Best Glamping near Balmorhea, TX

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.

$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!

I’ve been on a road trip for the last couple months and was looking forward to this hip alternative campground. I was tent camping not in one of the glamp tents or trailers they have available. All of us tent folk were crammed in the same small area, since it was the only area that provided some shade. It was loud all night from parties across the street and then some people partying in the parking lot at 4am. Obviously that is not the facilities fault, but so unpleasant.

The bathroom and kitchen facilities have not been well maintained and are now in my opinion gross. You still have to clean toilets even if they are outside! I also found the staff rude, clearly they don’t want to be here either.

The only upside is it’s proximity to Chinati.

I stayed here very briefly because I had to leave quite early. Considering how hipster this place is, self tent camping wasn’t terribly expensive ($20) but you can also stay in some pretty cool yurts, teepee, retro trailers, or even a luxury tiny home. The whole site was well maintained and very quiet the evening I was there. The camping area has tables, trees for shade, and a hammock grove. They have a really cool shop with clothing, books, etc, and the staff was very friendly with great recommendations with things to do and where to eat. Bathrooms were semi outdoor (roofless but private) and well maintained. By far the most exciting for me was the outdoor private shower. Also roofless but covered in vines and outdoor string lights. I could have showered for hours.

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.

Punchline: super hip launchpad to check out the rest of the Marfa art scene. Okay- first off El Cosmico is by no means a natural setting- so if you're looking for that kind of camping, look elsewhere. This place clearly works hard to cultivate a new age artsy desert vibe. It offers a variety of accommodations- of which I've only tried out the tent camping and a teepee on one 14 degree night (they had electric blankets, I caved). In addition, they have some nicely restored trailers. It is super close to the middle of town and is a Marfa art destination in its own right. The communal bathrooms and kitchen area were impeccable, but they're outside so obviously get quite chilly in the winter. Gnarly icicles coming out of the faucets when I was there. It would be an awesome kitchen setup in slightly warmer conditions. I despise the term 'glamping'... this ended up being a relatively affordable way to check out Marfa ;)