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Community Alumni's avatar
Community Alumni
Jul 11, 2017

DOD Military Campground near Orange Beach Florida

The DW, kids, and I booked a week long trip over the 4th of July Holiday (Sat to Sat). Our original campsite was the DOD campsite at Oak Grove on the NAS near Pensacola, FL. This site was very clean and the camp host was very nice and extremely helpful. The campground is within walking distance to the lighthouse and the Naval Air Museum. The bath house is clean and roomy and the walk to private beach is about 300-400 feet. The beach says no swimming but the camp host said that you are allowed. We did and so did every other camper.

We would love to stay there again but ONLY IF we do not take our motorcycles. This campground is within the gates of the NAS. All personnel on the motorcycle are REQUIRED to wear long pants, long sleeve, full finger gloves, over the ankle boots, eye protection, and DOT helmet. While the wife and I will typically wear this gear anyways, during the summer months we will wear a "lighter" version of protective gear that is not acceptable to the guards at the base check points.

This bulkier gear would have made our trip extremely uncomfortable since we planned to visit other family that was staying off base throughout the week. So Sunday we decided to try and find another campground. Unbelievably, we found another DOD campground not within the fences of NAS that had openings. Blue Angels campground is still considered NAS property and you need to have DOD access to stay there, but they do not require all the bulky gear to ride motorcycles onto the campground (only long pants - which we wore anyways because motorcycle engines get hot next to bare legs).

Blue Angel park has two parts.
1. Battleship row - full hookups, really nice bathhouse, laundry, concrete pads, paved drives, and plenty of room between campsites. No beach access (a very good hike to Anchor Cove and the beach there)
2. Anchor Cove (where we stayed) - water and electric hookups, semi-nice bathhouse, no laundry (use Battleship row but need to drive there), gravel drives, dirt pads (pretty level), very short walk to the "beach". Beach is about 200' of sand onto the bay. The water is brackish to fresh and very warm since the water is only a few feet deep for about 600' out into the bay - we didn't venture any further but it didn't seem to be getting any deeper.

There is also an abandoned flightline that trailers and such can be stored while staying at either park.

In the future, we will stay at Battleship row without the kids and Anchor Cove with the kids.

Bonus for future trips, we don't have to purchase temporary Florida fishing licenses to fish from the DOD campgrounds (stingray and catfish are plenty at Blue Angel campground).
  • Community Alumni's avatar
    Community Alumni
    Waterops1 wrote:
    I did not recall seeing this campground listed in U.S. Military Campgrounds. Thanks for the information; sounds great.


    Here is Oak Grove.

    Here is Blue Angel Campground. Anchor Cove and Battleship Row are the 2 parts to Blue Angel Campground. The picture on the link to Blue Angel Campground is misleading. That is not sand in front of the trailer shown on the picture. That is an abandoned airstrip apron. The only "beach" is at Anchor Cove and it is very small but rarely crowded. Of the week we were there (4th of July week), we saw a max of 20 people on the beach.
  • I did not recall seeing this campground listed in U.S. Military Campgrounds. Thanks for the information; sounds great.
  • Community Alumni's avatar
    Community Alumni
    enblethen wrote:
    I agree with 1995brave, that it must be Florida thing. Have not been to any military facility that does not require state fishing license.


    I don't think it is a Florida thing. I think it is just that this campground is so far away from civilization that the people are taking a chance and the base personnel doesn't check. I've fished Maxwell in Montgomery, AL and the base required you to have a state license. Now the state game wardens wouldn't come on base to check if you fished the golf course ponds but the base still required you to have one even though they don't check. Most of the Security Force personnel don't care either way.
  • I agree with 1995brave, that it must be Florida thing. Have not been to any military facility that does not require state fishing license.
  • chag67 wrote:



    Bonus for future trips, we don't have to purchase temporary Florida fishing licenses to fish from the DOD campgrounds (stingray and catfish are plenty at Blue Angel campground).


    This must be a Florida thing, in Texas you have to have a fishing license even if fishing on the base. I have actually had a Game Warden check our licenses while fishing from one of the piers on base.
  • Community Alumni's avatar
    Community Alumni
    kerrlakeRoo wrote:
    Have you tried
    www.militarycampgrounds.us
    They would appreciate your review.


    Thanks. I was going to post my review after lunch.
  • Have you tried
    www.militarycampgrounds.us
    They would appreciate your review.