What Are Corps Of Engineer Campgrounds And Where Are They Located?

When I was a teenager and my parents decide to give camping a try, we found it all to be fun. We only camped though in State Parks. As I grew up and went camping, again it was either in State Parks or private parks. Then one day we wanted to venture somewhere different. Someone mentioned a place called Thompson Causeway on the Mississippi River. It was only a little over an hour drive for us, so we went to check it out for the day. We discovered that the campground was very spacious, peaceful and enjoyable.

I eventually hooked up with a friend (my husband now), and learned that as a child he spent a lot of times at Thompson Causeway. So when we got married, we started to camp most of the time there. And as the girls were growing up, we started to discover other Corps of Engineer Campgrounds in Iowa.

When Brian and I decided to become full time RV'ers, we decided that we would do the majority of our camping in Corps of Engineer Campgrounds. Well, instead of just touring them, we are now contractors to their parks. We have to bid on the contracts, which generally run 3 years. So after our 3 years, we just put a bid in another park on another lake. Thus far we have worked several states being contractors for the Corps of Engineer.

Unfortunately Corps of Engineer campgrounds are not located in every state. You will mainly find their campgrounds are all located around Lakes and the River waterways. Corps of Engineer Campgrounds can be found in the Mid-West states of IL, IA, KS, OK, MO, AR. There are plenty of campgrounds East of the Mississippi River in TN, KY, AL, MS & GA to just name a few.

In Texas there are plenty within 50 miles of Dallas/Forth worth area. As you go farther south in Texas or even West of Fort Worth, you won't find too many Corps of Engineer campgrounds.  There is one or two above Houston, but was severely damaged a few years ago by hurricanes and not sure if they are up and running 100% yet.

California has several Corp parks but not too many in the state of Washington or Oregon. In You will only find about 2 in the South West area and both are located in Northern NM, above Albuquerque.

Your cowboy states like Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada to name a few will not have Corp of Engineer campgrounds, but you may find Bureau of Land Managements in those areas. Also your upper Eastern states won't have too many Corps parks either like New York, Delaware, and Maine.

Cottage Publisher puts out a great book called "Camping With The Corps Of Engineer".It's written by S.L. Hinkle and is updated about every other year or so. It's a great book that will list all the Corps parks in the United States and their amenities.

Corps of Engineer campgrounds are federally operated and funded. One of the advantages to camping in one of their campgrounds is if you are 62 years or older you can purchase an America the Beautiful card for $10.00 (use to be called: Golden Age Passport) and receive 50% off your camping stay. Or if you are disabled and have proper papers to show that your are disabled, you can receive an America the Beautiful-Access Pass (the old cards were called Golden Access Pass) at no cost to you. Both of these cards are good for the rest of your life unless otherwise lost or stolen. The card is good only for you, in other words, if your spouse is going camping, but you are not and you have one of those cards, they cannot use it on your behalf unless you are there with them. Unfortunately many people abuse these cards and that is sad to see.

Back in 2007 when they made the change over in the passport cards, they failed to list the Corps of Engineers as one of the facilities as to where you can receive a card. So you have to go either to a National Forestry office or ask at any local Federal campgrounds and they will be able to assist as to where to purchase your card. Even though the Corps of Engineer can not sell these cards at present time, they do honor them. We have even found that a few state parks will honor these cards, so don't hesitate to ask! But the cards are good at ANY National Parks and Federal Recreational lands such as: Bureau of Land Management, National Forestry & Parks, National Seashore,and of course The Corps of Engineer to name just a few.

Camping in Corps of Engineer parks can range from primitive to full hook-up sites with a few parks where you can hike or canoe in.  Some parks may have only electric and all have dump stations. Prices varies from $12.00 all the way up to $28.00 (give or take a few dollars, with the economy). There are a few out there that are free. Those usually don't have flush toilets or showers or an attendant on site. some parks may be gated while others are wide open.  You will not find two lakes or campgrounds alike. One may operate one way, while the other operates differently. Some will strictly say you can only stay 14 days in a 30 day period, while others will allow you an extension to stay longer. If you think you may be staying longer than the 14 day rule, don't hesitate to ask the on duty attendant if they allow you to stay longer.

Unfortunatly more and more of these great parks are getting leased out to private individuals or to the state. When this hapens, then the passes are no longer useful. The best thing we can do to save our Corps and even our national parks is voice your opinion to your congressman in your state.

Personally I believe you will meet your greatest campers at these parks. There seems to always be something to do whether your camping or just visiting for the day. You can go Boating, fishing, hiking or you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the great outdoors. Always remember to help keep your park clean!

Happy camping and will see ya along the way; maybe in a Corps of Engineer Campground!