Tucked among the trees on the east side of Colorado 115 outside of Fort Carson’s Gate 6, camp trailers are set up in the newly renovated and renamed Camp Hale.

“That’s been a big hit ever since we opened it,” said Col. Sean Brown, the garrison commander on Thursday. 

Camp Hale, recently renamed from Camp Falcon, opened on Memorial Day weekend with eight cabins and 50 pull-through sites for recreational vehicles, according to the Army. Previously, the site only had rugged tent camping, a spokesperson with Fort Carson Morale, Welfare and Recreation said. 

The campground is accessed down Wilderness Road, across the highway from the large replica of a Hercules beetle, known as Herkimer that marks the May Museum. 

The turn-off for the camp ground is just past an Army sign describing restricted access to the base and leads down to the new Welcome Center that provides laundry facilities and restrooms with showers.

The campground is laid out below the center with sites in the evergreen trees and out in the open. 

Tent camping is planned on another part of the property and 10 sites are expected to open in the fall, the spokesperson said. 

The public campground helps to raise money for Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs that cover a wide range of services, such as childcare, library programs and travel. It’s one of many across the nation, although some limit access to particular groups, such as service members and veterans. 

“It’s been a good business model for the Army,” Brown said. 

The campground also helps soldiers who pack up into their RVs to move across the country by allowing them to stay close to base while they look for a new home, he said. 

Fort Carson’s Gen. David Doyle highlighted the popularity of the site during his State of the Base speech.

“If you’re trying to get in there, I would encourage you to get your reservations in early,” he said. 

More info including camp site pricing can be found at carson.armymwr.com/programs/camp-hale. The RV camping sites have plenty of availability currently, the spokesperson said.