Big Bend National Park may not be the easiest park to get to but it’s oh so worth the effort. Located deep in the Chihuahua Desert in southwest Texas, where the Rio Grande marks the border with Mexico, you don’t just happen up on this park. Because of it’s remoteness, staying in the park – or at least as close by as possible – makes exploring the park much easier with less driving. Here’s some options of where to camp in Big Bend National Park.
Where to Camp in Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park has four developed campgrounds inside the park. Three are National Park Service campgrounds and one is a RV only campground, managed by a park concessioner. Always check the park’s website on nsp.gov for closures before you go. Big Bend will be paving several areas in the park in 2022 and some of the campgrounds will be affected. Camping reservations can be made up to six month in advance at recreation.gov. Here’s a list of the park campgrounds
Chisos Basin Campground
- Open year round
- Elevation 5400 ft.
- 60 sites
- Reservation only
- $16
- No hook- ups
- Flush toilets
- No wood fires or ground fires
Because of it’s higher elevation, the Chisos Basin Campground, in the middle of the park, is one of the best campgrounds in Big Bend National Park for the summer months. It’s often ten degrees, or more, cooler than the lower elevation campgrounds. The elevation also works to your advantage in winter. Sinking cold air and the way the mountains surround the campground makes it much warmer.
All the campsites in Chisos Basin Campground have grills, bear proof food storage boxes and picnic tables. Some sites are nicely shaded and a few even have the picnic tables on a covered concrete pad.
If you have a small tent, you could even set it up on the concrete under the cover for extra protection from rain and pop up thunderstorms. Even though this is the desert, weather can change quickly in the summer monsoon months. Like most park campgrounds, there are but no showers. However, water is readily available at filling station throughout the campground.
Southerner Says: RVs over 24 ft. are not recommended in the Chisos Basin campground and there is no room for RV parking. NPS recommends tents should be smaller that 8 x 8 ft.
Rio Grande Village Campground
- Open year round (some amenities are closed during low season)
- Elevation 1850 ft.
- 100 sites
- Reservation only
- $16
- No hook ups
- No wood fires or ground fires
Right next to the Rio Grande River, this area of the park is it’s own little village in the southeastern part of the park. The campground is a convenient place to stay in the fall, winter and spring. However, summer months are hot. It was 112F degrees when we were there in June. and our campground host said “ain’t nobody down there but the javelinas” 🙂
The campground has tent sites and RV sites with no hookups. All sites have picnic tables, grills, bear proof food storage and some overhead shelters. Water is available at filling stations throughout the campground. There are bathrooms with flush toilets and during high season the village has a camp store for supplies and food, laundry facilities and even showers.
Rio Grand Village RV Campground
- Open year round
- Elevation 1800 ft.
- Reservation only
- Pet allowed on leashes
- Visit the concessioner website for prices
- No wood fires or ground fires
Adjacent to the Rio Grand tent campground is a 25 site RV only campground that’s managed by a park concessioner. This is the only camping area with full hookups and a dump station in the park. Check the website above for more info and pricing.
Cottonwood Campground
- Open year round
- Elevation 2169 ft.
- 24 sites
- Reservation only
- $16 for tents
- No hook-ups
- No wood fires or ground fires
Located on the western side of Big Bend National Park, Cottonwood Campground maybe the smallest of the three developed campgrounds but it’s location makes it one of the best ones in the park. This area is especially good for birders. There’s even a message board when you enter the campground with all the species that have been spotted recently. Shady and more private than the other campgrounds, this is great second choice to the Chisos Basin Campground. All sites have picnic tables and grills. Pit toilets and water are available.
Backcountry Camping
Big Bend National Park also has two types of primitive back country camping sites. Note: all primitive sites require a permit.
There are primitive Chisos walk-in backpacking only sites that have no vehicle access. These sites are located anywhere from 1-6 miles from the trailhead with parking at the large amphitheater lot adjacent to the Chisos Basin Campground.
Additionally, there are also 64 primitive roadside camping sites. Located in the more remote areas of the park, these sites require a high clearance – and usually a 4×4 vehicle. Permits for the 34 most popular sites can be obtained at recreation.gov up to 6 months in advance. Permits for the remaining 30 sites are available at the Panther Junction Visitor Center or the Chisos Basin Visitor Center, 24 hours in advance of your stay.
These sites are not suitable for large RVs and motor homes and rangers will not issue a permit if you don’t have the correct vehicle to reach the site. Visit nps.gov for more details. Sites are $10 nightly.
Group Camping
Big Bend National Park has group camping available at Chisos Basin and Rio Grande Village. Campsites are tent only. Visit nps.gov for more info.
Where to Camp in Big Bend National Park Outside the Park
Many national parks in the United States are surrounded by other public lands such as national forests or BLM owned land. That’s not the case at Big Bend. The National Park Website says:
“Please be aware that there are NO overflow campsites in Big Bend National Park, and NO nearby public lands outside the park. If you plan on visiting Big Bend during the busiest times of the year and do not have reservations, it is best to come prepared with alternative plans for lodging or camping outside of the park. If you camp in parking lots or along park roadsides you will be cited.”
There are camping options in Terlingua – the closest town – and nearby private land that landowners are beginning to utilize for camping. Here’s a few suggestions of where to camp in Big Bend National Park outside the park.
