Joint Base Lewis-McChord Travel Camp

A pretty nice place, the roads are tight to drive around to find your space. I was told to go to one site and found someone still in it. They put me in another spot that was open. Upon check in, they didn't tell me about needing a special adapter to use the cable, and luckily I had just enough tree clearance to use my satellite. Fairly quiet and the spaces are far enough apart to give privacy. The sites did need some clearing of weeds, limbs and cutting the grass. Paved spots that were fairly level, but others did angle downhill. The showers need major upgrade and more hooks/shelves at least in the female head. The directions did confuse me and I ended up taking a tour of the main base. At the exit off I-5, from south, go to the LEFT off exit to North gate, then right at light, etc...

What can we say, just picture perfect, nestled next to American Lake, near the commissary and PX, 5 minutes to I-5, 20 minutes to McChord AFB. Last reviewer must have been at a different park. We found the staff helpful, attentive and accommodating. Our site (120) was a large pull thru parallel to the roadway convenient to the entrance of the park, we had great wi-fi and cable. There were two common area that had showers, laundry, toilets and tv rooms. Everything was clean and tidy at all times and we were there in the rainy season. No bad points worth mentioning.

We have stayed at 11 military parks. They need a better reservation system like it has been posted in the previous reviews. When we were making reservations, the binder did not equal what was in the computer. There was only one (older) lady who knew what she is doing. The others, including the men, either need not be there because of a bad attitude/rude and/or need training on how to run the RV park. I never saw any maintenance of the park and never saw any of the workers make any daily patrols to inspect the park etc. They moved us to one sight and the water was leaking so bad, we had to use our own on-board storage water and the front desk never knew about it. The bushes were over grown and looked like they haven't been attended to in years. Thank goodness for the grown trees in the park that it makes it beautiful. The park needs new management. I rated the amenities/facilities a 5 because of the nice gym, bx, commissary on base. I would give cleanliness/hospitality a ZERO if I could. The front gate to the JBLM, what can I say: They were the most professional when we drove through every time, it makes me proud.

This is an older park that is totally covered with trees. The cable TV takes a special box that will not work in most motor homes, due to the entertainment systems. You would think that a customer as large as this base would be able to get the cable company to provide unscrambled cable channels. Satellite systems will not work due to the trees that cover everything. We had problems with the power when we first arrived and the staff sent the repair people to the wrong campsite. Finally we were moved to a site that had a working power system. The campsites are not cleaned at all. There is trash left over from previous campers and ashes from years past fires all over the ground. We stay here because of children and grandchildren living in the area. Lake side campsites which are more expensive do not have a view of the lake because of the trees.

Getting here was easy off of I5. A pull over place provided for check in. Staff was friendly, helpful. What hurts this CG is these same people are also working the store for booking all activities and sales of outdoor equipment. The CG is a little unusual in site layout and sizing. I think it was designed when RV's were smaller. Each site is unique is layout and size. I have what is a sideway pull through and found it to suit me. My awning area was facing the woods, very private. I haul a 32' fifth wheel with no problems, but when driving thru the park, watch your turns.
We loved the wooded quite park and it is one of the better ones. the cable box was no issue with me, I arrived during normal hours, they swipe your card for a deposit, return it, when I returned the box, they gave me the unprocessed card swipe for my disposal. I can say the staff, all I encountered was helpful and pleasant.

We checked in this afternoon. The check in process is not pleasant. We made a reservation a couple of months ago and were assigned space #121. The picnic table is on the wrong side and by the amount of spider webs on it, it has not been used for a very long time, plus it is right by the sewer receptacle. We barely have room to put our slides out and walk around on the door side of our coach. As previous reviews have stated, there is NO WIFI or satellite TV reception, and very little antenna reception. And if you want cable you have to ask for the cable box before the store closes at 5:30. When we checked in they didn't bother to tell us that we would need a cable box to get cable channels. We were planning on staying for 2 weeks but will pay the $10.00 fee to cancel and find another RV park in the area. We are in a motorhome.

I really like Ft. Lewis Travel Camp; it has a lot of amenities, i.e. you can rent a motorized boat and there is a very good camp store; 2-commons areas with laundry facilities, and a wonderful view, especially by the lake.

