Fort Irwin

Fort Irwin is home to the U.S. Army's National Training Center, a FORSCOM installation dedicated to running large-scale, realistic combined arms training rotations that prepare soldiers, leaders and units for combat.

There is no airport near Fort Irwin itself; the closest commercial options are in Ontario, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, all well over 100 miles away, so plan on a rental car or arranged transportation for the final leg.

Driving in, Fort Irwin is reached via the Fort Irwin Road exit off Interstate 15, followed by a roughly 39-mile drive to the front gate.

The Landmark Inn, located on post, is the only hotel within 35 miles of Fort Irwin, with 179 rooms including standard rooms, suites and handicap-accessible units, each with a refrigerator, microwave and free wireless internet.

If the Landmark is unavailable, travelers typically stay in Barstow, about 39 miles away, where several chain hotels advertise military and per diem rates, including the Best Western Desert Villa Inn, Comfort Suites, Motel 6 and Holiday Inn Express.

On-post family housing at Fort Irwin is privatized and managed by Michaels Management Services, the community partner since July 2015, with leasing handled at Building 4553 Tippecanoe in the Sandy Basin community. Homes range from two to four bedrooms, some are handicap accessible, and utilities other than phone and cable are generally included in rent as long as usage stays within the median baseline.

Because of the distance to Barstow and the added cost of commuting, most families prefer to live on post, but availability isn't guaranteed at arrival; the waiting list can run one to six months depending on rank and family size, so applying 60 to 90 days ahead of a PCS is recommended.

Renting off post generally means looking in Barstow, since Fort Irwin has no mobile home park (though it does have an RV site through Outdoor Recreation), and the Housing Services Office in Building 111 on Langford Lake Road can provide rental listings and locator maps for the surrounding area.

Fort Irwin's Army School Liaison, based in Building 21 on Langford Lake Road, is a point of contact for families with questions about local schools, available Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Because school enrollment is determined by your home address, families should confirm their assigned school district once they know where they will live.

Child and youth program enrollment is centralized through Army Parent Central Services in Building 21, which handles registration for child and youth programs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

Weed Army Community Hospital is Fort Irwin’s main military medical facility. Its services include outpatient clinics, pharmacy, laboratory and imaging. Contact the hospital about care arrangements for your assignment.

Specialty care is limited at Fort Irwin, so a referral from your primary care manager is often needed for services beyond the core clinics.

Dental care for active-duty soldiers and dependents 17 and under is available through the Shuttleworth Dental Clinic, and families are encouraged to look into the TRICARE Dental Plan for other dependents.

The Landmark Inn area has several restaurants within walking distance, and the on-post commissary nearby is accessible to those with a military identification card.

Pet owners staying at the Landmark should know of Paws and Claws kennel just a few blocks away, useful for boarding since the hotel limits guests to two pets with a fee.

Plan your arrival for daylight hours if possible—the 39-mile stretch of Fort Irwin Road from the highway to the gate is unlit and can be disorienting after dark, and there's no fuel available along the way.