Ocotillo Grove Primitive Campsite — Big Bend National Park

Big Bend is nothing if not vast and remote, so why shouldn’t your camping experience be the same? We stayed in three sites during our six days in Big Bend: the Chisos developed campground and two primitive drive-up campsites.

Primitive drive-up sites in the national parks are the best of many worlds: you can access them by car, so you don’t need to carry everything on your back, they are super remote, and they are cheap.  In Big Bend, you will have to snag a backcountry permit for these sites, but that one permit price of $12 can be used for up to 14 consecutive nights.

Planning your route around Big Bend before arriving at the park is necessary: the place is HUGE. And you will want to explore all the different areas: the Rio Grande, the Chisos Mountains, and the desert. When we were acquiring our permit, we strategically chose our backcountry sites accordingly.

A few things to note about this campsite: there are no facilities, so you’ll have to be prepared with water and toilet paper, and also a trash bag to pack everything out. Also, many of the primitive drive-up sites throughout Big Bend are accessible to all cars, but these along Old Maverick Road are recommended for high-clearance vehicles only. Our high-clearance 2WD crossover handled the roads perfectly.

You’ll want close access to the highlights of Big Bend, so don’t be afraid to change campsites once or twice throughout your stay here. Our highlights included: backpacking in the Chisos Mountains (COLD in February!!) along the South Rim, soaking in the Hot Springs, shuttling across the border to the small Mexican town of Boquillas, and kayaking in Santa Elena Canyon.

You can read much more about our six days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Big Bend)