Black Dike — Big Bend National Park

Along with the very literal size requirements of the Chisos Basin Campground, there are other recommendations of the park that one should take very literally. Among these are bring (and consume) enough water, and the 4-wheel drive, high clearance recommendations of certain back-country camping sites. They are not kidding around, when they say you need it...you need it. We were advised against bringing our small trailer the 10 miles back into this backcountry site along the western River Rd. and we were relieved that we listened. 

Instead, we parked our rig in the turn around area just off the paved road, and bikepacked with mountain bikes into our campsite for the night of my husband's 50th birthday! It was an epic ride, over a very challenging, rough and rutted out road, with steep inclines and declines. This is not for the pavement driver. Lots of folks do take their 4-wheel, high-clearance vehicles back into this area for days at a time, but for the first-timer, it’s a wake-up call. But the scenery along the way is simply stunning. Besides the very occasional vehicle, you share the road with a few stray cows who might have wandered across the border for Mexico, and a lone road runner. 

This area is a backcountry camper’s dream, beautiful, quiet, comfortable and lovely. Hiking in the area can be in just about every direction and mountain biking along the River Rd. is stunning and challenging. The backcountry campsites only offer a bear box, so don’t expect a picnic table or sun shade – come prepared, these are backcountry sites. This campground has poor access to the river, but with the condition of the road, managing a boat shuttle could take a long, long time.