If you are looking for the Brown Sign for the camp, you won't find it. I am submitting a picture of the sign that you need to look for. Turn before the sign and park along the scrubs on the right. Be sure to have plenty of leveling material as many of the spots are not very level. There are many pull through sites, but the nicest spots are the back in ones. There are trees between the spots, so there is a lot of privacy. The spots and roads are all nicely paved, but I agree about the maze set up. There is good water pressure, but forget about satellite TV and local over the air channels. You can check out a cable box and that works great. They sell propane and can fill your RV as well. The lake is beautiful and there is a fishing dock (license required, sold in office). WIFI is available, but you have to be by the office or the commons building to use it. We do not use the bathrooms or laundry. We stay in a 36' RV and pull a 28' enclosed trailer. We would stay here again.

Very tough getting through the maze at the campground to your site. Big Rig friendly is questionable. Lake side spots did not guarantee a view of the lake but you will pay $5.00 extra per day for the spot.

The RV Park is great and has the potential of being better. Everything that is stated in the Campground Information is fact. Our site was classified as a lakeside site but that does not imply a lakeside view. There are perhaps 3 or 4 sites that can “see” the lake. The Campground is located in a beautiful wooded area with dense underbrush making a view of the lake almost impossible. Satellite reception is non-existent. They do have cable TV in the Campground but you have to borrow a satellite receiver from the office. The staff were courteous and do their best to be helpful. It is obvious that they have multiple duties and responsibilities working at the Northwest Adventure Center, which by the way, has a good assortment of outdoor equipment for sale or rent. There are two camp hosts residing in the Campground but you never see them. To the best of my knowledge there are no walking trails near the Campground. For those of us that like to go on long walks we have to fulfill that desire by walking on the roads or sidewalks. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Ft. Lewis and look forward to returning at some time in the future. I would like to share a few things we discovered while we played tourist. If you are planning to visit Mt. Rainier National Park, plan for a very long and tiring day. It would probably be best to plan multiple days and/or possibly stay overnight closer to Mt. Rainier NP. We attempted to see and enjoy as much as we could in one day at Mt. Rainier but fell short of our goals. On the plus side, we have a good incentive to return. Also, you can save a little time by going through Ft. Lewis (Main) to Stryker Road and out the East Gate to Routes 507 and 7. I had a “boy’s day out” one day and took a ride to McChord AFB - I wanted to visit the Air Museum. I enjoyed my little adventure. The museum consists of two parts; a small building near the PX (BX)/Commissary complex, and static displays of well-maintained aircraft near the airstrip. What I found enjoyable was talking to the volunteers at both locations. They make a special effort to greet every visitor and provide a wealth of information about Air Force aircraft and McChord AFB history. While at McChord I also visited the BX, Commissary, and Holiday Park FamCamp. The BX seems to be similar to Ft. Lewis, but less crowded. The Commissary is small with narrow aisles. The RV Park at McChord appears to be a possibility for a future visit to the Tacoma area. Finally, one day we went to lunch at the Tacoma waterfront. The waterfront is not as picturesque as other waterfront’s that we have visited but the experience was enjoyable.

Because we have solar we camped in the overflow. Its been very quite and only cost five dollars a day. They have lots of room. At this time they have a few empty camp sites with full hookups. The regular site are among the tall trees. This campground has enabled us to visit all the tourist attraction on day trips. The campground itself looks very well taken care of. Beth

We have stayed twice in the cabins, the first time in a studio, the second in a one-bedroom. Loved it both times! The cabins are comfortable and clean, the staff is very nice, the area is pretty and anything you want is to be found close by. We love this place!

Because we have to visit Fort Lewis regularly, this is a great place to stay with our 5th wheel RV. It is big-rig friendly, but note that maneuvering through the park to get to your site is a little tight. Beautiful and peaceful even with the rain. Camp host (Ursula, I think) was very friendly and helpful. The reservation system is still awful (that is the reason for the 4 in the overall experience). I called to make another reservation and confirm a previous reservation - 22 minutes after talking to several people I finally got things done.

T.P. left this review using the Directory software: - Visited for 3 days excellent camp. Staff is very friendly and professional. It is a good thing they have cable because over the air reception is limited and due to the very wooded nature of the park there is no satellite reception. You will need to pick up a converter box when you check in to use the cable. The box is free but you have to leave a $150.00 deposit on the box. They run a paper credit card slip when you pick up the box and return the slip when you bring back the box. Will use this camp again.

