Rio Grande Village Campground, near [Big Bend National Park](https://thedyrt.com/camping/texas/near/big-bend-national-park), is a fantastic place for those looking to immerse themselves in the beauty of the Texas desert. With designated sites that offer a mix of shade and privacy, it’s a great spot to set up camp and unwind.

This campground has essential amenities like clean bathrooms and water spigots, which campers appreciate after a day of exploring. Visitors have mentioned enjoying the nearby trails and the chance to see local wildlife, including javelinas and coyotes. One camper noted, “We had a perfect spot with some shade and privacy,” highlighting the campground's appeal for those seeking a bit of solitude.

For those who like to venture out, the Rio Grande Village Campground is close to hiking trails that lead to stunning views along the river. You can also take a short trip to Boquillas Crossing for a unique experience, though be sure to check availability. The convenience store nearby is handy for grabbing any forgotten items, making your stay even more comfortable.

While the campground has a relaxed vibe, it’s also a great base for exploring the vast landscapes of [Big Bend National Park](https://thedyrt.com/camping/texas/near/big-bend-national-park). Whether you’re tent camping or bringing an RV, Rio Grande Village offers a welcoming atmosphere for all types of campers.

Rio Grande Village Campground — Big Bend National Park

The crown jewel of the Lone Star State is Big Bend National Park. This spot of southwest Texas is the pinnacle of all things outdoors in the state of Texas. Whether you want to explore the history of the state, spot wildlife, or just enjoy a hike, Big Bend is the place to be.

There are a number of campgrounds associated with Big Bend. Some are run by the park, and one is an RV park operated by a resort. The busy season here is actually November to April, where campsites will be harder to come by. Make sure to reserve your campground ahead of time, especially during peak season. The best camping near Big Bend is in the park itself, as Texas has little BLM land to make use of. Study Butte, TX, and the surrounding areas offer some accommodations if you can't get a spot in the park.

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Big Bend National Park is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Big Bend National Park. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.

The Best Camping Near Big Bend National Park, Texas

The Rio Grande Village is closest to Boquillas and Hot Springs but it’s a nice point for ALL your Big Bend adventures! Sites are big enough and have a little shade but it’s the view of the stars at night you’ll want to stay for! The Hot Springs are also great but sometimes crowded! Tru going early or staying late for the least crowded times. Don’t miss Boquillas canyon! You can also go across to the village here. While you’re in the park it’s only 45 minutes across to see Santa Elena and do plenty of hiking in between. PACK WATER. I repeat : PACK WATER. This is the desert and water isn’t on every corner. 



Camp here- it was great and you’ll never see so many stars!

The Rio Grande Village Campground is located in the far eastern part of Big Bend National Park. Prior to entering the park fill up with gas in the town of Marathon, because you will be driving far distances within the park and there is limited gas available.

In the Rio Grande Village there is a visitor center and convenience store. There are 25 campsites that fit small to mid-size RVs with hookups and 100 campsites for car campers. There are tables, fire pits and bear boxes at each campsite.There are communal restrooms and potable water nearby. The only available showers are located at the Rio Grande Village Store which is a short drive from the campground. The showers do cost a few dollars and are available 24/7\. Some of the sites have covers, but most do not. There are some shade trees spread out sporadically amongst the campsites, but do not count on having much shade.

The main attraction of this campground is that you have the ability to walk right up to the Rio Grande River and the border between the US and Mexico. It is physically possible to cross the river into Mexico, but technically one must have a passport to travel between the two borders. Another feature of the area is the Hot Spring pool. You have to drive a little distance from the campgrounds and walk about 1 mile to reach the Hot Spring pool. Around the Hot Spring pool there are a few old structures that once housed stores and a school. There are some petroglyphs on the cliff walls along the trail to the hot springs. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to camp at the hot springs area due to safety concerns.

The Rio Grande Village + The Rio Grande River + Hot Springs

We did some back country camping at Big Bend National Park. You will need an SUV or 4x4 for some spots, I did see some cars but they were struggling. We have a Jeep and had to help several people out. Pro tip: show up to get your permit early as it’s in a first come first serve basis. Scout out some sites so you have back up spots if the one you want is taken. We camped at Solis as it was the only one available. It was nicely laid out and super peaceful! After doing some driving around there are some other camps I would have rather had and will try to get them next time. Ours had a beautiful view of the mountains but would have like to been higher up. No complaints.

