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Camping near Big Bend National Park

408 Reviews

Campers at Big Bend National Park find themselves surrounded by desert, mountains, and the Rio Grande River all in one place. Chisos Basin Campground sits higher in the mountains where temperatures stay cooler and hiking trails start right from your campsite. Down by the river, Rio Grande Village Campground has more trees for shade and better chances to see animals like javelinas wandering through. Both places have the basics - bathrooms and tables for eating. The park gets extremely hot in summer (often over 100°F) and can be surprisingly cold in winter, which is why most people camp there during March-April or October-November. Wildlife moves around freely through camping areas, so keeping food locked up is important. Cell phones rarely work in most of the park, and the nearest real grocery store is about 100 miles away in Alpine. You'll need to bring everything you might need, including extra water. The night skies are incredibly dark, making stargazing possible from your campsite. Big Bend's location on the Mexican border means you're truly away from everything when camping here.

Map showing campgrounds near Big Bend National Park, TexasExplore the Map

Best Camping Sites Near Big Bend National Park (97)

    1. Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, Tx) — Big Bend National Park

    69 Reviews
    Terlingua, TX
    7 miles
    +1 (432) 477-1121

    $16 / night

    "Big Bend National Park is one of the best stops in Texas, hands down, and the Chisos Basin Campground is the best spot in the park."

    "Chisos Campground is the place to camp on Big Bend National Park. It is a high elevation location and many great hiking trails from the location."

    2. Rio Grande Village Campground — Big Bend National Park

    22 Reviews
    Big Bend National Park, TX
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-2251

    "Rio Grande Village is a nice quiet spot in the Big Bend National Park. The outer rings of the campground provide private spots that are generator free. The facilities are clean and well maintained."

    "Rio Grande Village Campground is located within Big Bend National Park.  This park is HUGE and we were thankful to have a spot to camp for a few days. "

    3. Big Bend Backcountry Camping — Big Bend National Park

    9 Reviews
    Terlingua, TX
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-1158

    $10 / night

    "I took the Pinnacles Trail to get to the Boot Canyon camp site. 

    The hike up is beautiful."

    4. Pine Canyon — Big Bend National Park

    7 Reviews
    Big Bend National Park, TX
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-2251

    "Pine Canyon has a number of well separated campsites (5 I believe) located along the length of the road, running up to the hiking area."

    "Close to amazing forest trail, Pine Canyon. Trees at Pine Canyon (not at campsite) are seriously something else."

    5. Rio Grande Village Group Campground — Big Bend National Park

    18 Reviews
    Terlingua, TX
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-1121

    $60 - $100 / night

    "Not to be confused with the nearby private campground, which has full hookups and is much less interesting IMO."

    "They also have potable water all around the campsite. Rio Grande Village Nature Trail is close by and its a short but sweet hike. Sunsets on that trial over the Rio Grande is amazing."

    6. Rio Grande Village RV Campground — Big Bend National Park

    19 Reviews
    Terlingua, TX
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-1121

    $16 / night

    "If you want full hook ups for camping it is the only one in Big Bend National Park. they only have 25 sites all back in. Pay for showers if you don't have your own. But catch the sunrise and sunsets."

    "This is a large campground with multiple types of spots, with access for even some of the largest rvs and tow behinds."

    7. RoadRunner Travelers RV Park

    27 Reviews
    Terlingua, TX
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 466-1036

    $30 - $60 / night

    "Only 3 miles from big bend national park. On the expensive side at $55 but I think everything was expensive in this area."

    "This is in the desert so it's wide open and was easy to maneuver our truck and camper around."

    8. Cottonwood Campground — Big Bend National Park

    19 Reviews
    Terlingua, TX
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-1121

    $16 - $60 / night

    "Cottonwood Campground is a quiet oasis in the western corner of Big Bend National Park. Reservations are required."

    "Central to multiple trails. Staff was friendly and knowlegable. Shade trees at many sites, important even in November in Texas. Showers and restrooms available. Highly recommend!"

    9. Robbers Roost Primitive Campsite — Big Bend National Park

    4 Reviews
    Big Bend National Park, TX
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-2251

    "vistas and views are incredible and almost located exactly in the "middle of nowhere".  wonderful place to watch sun rise and set over mountains. "

    "It is also not very close to any park attractions or trailheads. If you are looking for remote peace and quite this is the spot."

    10. Fresno — Big Bend National Park

    2 Reviews
    Big Bend National Park, TX
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (432) 477-2251

    "Most of the time you won't see more than a handful of cars drive by the whole time you're there. The site gives panoramic views of the Sierra del Carmen, Chisos, Sierra Quemada, and the Mariscal mine."

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Recent Camping Photos near Big Bend National Park

187 Photos of 97 Big Bend National Park Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Big Bend National Park

408 Reviews of 97 Big Bend National Park Campgrounds

  • Jules S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 21, 2025

    Rio Grande Village Group Campground — Big Bend National Park

    April 2025

    Great campground. My rig is set up for off grid camping so having no hookups is not an issue. Very clean. Staff is over the top nice & helpful. Also a gas station/convenient store on site. Already seen lots of wildlife. Full campground but doesn’t feel crowded.