Very much a 'vacation spot' vs those of us that are full-time...we had to move 4 times the first two weeks! The Adventure Center store is stocked and people were pleasant and accommodating but their reservation system sucks! 2 RV's were going to have literally flip sites for one day before one couple left!!-the RV'ers worked it out. They need to update their systems! Most sites were sorta flat but some were way uneven. The lake with fishing and party on boats was noisy some days and some military helicopter practice could be watched. I picked up trash in every site we were in but then watched them blow leaves on empty sites the last visit thru. Watch out for tree sap in many sites and you can tell they haven't ever washed a table there. You can have mail or UPS/FED-Ex delivered at Adventure Center. Our Verizon MI-FI was fine as you have to go to commons room to get wi-fi. Both sets of camphosts were visible and available and helpful. 2 HUGE dog parks on main base and the Pet Brigade offers many services like kenneling or baths etc. We would come back here again vs McChord and just try to make reservations 6 months in advance!

This camp was great. We first went to McChord AFB and it was full. We drove to Ft Lewis and they had several spaces that could accommodate our 40' motorhome. The staff who checked us in were very pleasant. They had us drive around the park and select our site. The site was full hookup with cable included. It was clean, quiet, forested. Our only negative is the location. It is 40 miles south of Seattle. We spent a lot of time driving back and forth to visit our son, do sightseeing and attend a Mariners baseball game. However, this was the closest camp and we enjoyed our stay.

Stayed there two years and both times the reservation was messed up. They use a computer method and a big book where they line out sites taken. This year, I made a reservation, then called up well in advance to modify and was told it was OK. Once I got there, checked in and looked to extend another day and was told that even my first modification was not OK. The gray haired woman behind the desk was RUDE RUDE RUDE and basically told me that their information was in conflict so I could not extend and it was just too bad for me. So in essence, their mistake, I had to cut my stay short. There is no excuse for this sort of thing. I also was hassled when returning the cable box regarding a missing piece that we never got when we checked the unit out. So, beware if you are thinking of staying here. Your reservation will likely be goofed up and you will not be treated well. I like the setting but I do not like being treated so horribly while here. The gray haired woman was unwilling to discuss the screw up with me further and basically just shut me down. There is no excuse to be this way and once there, they should do what they can to accommodate vets once we are there. Hopefully this situation will improve as I really like staying at Ft. Lewis.

This place was above what we expected after reading the posts from a year ago. The site was perfect, all hookups worked with no issues. The main common bathroom/laundry combo was clean and useful. Showered and then was able to do laundry while I caught up on my emails with the wireless. The camp was full and we weren't able to stay an extra night as we had hoped. It it was our own fault for not doing it quick enough. Will stay here when we come back to the area.

I was initially put off by some of the photos posted on this site, but as it is the nearest facility for our needs, we took it anyway. We were pleasantly surprised. The camp is clean and well kept. Access was easy and our site was spacious, paved and clean. The only problem arose when I discovered the electric hookup had only 50 AMP and I have a 30 AMP rig. I went to the camp recreation store and was able to get an adapter. Problem solved. The registration desk/store is a actually a sporting goods store. They have equipment for most anything you'd care to do. It was fun browsing. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will use this facility again when the opportunity arises.

Great park from the standpoint of privacy, beauty of surroundings, security, mostly large sites, and the overwhelming smell of pine! Be sure you have reservations in the summer as this place is packed particularly on weekends from May until October. Direct phone to camp office is 253-967-8282 and Sharon seems to be the most knowledgeable of the staff. Directions are correct in review below (make sure you go to the NORTH gate), but if you don't have a military vehicle registration decal on your windshield, you will be directed to the Visitor Center next to the main gate for a decal and/or visitor pass. My husband had to jockey our fifth wheel back and forth behind parked cars in the VC parking lot while he waited for me to go through a line of 50 people for my turn! Security here is high right now. Cost is ridiculous compared to military parks across the nation. 50AMP and lakeside is $25 a nite and if you want 50AMP, you will be on a lakeside site as there are only 3 others in the park. Lakeside doesn't mean you can see the lake, BTW. Most sites seem pretty level, but be sure your RV will fit on the site you are assigned -- some are pull throughs with plenty of space or NO space at all. One van was parked on a corner pull through and had to put up orange cones so people wouldn't run over them! Very tight, lots of curves getting through the park. Does need a field day to clean up not only overgrowth, but trash and cigarette butts. Two docks for boating and fishing, nice log cabins, plenty of woods/shade, noisy if on the road side of the park as freeway is not far either, Bistro on the other side of the lake is nearest restaurant. And you will not want to leave the base during rush hours, as the traffic on I-5 near any of the base exits and the dome in Tacoma is at a standstill then and on the weekends (expect delays wherever you go!). Did not use the shower/laundry as we are self contained. Staff very helpful to accommodate our extended time needs due to VA tests. Nice adventure rental center as part of camp office -- can rent just about anything for summer fun.