ACE/COE campground directory

It's been a few years since we stayed at an Army Corps Of Engineers campground, but my recollection is that they are great CGs and well maintained. Yesterday, while at an ACE project (not a CG), I picked up a camprgound guide which lists over 1,000 ACE campgrounds in 35 states. A great resource to add to our library of directories.

You can also search for an ACE campground online here.

We have a guide titled Camping with the Core of Engineers that lists the COE campgrounds.  We really need to update it as it's an old edition, but the COE doesn't add many new facilities so it's still usable.

An even better site to search for all federal campgrounds, not just COE, is http://www.reserveusa.com/.  You can view maps of the facilities and even reserve a site.  You can also see which sites are reservable and which are not and what the availability of any site is for any dates.

COE campgrounds are as a rule as nice as any commercial CG, usually with water and electric, even 50A in many sites.  Rarely do they have sewer hookups but they do have dump stations.  We look for COE campgrounds when we're travelling and often stay several days at a time.  They are almost always on the water and you get 50% off with a Golden Age pass.

Ned said:

you get 50% off with a Golden Age pass.

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Where do you get the Golden Age pass and what's the minimum age?

Any national park or monument visitors center, or via the internet.? You must be 62 years of age.? It costs a whole $10 and is good for a lifetime.

This is the same pass that gets you free access to all of the national parks and monuments and is honored at some state parks as well.

Ned said:

You must be 62 years of age.

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I guess we're going to have to pay full price for several more years.

Youngsters

Ned said:

Any national park or monument visitors center, or via the internet.  You must be 62 years of age.  It costs a whole $10 and is good for a lifetime.

This is the same pass that gets you free access to all of the national parks and monuments and is honored at some state parks as well.

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Instructions on getting one please,  Wife has hit the magic 62 mark

As I said, go to any National park or monument visitors center and you can buy it right there.? I believe all you need is your drivers license for proof of age.? You can't get it over the internet, I was mistaken on that.

A 5 second Google search on "golden age pass" turned up http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm as the first result with information on all the various entrance passes.? If you don't have time to do that, here's the pertinent paragraphs:

Golden Age Passport
The Golden Age Passport is a lifetime admission and discount pass for citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are age 62 or older. The pass is valid at National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and Tennessee Valley Authority sites with admission fees. The Golden Age Passport admits the pass owner and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle* if a park has a per vehicle entrance fee. Where a per person entrance fee is charged, the Golden Age Passport admits the pass owner, spouse, and children.

The Golden Age Passport also provides a 50% discount on federal use fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services. In some cases where use fees are charged, only the pass owner will be given the 50% price reduction. The Passport is nontransferable and does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.

A Golden Age Passport must be obtained in person at a federal area (National Park, Wildlife Refuge, Forest, etc.) where an entrance fee is charged. The cost of the cost of the Golden Age Passport is $10.00. It is available only to citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are 62 years of age or older. You must show proof of age and residency, such as a state driver's license, birth certificate, or similar document.