  • Russ H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 14, 2025

    Rancho Topanga

    Great location and super friendly owners.

    This is a great location to mountain bike in Big Bend Ranch State Park and on the Lajitas trail system, but also you’re only an hour away from sitting in the Big Bend National Park Chiso basin parking lot to do great hiking. Terilinga Texas is a fun town nearby and there’s a place to buy groceries called the Cottonwood general store in Study Butte. I am a single camper and Rancho Topango is only $15 a night and you get hot showers and flush toilets and some of the sites have a roof built over the picnic tables to help keep the searing Texas Sun at bay

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 14, 2025

    RoadRunner Travelers RV Park

    Good location for Big Bend

    Nice location if visiting Big BEnd National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. We did not see any management from arrival to departure but they had our names/sites listed on the board when we pulled in, plus we received a welcome email. Sites are full hookup and they have a nice dog park. They also have WiFi but we didn’t use it so I can’t say how strong it was. TiVo’s restaurant is right next door and they had really good homemade Mexican food (no alcohol). Both parks are just a short drive away. 4 stars for the lack of bathhouse and showers. Knew that when I booked so it’s ok, but apparently they have been ‘planning to add a bathhouse & laundry’ for some years now. I didn’t see any evidence that it was going to happen anytime soon. Also, if you want to confirm your picked site, there is a $25 lock-in fee. Advice on choosing sites - it pretty much doesn’t matter if you have a premium desert view site or not, so save your money.

  • B
    Mar. 15, 2025

    Study Butte RV Park

    Dry Camping

    This is the review just north of Study Butte RV park on the dry camping lot. The owner is very nice and let us use the empty lot for dry camping during our stay. $25/night which seems to be fair and going rate for this tourist area. Area is relatively flat. The noise from the main road you will hear but it’s not bothersome. Watch out for the metal bar sticking out at the front entrance area. It would cause some serious damage to your tires.

  • Diane M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 29, 2025

    Rio Grande Village Group Campground — Big Bend National Park

    Wildlife haven!!

    We loved our stay here! Only downside was we only booked two nights instead of three.. Although we did manage to fit our buck list in three days and only two nights!! The walk to both canyons were worth the time.. the hike to the hot springs was rewarding and refreshing! We saw lots of animals in our campsite! Bob cat was a real treat! The sites were nice and flat with room to park truck next to camper! Honesty the amazing iconic capture of God’s perfect food chain, I got only a mile from camp, was icing on the cake! Beep beep!!

  • Taylor B.
    Jan. 29, 2025

    Grapevine Hills (GH-4 & GH-5) — Big Bend National Park

    Great remote spot

    Within the national park along about 8 miles of rough dirt road, it took us about 40 minutes to reach the main road. This spot has tall vegetation around it so there’s good privacy but less views. Extremely quiet and peaceful.

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 6, 2025

    RoadRunner Travelers RV Park

    Big Bend NP camp

    We stayed here three nights while we explored the Big Bend NP. Great facility. Clean and well kept.

  • Debra B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 4, 2024

    Stillwell Store & RV Park

    quiet remote and clean

    we stay at Stillwell Store RV park often.  if we are needing wi-fi to work we stay up by the store.  if not, we like to stay across the road. lots of space, clean air and area to walk the pup.. we have never had a bad experience here.

  • Erika M.
    Nov. 27, 2024

    Rio Grande Village RV Campground — Big Bend National Park

    Unfriendly

    Basic parking lot with hard to reach pedestals near the raised curbs. Flat sites, full water and electric hookups, although the electric went out for 3 hours from 5AM to 8AM. Very unfriendly check in. We were charged twice because due to computer error when we booked online (we had no trouble with any of our other online bookings) that resulted in a non-refundable charge for an extra site that we didn't need. Showers were $2.00 on top of the $40+site ($80+ for us). The laundry to serve 100 sites in the national park campground and 40 in the private one had 2 washers, 2 dryers, so long lines. Worst of all, the bathroom cleaning schedule had them closed from 8AM-9AM, rush hour. That is, the schedule is set for the convenience of the staff, not the campers. Hardly a hospitality industry standard, but par for the course for a monopoly location. On the other hand, great wildlife and decent store.

Guide to Big Bend National Park

Camping near Big Bend National Park, Texas, offers a unique experience with stunning landscapes and a variety of campgrounds to choose from. Whether you're a tent camper or an RV enthusiast, there's something for everyone in this beautiful region.

What to do:

  • Hiking: Explore the breathtaking trails. Many campers rave about the hiking opportunities, with one reviewer noting, "Spectacular views from the campground, excellent hiking" at Chisos Basin Campground.
  • Wildlife Watching: Keep an eye out for local wildlife. A visitor at Rio Grande Village RV Campground mentioned, "The wildlife in camp was great! So many different birds!"
  • Stargazing: The dark skies make for incredible stargazing. One camper at Maverick Ranch RV Park said, "This would be a great place to come during a new moon to view the stars."