Backcountry Camping

Plenty of campsites here in the Rio Grande Village. Easiest way to pay is with cash, and you just reserve your campsite at the self-pay station. We payed with a card at the Rio Grande visitor's center (closed in the summers). If you don't mind other people being close to you, this is the campsite for you. My boyfriend and I camped here for one of the nights we stayed in Big Bend. We wanted a more secluded spot which you can find further back in areas of campsites available, but it's first come, first serve style here. Bear boxes are provided at each campsite. The campsites further back have better shade, but we were able to find some trees to set up under. The only thing we didn't like about the campsite was the proximity to people using generators. They have a separate area for RVs, but some people brought their campers. The generators were somewhat loud, but we were able to sleep through the noise. We definitely prefer more natural campsites, but this one was fine for what we needed that night. Not too far of a drive from the Hot Springs trail either.

somewhat crowded developed campground

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. 

  

We saw unique wildlife while we were here - Javelina, donkey, otter, etc.  The otter lived in the pond, which was in walking distance.  We walked down to the Rio Grande and sat with a foot in the hot spring and a foot in the river, which was awesome! (Hot Springs Trail)

  

We also walked down to a canyon - Boquillas Canyon - we ran into people who cross the river to sell items they make daily.  

  

Nothing could prepare us for the stars here though!  Being so far from civilization, the stars were phenomenal - which left us wishing we had packed a telescope.  We did however pack a spot light to see animals at night - but we learned rather quickly from a ranger that they were not allowed!!  Apparently people use spot lights to capture wildlife - so after a brief car search - we were allowed to leave - and that was the end of the spot light!

Remote, starry, wilderness abundant!  

We camped here for 3 nights and only 1 or 2 others were there. Probably  due to the 105° heat of the day. Lol We knew it would be this way going in. 
Flush toilets were clean and water, although warm, was abundant in the bathrooms and outdoor facets. Lots of birds, including vultures were singing in the trees and Javelinas made daily visits. 
Most sites had sufficient shade, a level spot for tents, and tables. The nearby store has basic necessities and gasoline at reasonable prices. Laundry and showers available for $2.00 or less, each. 

Hot In June But Solitude  

There was a little creek with standing water at the back of the campground. This meant that there were so many mosquitoes at our campsite that we were unable to spend any amount of time outside of our vehicle while we were there. Our campsite was #2 on loop 4. A general store with laundry and shower facilities was available nearby, so that was nice. 

Mosquitoes everywhere

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. The night sky is dark and breathtakingly beautiful. There is a short trail connected to the campground that provides amazing overviews of the Rio Grande. The location gives you relatively easy access to all of the other attractions in the park. 

Quiet spot on the Rio Grande

Spent two nights here part of recent road trip to National and State Parks in Texas. I was only able to get a site for two nights as it was the week of Thanksgiving. Being as tent camper, I was lucky to be able to a few days before arrival cancel my original campsite in the main area for more secluded campsite in the no generator zone. This is the area you want to camp in, especially if you have a tent or a smaller trailer as you generally have trees around your campsite giving you some privacy. The campsite was equipped with a picnic table, bear food locker and a charcoal grill. Some of the sites also feature a pavilion for the picnic table.

I would say that this is a remote part of the park, but then every part of the park is like that. There's easy access to a short nature trail that starts in the campground and goes along the bend in the Rio Grande River and also includes a short rocky hill one can go up for views of Boquillas, Mexico. Personally, I went up for sunrise one morning with s cup of coffee (took no more than 10 minutes to walk) and enjoyed the sun rise over Mexico.

There's a store at the RV park that has essential items, including beer both packs and singles. There's also free wifi to use there, but there is no cellular service with at least Verizon within the campground. 

Nice Riverside Campground

We spent 3 nights in Site #29 and loved it. It was in the no generator zone which meant neighbors were either in self contained rigs or tent campers. Our site was tucked in under some Mesquite trees that offered lots of privacy.
The NPS had closed many of the open sites due to COVID-19, which makes no sense since the FHU sites near the store were jam packed side-by-side. 
Big Bend NP &amp; this campground is definitely a destination trip since it’s 90 miles from Marathon, TX. But, once in and setup we were able to get to all the sights, hikes and things we wanted to accomplish. 
NO cell service and the WiFi at the store was off more than on. 

5 Star Rating Depends on Site

We stayed in site 32 which added a lot to our stay, it was an outer campground with a secluded area and view of the mountains, rather than in the rows of RVs with generators. The nature trail is great, gas was right outside the campground, and easy in and out dump station with drinking water.

Hot but beautiful!

