Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Alpine? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Alpine. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
$15 - $25 / night
$35 - $75 / night
Traveler
Awesome free camping. No cell service.
Ranger
Stayed for one night on our way to big bend NP. Has showers, full hookups, nice little park and town.
Traveler4 or 5 sites nicely spread out with picnic tables and garbage cans at each site, there are no restrooms or water, Madera Canyon trailhead starts from a small parking area near one end of the park and is a 2 mile loop trail with nice views, the trail information board says overnight parking is allowed at the picnic sites but not in the trail parking area, it does not specify how many nights, we stayed 2 nights in a class c with a tow vehicle, it was peaceful and the trail was a great hike. We had no Verizon service here.
GuideWe were looking for a place to spend the night , fill our water and dump our tanks . This place was perfect , water and electric at the site and dump station too. It was quiet and cheap , $32 a night
Scout
While bikepacking drift boss, I set a camp here. Since there was just one other visitor in a camper trailer, no reservation was required. Tent camping was rather basic at each location, which offered water and electricity but no other facilities. A few minutes after we got there, the proprietors pulled up to take the$10 camping charge. We believed the price to be reasonable. There are no restrooms, so pick your bush carefully and remove all of your waste. Here, we enjoyed fantastic views of the sunrise and sunset. The setting, which is essentially a Prada storefront in the middle of the desert, is extremely close to the well-known Marfa Prada art display.
Scout
Historic Prude Ranch is a unique camping destination with a friendly atmosphere and plenty of activities retro bowl. Visitors enjoy the beautiful scenery, wildlife, and horseback riding opportunities!
Guide
Lovely RV Park and Motel. Clean and well kept facilities. Iconic location of several scenes from Paris, Texas.
Scout
Great spot, the staff is accomadating - brought towels quickly, lots of beverages and food in store waiting for the heat to die down and night to fall
TravelerDavis Mountain Resort is a private residential area. Campsite rentals are not allowed or available.
Legend
There was no problem finding this campground(CG) as it is right off I-10 adjacent to a Valero gas station. We had paid online, and per the emailed instructions, we went and chose an empty site. After driving through and looking at sites that didn’t have trees that would interfere with our slide-outs, we went into pull-through site 29 with FHUs. As we were only staying overnight, we did not use water and sewer. The CG’s sites are all pull-throughs with FHUs. About 1/4 of the sites are transient workers or full-timers. When we were here towards the end of January, there were plenty of sites to choose from. Our site was plenty long enough for our 40’ 5th wheel and F450. This is a basic CG with no internet, but they have a laundry room on the back of the Saddleback Steakhouse and Bar that has seen better days. There’s also an unmanned office with instructions and a drop box for campers without a reservation. There were plenty of sites that have clear shots to the sky for satellite. We got 3 bars on Verizon. We should have used our sound machine as there’s a lot of road noise from I-10. There’s no formal dog park, but there is plenty of room to walk your dog. Other than the price, one of the reasons we stayed here was the raving reviews by other campers on the Saddleback Steakhouse and Saloon, especially their ribeyes. Boy, were we disappointed. We were expecting a big Texas-style steak. The steak was maybe 1/4 inch thick, and the hand-cut fries were greasy. This may be the only place in the US that still allows smoking inside. They live by their own rules here. On the bright side, this dive-type bar was interesting and somewhat entertaining depending on your views as this establishment is clearly pro-Trump and anti-Biden.
Guide
(Full disclosure: I am on the board of nonprofit Mobile Comunidad, which operates the Mountain View Lodge & Cafe)
The Mountain View is a great place to stay while visiting the Davis Mountains / Big Bend region, convenient to McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Marfa, Alpine, and further to Big Bend National Park. All proceeds from the lodge and cafe help fund programs such as free lunches for school kids, food pantry food distributions, a bookmobile and more. You will enjoy our hospitality and the cafe serves a great breakfast and the best burgers around.
Our staff will go out of their way to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Check our reviews on other sites to see how folks like us. Happy trails!
Guide
The picnic table was rotted and unusable. Many occupied sites had junk laying around. On the bright side, the sites were. Shaded by big trees. This was shielded from road noise by buildings and fences.
GuideEvery picture tells a story, don't it.
GuideWe 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!
Guide
Davis Mpuntains is truly amazing. A great blend of high desert mountains, endless night skies, and incredibly friendly people. I stayed in a tent site (#69) on the end of the loop, as I thought the park would be crowded. But, to my surprise, in early March, it was not! There are sites with full hookups, hot showers, many many hiking trails, and even free Wi-Fi at the headquarters/park entrance! There is little to no cell signal (Verizon) anywhere in the park, except along the Skyline Drive, so be prepared with a booster, or, for a great escape! Excellent park :).
Tent sites are $15 a night, and, if you are a TX parks pass holder, you get half off your second night, and free admission to the park (admission is also charged in addition to camping fee if not a pass holder).