Valerie’s Camp
North of Terlingua is Valerie’s Land. This private land has 6 sites on 25 acres of gorgeous desert property with views of the surrounding mountains. The owner allows tents, vans, truck campers and trailers. One of the best things about this property – besides the bathrooms and showers – is there’s kitchen access. This comes in handy since there’s just not many restaurants in the area. Bring your own food and water and enjoy the dark skies. Sites are $25 a night and river tours can be arranged with the owner.
Jackass Flats Campground
Another privately owned property near Big Bend National Park is Jackass Flats. Just 25 miles north of Terlingua, this property has RV sites and primitive tent sites. Again, you’ll need to be prepared and bring your own water, but there is a store nearby. Little Burro Country Store has food, ice, beer and wind, propane, camp gear and Wi-Fi. RV sites are $35 and tent sites are $20.
Big Bend Resort + Adventures
Since the bathhouses were closed when we were visiting Big Bend National Park in summer -which is off season – we decided to see if we could find showers in Terlingua. We ended up stopping at Big Bend Resort. We didn’t stay overnight since we were camping inside the park but they allow non-guests to use their showers. The six minute shower was perfect and it was only $2. The bathhouse was clean and the water pressure was good. As far as accommodations go – they have a lodge, RV and tent sties. They also offer tours of the area.
Big Bend Ranch State Park
To camp on the next closest public land to Big Bend, 80 miles west of the national park is Big Bend Ranch State Park. Personally for me, 80 miles is too much driving when you are going to be driving around in the park as well but this is an excellent option if you are only passing through and want to spend a short amount of time in the park. If you are coming from the west, you could camp overnight in the state park, visit Big Bend the next day and then move on another area. Check out their website for all the campground info.
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Lodging in Big Bend For the Non-Campers
What if you are someone that doesn’t like to camp? Good new is the area around Big Bend National Park also has some decent options. In fact, there’s even a lodge in the park.
Chisos Mountain Lodge
The Chisos Mountain Lodge located near the Chisos Mountain Campground has both rooms and cottages available. There’s a restaurant – with WiFi – a bar and a gift shop. It’s also one of the only places in the park where we had cell decent phone reception.
The lodge and restaurant is run by a park concessioner. Items on the menu include things like nachos, burgers, salads and meat and vegetable options. We had dinner at the Mountain View Restaurant in the lodge a couple of times. The food was surprisingly good and affordable for a park. The restaurant also serves breakfast and lunch. Due to staffing shortages, the restaurant is currently closed.
One of the best features at the restaurant is the huge windows and deck that has the perfect view of the park. Even if you don’t have dinner, it’s a great place to sip wine and watch the sunset. This area is really convenient because there’s a camp store, bathrooms and a water filling station.
Lajitas Golf Resort
If you are looking for a full on resort experience outside Big Bend National Park, then the Lajitas Golf Resort is a 4 star property in Lajitas that fits the bill. The resort is approximately 20 miles from the west entrance. Amenities include a golf course, 3 swimming pools, a spa, zip-lining, equestrian activities and Jeep rentals. There’s also a restaurant and saloon on site.
When’s the Best Time to Visit Big Bend National Park?
High season – and the busiest time to visit – Big Bend National Park is November through mid April. March and April are especially busy because of school spring break.
If you don’t mind higher temperatures, then visiting in the summer months is a good option. Because it is hotter, hiking and other activities need to be done early or late in the evening. The plus side of visiting in the summer is way less people. In fact in late June, we felt like we were the only ones in the park at times.
Big Bend National Park Camping Tips
- Purchase an America the Beautiful Park Pass that saves you money at over 2k interagency park units. The pass is $80 and is good for a year. You can purchase a pass at the park or ahead of time at REI.com or LL Bean.
- Verify the campground rules when you enter your campground. Things like generator regulations and quiet hours may differ at each campground.
- Also when you get to your campground, check in with the campground host if there is one. The host does more than just take care of the campground. Most of the time, he or she has been in the area for awhile and can offer advice on things like the best hikes and other things to see and do.
- Always verify that fires are allowed before you build one. At times, lack of rain prohibits even charcoal fires. If fires are allowed, only use the fire ring or the barbeque grill provided and don’t gather firewood.
- Don’t leave food out unattended. The campsites in Chisos Basin have bear boxes. Use them! After many years, the black bear has been reintroduced the area and it would be a shame if those bears became accustomed to humans and their food.
- Don’t feed any other wildlife either. That includes even squirrels and chipmunks.
- Pay close attention to the weather. Even though Big Bend doesn’t get much precipitation, thunderstorms can pop up quickly. We experienced one that came out of nowhere and we actually had to leave our campsite because of the intense lightening. So have a backup plan just in case.
- There are three camp stores, two gas stations, and a post office located in Big Bend National Park but it’s best to bring what you need. We stopped in Marfa for supplies but there is a small grocery store in Terlingua.
- Always remember to follow Leave No Trace principles for the outdoors and leave your campsite and the park, better and cleaner than when you got there.
Camping Packing List
Looking for some new camping gear? Here’s a few of my favorite products that I use every time I go camping.
- A great Hydro Flask water bottle
- Thermarest packable foam pillow
- Mpowerd solar Luci Pro lights
- An Affordable Coleman tent
- A night sky guide for those dark skies
