use some serious upgrading. Trees were in bad need of trimming and the goat-heads (huge stickers) are awful--especially for pets. Speaking of pets, people let them go in the weeds on the far end of the new area, which is the same direction the wind usually blows from. Think about it folks! Campground signage is poor and it is not well set up for arrivals/departures. Orientation of hook-ups is poor--sewer in new area requires a lot of hose, electric in some older slots requires an extension and is on wrong side. We're full timers and this campground is a bad choice if staying for over 2-weeks--they don't take reservations and you can't stay longer without moving out and back in, even if they are nearly empty. We moved to a nearby campground that takes reservations, is clean, exceptionally well maintained, has security, and is well managed. 

Typical of Air Force FamCamps, overall in need of maintenance on just about everything, overall good FamCamp but not great. The Truman Gate (24/7) located on the north side of the the base is Big Rig friendly and does not have any barriers or obstacles. The newer section has large wide sites using common FHUs between the sites. There's absolutely no shade in the newer section. Signage here is horrible. I had to park in the area just south of the newer sites and walk around to find the office. The office is closed on weekends. There are instructions at the office for after hours check in. When arriving after hours you can park in any open site that does not have a cone in it. Then fill out the reservation provided at the office, place it in the dropbox, then mark an 'X' on your site on the campground map. You can pay by check or credit card. If paying by credit card go to the office and provide your credit card info. If you drive your RV into the last road on the west of the FamCamp you will need to disconnect to turn around if no sites are available. In the older area most of the site are not really big rig friendly. Dense trees offer good shade but can be a problem with large RVs and slides. During our stay here there was some tree trimming going on. Site 25 through 33 in the older section are big rig friendly. Those sites offer some shade and green grass. If you want grass and shade those are the best for big rigs. Sites 25 through 33 share a common power pedestal. Which means on some sites you will need to run you power cord under your RV to the power pedestal to the right of your RV. Be prepared and bring an good extension cord. In sites 25 through 33 every other site has a concrete pad. There is WiFi but almost useless with .71Mbps download, 3.07Mbps upload. Verizon Data 34Mbps download, 16.8Mbps upload. AT&T data 6.90Mbps download, 15.1Mbps upload. Verizon cell service was good. The restroom photos here are outdated. Both the newer and older section restrooms are in need of repair and updating. The newer section is the worse, very grungy and smell like poo! I personally would not use the shower in the newer restrooms. The laundry photos are also in need off updating. The laundry room now has stackable washer and dryers. The dog run photo is also in need of updating. The dog run now has large shade tree, but the grass is now gone. I've posted update photos of all.

We have stayed at Kirtland several times and we've seen numerous changes over the years. Although they do not take reservations we have never been turned away but had to stay in dry camping for one night a couple of years age at the beginning of the Oct Balloon Festival. Good power and water pressure in huge parking sites in the "new' section.It is a tad of hassle getting to the park through the Truman gate and having to drive all the way across the base when the Eubanks gate would be much more convenient. Yeah, it is about time for the manager to retire. Did not use any of the facilities but stuck my head in to check them out and all looked OK.

We arrived at Kirtland AFB FamCamp for a 14-day stay. We are in a 43-foot motorhome towing a F-150 and followed the directions to the Gibson gate. The Security Forces ran down the street to stop us before we got to the barriers. Long story short, we had to disconnect our F-150 and I had to back the motorhome up about 1/4 mile to turn around and go back down Gibson Blvd. to Truman Blvd. to go into the Truman gate. Do NOT attempt to enter Kirtland EUBANKS GATE OR GIBSON GATE if you are longer than 30 feet total. The gates are very narrow and there are new barricades that you cannot drive around without hitting them. No barricades at Truman gate.

I can't say enough about the staff, especially the host Dorene, she is awesome. We arrived there Sept. 2, Sept. 7 my husband was admitted to the VA hospital, the 9th while under observation he had a heart attack. I don't know what I would have done with out Dorene. You ROCK. A big thanks to John and Janet too.

BIG RIGS: DO NOT COME IN EUBANKS GATE! There are rigs in the park right now with damage from coming through Eubanks. By 'big rig', we mean anything over 25'! We have a 40' 5th wheel and came in Truman, which is the current commercial gate. We followed google maps on phone and the route avoided all traffic on base. From I-25, Exit 222/Gibson Blvd SE, follow signs for airport. Turn right at Truman St SE and gate is right there. Left at second light, Randolph Rd SE. Follow Randolph (name changes to Kirtland Rd SE) then left on Hardin Blvd. Follow Hardin (name changes to 20th St SE). Left at G Ave SE traffic light and you'll see RV park. Turn at first right, which is F Ave SE (on google) and the street sign says Frost Ave. There's a large open area just ahead where we pulled off then walked to check in. The old section is nice in that it has a lot of trees, but the 'big' sites there go first. The new section has huge sites and very easy to maneuver through. In the old section, I saw big rigs going over curbs trying to get through. (Another reason to park at the big, open area and walk/ride the park first!) We didn't need any sewer extension in new section as mentioned in previous post. No hookup problems at all. Staff is still very much part time. If you need quarters for laundry, go to the gas station. Using General Delivery, be aware that your mail will be at the base post office across the street from the USPS building.

We stayed at Kirtland Fam Camp September 24th-October 8th in a 32 foot fifth wheel. We came for the 2016 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The Fam camp is divided into the old section and a new section. The old section has green grass and trees and a dog park. The new section just has gravel. It has wide and long pull throughs that are flat. Had to use the new section because I needed 50 amp service. Be informed, the utilities are shared on one pedestal between sites so we had to park close to our neighbor for access. The WiFi is so-so at best. The new section is well lite at night, with exceptionally clean bathrooms and showers. The only bad comment I could come up with is there are few goatheads or what we call stickers up north (Puncturevine or Tribulus terrestris ) in the parking area and my dog got stickers or goatheads in his paw pads a couple of times plus I dragged a couple of these nasty things into my trailer and my wife let me know about it. I highly recommend using Kirkland Fam Camp for the balloon fiesta; it just can't be beat. We used the KAFB outdoor recreation tour bus and admission tickets to get from the Kirkland airbase to the balloon fiesta and back which is a bargain for 18 bucks per session. Commissary and exchange are large and well stocked. The gas station has diesel. The Fam Camp is small showing its age and it is also a bargain for $18 per night. I need to add that Doreen the night host lady is a gem. I called the Fam Camp several times during the week and all I got was a recorded message on their answering machine. Doreen called me on a Sunday morning and said come over because “no one is turned away”. Thank you Doreen. Thank you Kirtland.

Fair Warning do not use Gibson Gate. There are concrete barriers that will damage your RV and can not be moved. Truman Gate is the best to use for entry, period. The wifi will not even allow us to check email. The RV is large and first come first serve. Most of the sites are gravel and very large. We did enjoy our stay as there are so many things to do in Albuquerque.

The Wyoming gate is NOT RV Friendly. Avoid it even if you are a class C. I got caught in the barriers and with two blocks of traffic backed up had to go on forward. $30+thousand in damage to my motor home. Eubank gate is ok but very narrow.