Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota: An Army Base with Lots of Opportunity

Camp Ripley is an Army camp that is located in central Minnesota in the city of Little Falls. The camp is a 53,000 acre military and civilian training facility that is state owned and operated by the Minnesota National Guard. It is one of the largest National Guard training camps in the Nation. The Camp consists of many different ranges and state of the art training facilities for training troops from all over the United States. They have a small arms range where the soldiers can practice their aiming and accuracy gun skills. They also have a tank range where soldiers can learn how to drive and fire big tanks.

Also being located in the Northern part of the United States, winters can be cold and harsh at times. Camp Ripley is one of the premier winter training sites in the area. They help train troops to survive and have confidence through all the different experiences that cold and snow can bring. And let me tell you at times we do get our fair share of snow up here!

Camp Ripley is more than just a training camp for the military. They are also the home of the Department of National Resources Enforcement Center or better known as the DNR. They offer training programs in hunting, firearm, snowmobile, motorcycle and all terrain vehicles. They also take care of aerial pollution and the local animal population.

The Miller Army Airfield is also located on the grounds. The airfield has 5000 foot asphalt runway with a 2000 foot overrun and can accommodate aircrafts up to the size of a C-130, which drops troops and supplies off to remote areas. The airfield also has a concrete pad area that can accommodate up to 7 helicopters. The airfield is named for Ray S Miller. Ray was the founder of the Minnesota Air National Guard so it was just expected that something on the base would be named after him.

Also yearly around 300 youths attend Camp Ripley for the Annual Minnesota National Guard Youth Camp. This is a great program for children between the ages of 10 and 15 years old male or female. The Camp usually takes place in August.

This camp is a week long and is a great way to teach your child respect, leadership, team skills, self confidence and self-esteem. It is a great way for your child to build a base for a successful future in the world. It is also a nice way for them to make new friends. Whether your child is a straight A well behaved student or just a bully that doesn’t listen, this camp is for any child. It is a great experience and they will treat your child with all the respect they deserve. The camp is even perfect for kids that have a parent in the service understand more of what that parent does when he or she leaves. It also helps them with deployment issues and all the other confusion that goes with that subject for them.

The base is also the home to the Minnesota Military Museum. This museum is open to the public also and has indoor and outdoor exhibits. It is filled with all kinds of interesting history about the Minnesota armies. It honors those and tells stories about the men and women that have served in different branches of the military.

The Arms Room is one of my favorites. It is filled with pistols, revolvers, machine guns, ammunition and many other guns from the 19th and 20 centuries. It is fun to see how the guns and ammunition have changed over time. The building is surrounded by old army planes, vehicles, and tanks that are part of the museums exhibits also. There a really cool French boxcar outside that you must see. You can even go in to and explore a tin hut that was made back in 1965.

It has a lot of interesting items and stories in the Museum. It is great for people of all ages. There is no fee to get in, but it is requested for adults that are not in the military to donate $3 to the Camp funds. It is well worth it to look around in here. Plus make sure you check out the gift shop and see what they have to offer. You can find some really nice souvenirs in there.

Camp Ripley is a great training area. It is good to know that we live in an area where our soldiers are well trained just in case anything happens in the area. They spend a lot of money yearly maintaining the base and training the men and women that have joined to fight for our freedom and it shows at this base.