What campers like:

  • Scenic Views: Campers love the beautiful surroundings. A reviewer at Cottonwood Campground stated, "This is a beautiful campground deep inside Big Bend NP."
  • Clean Facilities: Many appreciate the cleanliness of the campgrounds. One visitor at Stillwell Store & RV Park noted, "The showers here are nice, the toilets are nice."
  • Friendly Staff: Campers often mention the helpfulness of the staff. A guest at RoadRunner Travelers RV Park said, "The owners put lots of love into the park to make it the kind of park they would have liked when traveling."

What you should know:

  • Reservations Required: Most campgrounds require reservations, especially during peak seasons. A camper at Chisos Basin Campground advised, "Make sure to read the descriptions and take a look at the parking to make sure you will fit."
  • Limited Amenities: Many campgrounds lack full amenities. A visitor at Rio Grande Village RV Campground mentioned, "The bathrooms are disgusting," highlighting the need for campers to be prepared for basic facilities.
  • Weather Considerations: The weather can be extreme. One camper at Maverick Ranch RV Park noted, "The only thing lacking is a shower house bathroom," indicating the need for planning around hot days.

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Family-Friendly Campgrounds: Look for campgrounds that cater to families. A reviewer at BJs RV Park shared, "Had a great time! Very quiet, the site included everything like showers, laundry, fridge."
  • Plan Activities: Make sure to have a list of activities. A family at Cottonwood Campground enjoyed the "quiet dark and safe" environment, perfect for kids.
  • Pack Essentials: Bring plenty of water and snacks. A camper at Stillwell Store & RV Park emphasized, "The store is well stocked. They have gas, ice, lots of things one expects."

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure your RV fits the site. A visitor at Chisos Basin Campground warned, "Some sites would be very hard to get level."
  • Use Full Hookups When Possible: Opt for campgrounds with full hookups for convenience. A reviewer at Maverick Ranch RV Park mentioned, "Nice big sites with full hookup, picnic table and fire ring."
  • Be Prepared for Limited Connectivity: Many areas have poor cell service. A camper at Rio Grande Village RV Campground noted, "There is no cell signal at the campground."

Camping near Big Bend National Park, Texas, is an adventure filled with natural beauty and unique experiences. Whether you're hiking, stargazing, or just enjoying the peace of the desert, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there RV-friendly campgrounds in Big Bend National Park?

Big Bend National Park has several RV-friendly options with varying levels of amenities. Rio Grande Village Group Campground accommodates larger vehicles with water hookups and toilet facilities. Cottonwood Campground is also big-rig friendly, though with more basic amenities. Note that while Chisos Basin has RV spots, there are length restrictions (generally 24 feet for RVs and 20 feet for trailers) due to the winding mountain roads. None of the campgrounds within the national park offer full hookups. Generator use is permitted during specific hours at designated sites. Reservations are highly recommended during peak season (November through April) as spaces fill quickly. Water and dump stations are available at developed campgrounds, but electrical hookups are not provided.

What are the different camping options within Big Bend National Park?

Big Bend National Park offers diverse camping options to suit various preferences. Chisos Basin Campground sits at a higher elevation, providing cooler temperatures and spectacular mountain views with easy access to hiking trails like the Window Trail. Rio Grande Village Campground offers riverside camping with generator-free outer rings for more privacy. For a more primitive experience, Cottonwood Campground provides basic amenities in a quiet setting. The park also features backcountry camping options requiring permits, allowing for a more remote experience in designated areas accessible by high-clearance vehicles or hiking. Developed campgrounds have toilets and water access, while backcountry sites are more rustic.

What camping options exist outside Big Bend National Park's boundaries?

Several excellent camping options surround Big Bend National Park. Maverick Ranch RV Park offers 101 well-appointed RV spots with full amenities and is surprisingly uncrowded even during holiday weekends. Just 3 miles from the park entrance, RoadRunner Travelers RV Park provides convenient access with both full-service sites and boondocking options. For a unique experience, Sky Ranch Terlingua is about 20 minutes from the park entrance and near essential services in Study Butte. Less crowded than the national park, Big Bend Ranch State Park offers camping at Upper & Lower Madera Campground with beautiful views overlooking the Rio Grande. Stillwell Store & RV Park provides basic electric and water hookups.

What should I know about tent camping in Big Bend National Park?

Tent camping in Big Bend National Park offers incredible experiences but requires preparation. Chisos Basin Campground is ideal for tent campers seeking cooler temperatures, with Casa Grande peak to the east and stunning sunset views to the west. Sites are well-maintained with level tent pads. For backcountry enthusiasts, Big Bend Backcountry Camping offers a more isolated experience but requires permits obtained at visitor centers. Weather varies dramatically by season - summer brings intense heat (especially at lower elevations), while winter nights can be cold. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions. Potable water is available at developed campgrounds but not at primitive sites. Wildlife is abundant, so proper food storage is essential. Reservations are highly recommended for developed campgrounds during peak season (November-April).

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