Join the fun near Alpine. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Alpine is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
El Cosmico is an 21 acre nomadic hotel and campground in Marfa, Texas. In keeping with the belief that life should be a balance of adventure and do-nothingness we offer shelter, occasional entertainment, opportunity for learning/doing/making, and access to the majesty of the high plains desert. From its wide open spaces to the vast canopy of stars above, El Cosmico provides temporary liberation from the built world. It is second home to intrepid travelers and wanderers from all corners of the planet.
Accommodations at El Cosmico include renovated vintage trailers, safari and scout tents, Sioux-style tepees, a Mongolian yurt, and tent campsites. The property also offers several communal spaces for guests – a hammock grove, an outdoor kitchen and dining area, a community lounge and mercantile, an outdoor stage, a reading room. We rent wood-fired hot tubs as the burn ban allows, and bikes for exploring Marfa.
Stay overnight at one of 34 campsites. Or reserve a room at the San Solomon Springs Courts, motel-style retro lodging built by the CCC.
$35 - $90 / night
We loved staying at Marathon Motel! We will be back for sure. Such a neat hidden gem. The courtyard is beautiful and they let the guests start the fireplace and bonfires at will. The lights at night are so cool and makes the experience feel very special. The moon was too bright for their “star parties” when we were there unfortunately, but those sound super fun to go to. Perhaps the coolest thing we enjoyed was using their new private outdoor showers where you can look up and stargaze while soaking in warm water getting all clean. Truly a unique experience for the books. We will definitely be back!
We don’t like being on a schedule so we don’t make reservations prior to leaving home. We have a van that we sleep in so if things don’t work out for a nite, we can use a rest stop. We found Marathon Motel and RV camping on The Dyrt. What a cute place! Surrounded by mountain views and beautiful sunrises and sunsets, night skies that are breathtaking, you really know your deep in the heart of Texas (clap,clap,clap!)
A great little town to launch your adventure into Big Bend , French Grocer is a great place . Nice showers and WiFi here as well as power and water if needed . We stayed in the back and had a quiet evening . Highly recommend for this passing through
Not the sexiest campground but def great enough to stay. They have telescopes for viewing planets and stars set up so folks can pay 10$ and have a look. We stayed to be closer to Big Bend so it does the job in that way.
Great place to stay on the way to Big Bend. Stop in at White Buffalo Bar - where ranch water was first introduced. Food is great, large portions suggest split plates. Campground has showers. Modern Bathrooms in tent camping area. Night skies are beautiful .
Best place to vistist if you are heading out west. Do skip on the swimming.
We stumbled in this place on the way to Austin from big bend. The camp is in a dark sky reserve and had an astral photographer there showing us the telescopes. Pretty unforgettable!
This place is really cool and in the great town of marfa! We didn’t stay in one of their trailers or cabins but rather booked a camping spot through hipcamp. This turned out to be just a camp anywhere you want in the parking lot situation which was a little disappointing. Bathrooms are open air and outside as welll, so be advised if you are visiting in the winter.
Before I begin this review, you must understand that it is not like what it once was. It is a busy resort campground with a cult following.
The safari tents are comfortable and spacious. Perfect for basecamp. They definitely arent cheap, but they are definitely worth every penny. The host was very nice and hospitable.
We went in March, arrived after dark, and departed very, very early. It snowed in the morning, so be ready for any extreme weather surprises in the desert!
We camped here for three nights. Great spot, deer came through csmp every evening. We watched the horses in the pasture. Staff was very friendly. Close to Fort Davis, McDonald Observatory. Not far from Balmorhea, Marfa.
Stayed here for the night before heading into Big Bend National Park. Friendly staff . The tent section is away from the RVs and have a private flushing toilet. There is a larger bathroom available with shower. We were able to have a fire in the court yard fireplace , even in the middle of fire season. They have a star gazing facility with large observatory . Hotel rooms are available for $100. Tent sites are $15
Gravel parking side by side without much else. The town was very small too. They did allow access to a private shower and wifi if needed. Stars were great!
El Cosmico is a place you have to experience, even if you just stay in your own tent! They have hot tubs, a hammock garden and an amazing gift shop. I enjoyed it, but it is quite pricey if you stay in one of the trailers. I would have been okay just staying in the trailer for one night if I had known camping was an option when I booked :) I will say, the trailer’s outdoor shower was pretty sweet. The trailer was amazingly decorated and had plenty of space for two people!
I reserved via Hipcamp to “self camp" in the gravel parking lot for $20/night. No hook ups, but generator use is allowed. Campers also have access to the on site facilities which include showers, potable water (not to fill tank), hammocks and grounds.
No shade in the parking lot and very dusty. Actually was there when a dust storm occurred. Unreal! For a quick stopover and to visit Marfa, this was okay. I recommend checking out the Marfa lights viewing area for dry camping. Also check out downtown Marfa and the iconic Hotel Paisano.
It’s right next to town (I biked in and out of Marfa). There are so many options to choose from for accommodations, or just pay very little and bring your own tent! They have showers, a kitchen, lounge area, and fast WiFi!
Very laid back place walkable to lots of good stuff. We will definitely be back.
Best camp site ever!!!!! 🤘🏽❤️🤘🏽🎶🎶
Awesome camp 🏕 site!!! Clean bathrooms an showers!!!! Well kept!!! 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽
Great small RV park with motel. All spaces with electric and water, showers are great. Has a nice courtyard with large fire pit. Very clean and quite. It’s right off the main road into Big Bend National Park, about a 40 minute drive.