Summary: Shade, water, clean bathrooms at the site, and wifi &amp; laundry nearby. Bugs, thorns, and heat, as you would expect. 

We stayed here two nights while exploring Big Bend. Being April, it was very hot in the afternoon. This site had decent shade from the (extremely thorny, as almost all the plants here are) bushes as well as a well built sun shelter. These shelters are essential as you should stay under them between 10am-5pm. We were able to hang our Hammocks and remain mostly in the shade. The bugs near the river are worse than other parts of the Park, but I still only got a few bites. The Village Store at the RV campground has WiFi, laundry, and showers (showers currently closed for Covid) and is only about half a mile from the campground. The bathrooms are the standard Park Service, and were clean. The wifi was important for us as we lost a tire on the Old Ore Road and used wifi to organize repairs. A nature trail leaves from the campground and leads to wonderful views of the Rio Grande and back to the Chisos. There were a number of the technically illegal souvenir shops from across the river set up along the trail. It goes through a swap and to the top of a bluff. All in all a very nice campsite. 


Rio Grande Village campground (not the RV park)

Covered picnic table and grill. Ample room for tents. 


Nice developed campsite

This is a great site (but not as cool as Chisos). It near the River and the hot springs. It’s very hot here and a lot of mosquitos. There’s a small general store with food, ice, and fuel - but they close at 5pm.

Awesome!

We started the new year with 5 nights in the park. The sites are good sized and there are sites for larger rigs. 

As typical of the national parks, you have to reserve and you need to know how the system works to get a good spot. There are no hookups but a generator is allowed in some areas of the campground. 

Nice time to visit

We stayed here one night while we explored the east side of the park. It’s clean and has the necessities. It has water fill and dump station. Our site had a pavilion. The campground has toilets but not showers. No power. There’s a nature trail that goes from the campground to the Rio Grande. Very pretty. If you need internet, the village store nearby has great wifi. There is no cell signal at the campground (T-Mobile and Verizon). The village store also has paid showers that are open 23 hours a day. They close at 9am for cleaning. 

Really close to the Rio Grande

Was a nice campground with water and toilets. Sites have trees and room around them so you are not so close to another camper. Nice small hike to get over view on Rio Grand.  You cold go Boquillas Crossing and pay $5 for row boat to take you over to Mexico to have lunch in town.  We did not since not available on Tuesday. 

Nice quiet campground in Big Bend state park

This place was amazing! A little tight to get into with our 42’ toy hauler, but not too difficult by any means. We LOVED our pull through spot. The night hosts were so great and hospitable and we had trees for shade! This was our fav dry camping in an rv park so far. 

Beautiful, quiet, wildlife

We stayed for four nights in Nov 2021, and the campground was mostly empty, which gave everyone plenty of room to spread out without feeling too crowded.  There were good bathroom facilities, and water hookups when we needed them - otherwise boondocking with strict generator rules (be sure to check out which campsites prohibit generators entirely - generally the ones closer to the Rio).  There is good hiking nearby along the Rio Grande and the Boquillas Crossing is nearby (it was closed when we were there).  There's a privately run FHU campground about a quarter mile from the Rio Grande Village campground.   This location is about a 20 min drive to Park HQ, and another 20 mins from there up to the Chisos campground.  Our rig was too big to take up to the Chisos, which is why we opted to stay in Rio Grande Village.  We made the day trip to Santa Elena Canyon, which was amazing, and the scenic drive there was also worth getting out and taking a closer look at spots.  The park is so huge you can't possibly cover it all even in several days' time.

Great camping spot in Big Bend

We had a perfect spot with some shade and privacy. The javelinas were very active at night and we were very careful about minimizing food residue near our tents. The site had a bear/food locker and was close to the bathroom and trailhead. The trails were wonderful and we used a propane grill for cooking. In early December the temperatures were 30 ish degrees at night and 60 ish during the day. 

Beautiful campground

Tent camped for 3 nights without any issues.  The host was very friendly and helpful.  The site are well maintained with clean working bathrooms and water spigots.   The coyotes were active but mostly walking around and storing up barks from all the dogs.   The convenience store is close y for any forgotten items with showers and laundry.   I recommend.  

Great Campground

Good price considering they have running water in the bathrooms as well as dishwashing areas, though those weren’t pristinely clean. We liked our site back in the trees for all the shade, but looked like the sites in the big field all had manmade shade structures as well. Fun to see the javelinas!

Photos of Rio Grande Village Campground — Big Bend National Park

Real photos from real campers