GuideFor this part of the world, plopping down in a patch of desert next to a railroad is acceptable, but rustic. Yes, all the amenities are here (FHUs), shower, and bathhouse. They could clean up the grounds a lot, but can't do much about the trains. Good for a night. Hard to find the entrance in the dark.
GuideWe actually stayed here for a week, part of relocating from Texas over to the desert for the winter.
The Pros:
• Easy in and out. You can actually just go right to the back of the gas station there and cut left, big entrance area, though going to the right of the Saloon and restaurant does put you going the right way for....
• Large, long spots. Now, some have a cone in them, I'd guess some problem with one of the three hookups, but I don't know. Some of them are also overgrown.
• Plenty of room, really. This isn't a place people stay for long, being next to the highway, I would guess. So when you're trying to "reserve" a spot on the phone, it'll pretty much be "just come on".
• During our stay we had reliable power and water, no issues. Decent water pressure as well. We did hit some freezing overnights so I just filled the tanks and we ran off that until we left. I didn't actually hook up to the sewer at all.
• The onsite bar and restaurant isn't bad.
The Cons:
• Not really a problem for me, but you ARE next to a truck stop and a highway, but honestly, I didn't hear them really at all during the night unless I was listening for it.
• There was someone with loose dogs. As a former traveling-with-dog RVer, that annoys me to a VERY great deal. I don't know your dog, mine always seemed to get attacked. Keep your dog on a leash, please.
• Again, not a problem for me, but the bar/restaurant is very right wing Republican. F*** Biden flags, Trump Won, etc. Just warning you. The patrons and staff didn't say or do anything untoward, but if this kind of stuff bothers you and you're easily offended, just be aware.
• It took me second time to realize that my chicken fried steak wasn't just awesomely tender, but rather I'm pretty sure it was hamburger. The batter and gravy was good, really, all the food was good. (Though we did feel a little ripped off at 5 or 6 small onion rings for $6.99.) There is a great Mexican restaurant in town (as much as there is any town to Balmorhea), too, be sure to check hours and such. It's called La Cueva de Oso.
ScoutWe 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!)
GuideWe stayed here two nights while we swam in balmorhea. We pulled in late at night and we just placed $20 in the office , picked a spot and slept. The next day we swam all day and returned to a different spot. Same easy process, leave $20 in the office with your spit number. All spots are open and have full hook ups. Some are overgrown with weeds and the water isn’t accessible so choose wisely. Gravel and level spots, next to a gas station and diner.
RangerUsed this campground as we left Big Bend . Ft Davis is a quaint little town . Getting food at a restaurant is a task . Nice grocery though and hardware store . The park is fairly clean , the lodge and hotel were very minimally supplied but they were about to renovate it . Clean showers except my wife got locked in the bathroom ..
RangerA 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
TravelerThis is a no frills campsite, but it met our basic requirements for an overnight stay. We arrived at 8 pm on a Friday and decided to eat at the on-site restaurant/ bar. Despite the rustic outdoor appearance, the food was homemade and quite tasty. I’d have no issue staying here again.
GuideWe pre booked our stay (paid on line). Received an email and text on the day we arrived. It’s an open RV park which is nice as we chose our spot. Closest to the mountains (although they are in the distance). Smell of Creosote this morning was amazing. Only here for a night but loved this site. Very basic no pool or hot tub or even a shuffle board court but definitely fit the bill. Restaurant next door circle bar and saloon. Great bar and food is great and reasonable. Highly recommend a stay here if you like basics and friendly people.
GuideOverall good experience. Plenty of vacancy - no reservations needed. $20 cash in an envelope gets you full hookups (50/30 amp - powerpoles in good shape), water (good quality/ pressure), and sewage. No picnic tables or bbq/fire. Nice access to store, gas, ice, and steakhouse/bar (I didn't visit). Nice landscape, but lots of goatheads (thorns) that get in your dog's paws. Quiet nights, despite popular truckstop adjacent.
GuideEasy enough, allowed RTT camping (others in the area will not)
Bathrooms have heaters etc.
For sure you will hear and feel the trains so accept it. Nice rolling cargo style. No Campfires at sites.
TravelerNot the sexiest campground but def great enough to stay. They have telescopes for viewing planets and stars set up so folks can pay 10$ and have a look. We stayed to be closer to Big Bend so it does the job in that way.
Ranger$20 for FHU. All utilities worked great. Campground has been beautifully landscaped with various cacti. Despite being adjacent to the truck stop and interstate, there was surprisingly little noise. They even taken a large plot of land next to the campground and filled it with various native plants and cacti with a nice walking trail through it (perfect to stretch your legs after a long drive). We definitely would stay here again when passing through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Alpine, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Alpine, TX is Davis Mountains State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 52 reviews.