Loved this place! Price was super reasonable for FHU at $35 a night! We had a site in the back so it was a little more spread out and away from the road. Might not have been so happy with the front sites. This place has great landscaping and a beautiful courtyard that boasts a nightly fire. Marathon is also the darkest city in the USA so you get to see tons of stars. If you’re lucky some nights they pull out the telescope.
It’s about a 45 minute drive to the Big Bend gate and maybe another 30 minutes to a hike or exhibit inside the park from there. 30 minutes to Alpine and maybe a hour to Marfa. Not much in the town it’s self but what’s there is super quant and cute.
We would 100% recommend and stay here again.
Historic Prude Ranch! Such a lovely staff, they were incredibly accommodating and helpful. We stayed in the lower rv spots near the road because there was apparently a large group of kids staying in the upper spots. The traffic at night is nearly non-existent (at least in March) and doesn’t cause a distraction at all. This is a great place for birdwatching as there are a large variety of species that live there. We’ve been told of the craziness during the summertime when all of the kiddos show up, so be sure to plan for that. Our time there was very peaceful :)
We stayed for almost a week and enjoyed our time in Marathon. The first night we enjoyed looking at the stars with the resident astronomer. The rest of the week we stayed cozy in our warm RV at night as it got really cold! The stars were truly spectacular, but too cold for me. During the day we explored Big Bend, which was convenient to access from the RV park. The only reason we give four stars and not five was the difficult to use laundry room, and the train next to the park.
If you are from Texas, then you already know the legend that is Prude Ranch. I'm not sure when they added RV spots to the Ranch but you can't imagine how excited I was to find out they had. There are about two dozen spots with full hookup 30/50 in two separate camps (upper and lower). The lower camp sites in a pecan field at the entrance to the ranch while the upper camp sites sit smack dab in the middle of the cabins and stables. This isn't your average RV park. Prude Ranch is known statewide for its summer camp which sees hundreds of kids over 4 to 8 weeks in the summer. The rest of the year, Prude is a working horse ranch and there is plenty to do. My son and I took two, two-hour trail rides with our Wrangler Andy who was a wealth of information. There are a couple other RV parks in the area but honestly, if you dont day here you're really missing out. We camped at the lower site which took a little bit of leveling (6" in the front and 2" passenger). The deer come in at night and you can sit and watch them wander. Town is only 5 miles down the road with grocery open til 8pm and a family dollar for those items you didnt realize you forgot until you got here. If you come, you must ride the trails, its an amazing experience.
This is a historic ranch down the road from Fort Davis. The ranch serves as a summer camp for kids and groups and we did arrive in Nov so it was like having the place to ourselves (not sure how it would be with lots of kids around!). There are two locations for RV parking; front and rear. We stayed in the rear, but would pick the front next time. The rear was private, but the front seemed to have less building obstacles for night sky and sun setting viewing. The road is not active at all it seems ... very much off the beaten path.
Our spot was a back in and did require leveling, but had full hook ups. There is no set dog park area (not a big deal!). The horse corrals and horses were a great site to see. The buildings could use a fresh coat of paint and the landscaping could use a few flowers and decorative improvements, but we were not there for the RV spots, but for a short stay and hiking.
We entered from the north side of town and was a little skeptical, but eventually we arrived and were happily surprised. They do have horse back riding available at all times; however we chose to hike the near by hills in the state park ... be prepared for the walk is on rocky, shale, hills so extra work on the leg muscles but WELL worth it!
The staff is very very welcoming and knowledgeable of local attractions ... There is Fort Davis you can walk through, hiking at Prude Ranch, hiking in the state park, and a 2 - 3 hour drive that has local natural sites you can see from the car.
$40 for 2 people on bikes with one tent. That’s the highest price we’ve ever paid for one night of tent camping with our own gear. This is a very nice place though. The camping area was spacious and we had a picnic table and small tree next to where we set up. Bathrooms, outdoor showers that are nice and hot with good pressure, sinks available. The self check in was great- book on Hipcamp.com, show up, grab a map of the campground and find your spot on your own. The other lodging options, ie tipis, canvas tents, yurts, etc seemed pretty cool but it appears they book up fast this time of year (week of Thanksgiving). The campground is close to town where you can find food and groceries. The only problem I find with these types of campgrounds is that there are a lot of novice campers who are inconsiderate of their noise late at night and in the early morning. Some people do actually want to sleep!
We camped in the back corner camping area, it was $15 a night for two bikepackers with one tent. Very clean bathrooms and showers were included. Our tentsite had a flat tent pad and picnic table. What makes this campsite special is that it’s also a stargazing park and they have star-specialists here every night with telescopes to answer any questions about the night sky! We are planning to camp another night and do laundry while we’re here.
Tucked away in Marfa, el cosmico is an excellent retreat from the city. With traditional bring your own tent spaces to Safari tents, yurts and old-school RVs. They have a space for what you are yearning for. Check in and guest house complete with a shop and indoor showers sit at the front over looking the campsite and hot tubs. The hot coffee in the morning was very much welcomed before we set out to see the town and surrounding are exhibits that are all close by. I would definitely recommend. We stayed in a safari tent complete with a wonderful bed, side tables, lamp fan and power.
Camping near Alpine, Texas, offers a unique blend of stunning landscapes and outdoor adventures. Whether you're looking for a cozy spot to pitch a tent or a full-service RV park, there are plenty of options to explore.
Camping near Alpine, Texas, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. With a mix of beautiful scenery and unique experiences, it's a great spot to unwind and explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Alpine, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Alpine, TX is El Cosmico with a 4.1-star rating from 13 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Alpine, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 glamping camping locations near Alpine, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
