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.
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!!
This is a nice campground if you are in a class A or C and want all the conveniences. Paved sites, full hookups, showers, gift shop. On the east side of the park do it is a drive to get to many places. But Big Bend is very big. Everything is a drive. Reservations are required made through US.gov website.
We had an amazing time camping at the Rio Grand Campground. Posting my review of the Primative campground here as it is not to be confused with the privately owned parking lot RV campground next to the store and laundry house. . I love the fact that we could access the Nature Trail from camp. Sunrise and sunset hikes to the top of the lookout were incredible! . The wildlife in camp was great! So many different birds! It was also fun to see the javelinas and the grazing cows. . The bathroom was relatively clean and there is a separate sink for washing dishes. No showers, flush toilets only. Showers can be purchased at the camp store. . We will definitely stay here again!
Six stars if we could. Not to be confused with the nearby private campground, which has full hookups and is much less interesting IMO.
We stayed on the southern edge of the campground and used Starlink with a pole for the internet we needed to keep our jobs. This would be possible at most sites, but some others in this outside ring had tall enough mesquite that you might have a bad time. Site was a little bit tight for our 27' trailer and full-size truck—we were definitely pushing the limits of what that part of the campground could accommodate.
It's the largest campground in the park, with a wonderful nature trail nearby. In a few minutes, you can walk from your campsite, through reeds, into the desert, and out to the Rio Grande. Birds abound. You'll see coyote and, if you're up late, javelina.
We'll be coming back for sure, but also want to check out Cottonwood next time.
Great campground to unplug and relax. Immaculately kept grounds, bathrooms by our spot (93) was very clean.
Great hiking, views and ranger programs most nights. Zero cell service.
Wow! This campground was great and SPACIOUS. We went camping here just around the time winter was starting and had a very nice experience with highs of 60 and lows of 40. There is plenty of wildlife that is heard at night (ie. Coyotes, donkeys, and raccoons). While we were there a coyote visited our campsite during the day. However it was great to have the security of a bear box to keep our food and other belongings safe. Would definitely come back here.
We reserved two nights in the NPS no hookup campground. Large sites. Ours #1 turned out to be in the sun-little shade. Great nature trail for sunset/sunrise. No host or visible staffing. The night was so windy we couldn’t sleep. Also, folks drove in all night long. We cut our stay after that night. WiFi is only available at the store which is a walk when it’s over 100 degrees! Store has showers and laundry. It’s well stocked and prices are good!
We had a wonderful stay at the RV Village. It is a paved RV parking area with full hookups including water and sewer. We felt very safe. We stayed for 5 days and still couldn't see it all. Great back country hikes and lots of off road trails that require a high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicle (We saw regular cars on the trails as well) and the roads are well graded at this time of year. There are so many places to bike as well. Kids will enjoy the fossil exhibit. The night sky was incredible.
We stayed in the campground that has no hookups. It’s really quiet after dark. The stars are amazing!!! They do have 2 sections…1 with generators allowed and 1 not. We are spaced far enough that you don’t seem to be sitting on top of each other. We were supposed to stay 10 days and would have to move 2 times but we cut our visit short and only moved once.
Rio Grande Village Campground was awesome. They have bathrooms with showers, running water, flushable toilets. 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. Wildlife is abundant. All kinds of animals and birds. Beavers, cranes, horses in the horizon was very welcomed. You can see Mexico and Boquillas village from the top of a cliff off the Nature trail. So bring your camera! I really had a good time. The campground was well maintained and it can get a bit crowded but it’s all good. A Hot springs is near by and the Rio Grande Village store is very convenient and cheap. They even have wi-fi if for some reason you need to check your email or facebook. Overall great experience!
We drove 8 hrs from Dallas to Big Bend hoping to stay at Chisos Basin but heard it was full so the park ranger suggested Rio Grande for the night. We got to the campground which has tons of sites but many of the sites that were covered and more private were taken. We actually had a rough experience to start with when we started to set up our tent only to find out someone paid for the site and left without leaving anything to show it was already taken. The majority of sites were wide open and felt like a state park rather than a comfortable campground. There were lots of trees and it got really dark but couldn't see the stars clearly through the trees. The campground felt like it was geared towards RVs rather than tent campers. The campground itself had a convenience store, laundry facility and the only showers in the whole Big Bend park. It's also nearby the Mexican border which we did visit. It was super convenient. $5/pp to get across the river and then you had options to get a ride in to town but it was only a quarter of a mile walk. BEST. TACOS. AND MARGS EVER!!!. You stop at a trailer to get a visa from border patrol once in Mexico and then stop at a self service terminal when you get back in to Texas. Anyway, back to the campground, I didn't like this campground but it was nice to know that there were plenty of sites available if needed.
This is a group site so you can only stay if you have a lot of people. We did a family mini-reunion and it was just ok, the heat just really got to all of us and the grounds were on the crowded side but the sites had ok shade. We could take showers there and it was nice. We had planned to use the hot springs but were already too hot. I bet visiting in spring or fall (or winter if it’s open) then it’d be nicer.
Camping at the Rio Grande Village Campground is fairly nice. It has washrooms, water, and fire rings.
Some of the sites you can reserve in advance (they go quick though) and some are first come first serve. There is also a section where generators are not allowed, so people can better enjoy the nature.
There is a trail from the sites to the hot springs, which is nice.
The campground is rather far from most other trails in the park, but that gives you time to enjoy the views as you drive around.
This area was hot and the bugs were pretty terrible. The Rio Grande itself was pretty underwhelming too. There are some cool trails around the area but it was hard to enjoy in the heat. The nights and mornings were pretty nice but around 11 AM it got pretty bad. There are some hot springs close by too if you feel like a hot soak on a hot day.
`The hookup campground is right next to the store where you will find objects like that of a 7-11. It is really hot because it is mostly asphalt. The second time I went was at cottonwood campground which was perfect. There was shade and a restroom. the view is unbelievable especially at night.
Biggest campground in Big Bend NP with like 100 sites. Pros - store with gas, ice, beer & showers! Closest campground to Boquillas crossing. Great birding. Cons - campsites very close together; not much privacy, can get noisy. Hotter in the PM than higher elevation sites.
Not all of these sites are reservable in advance, & we did not have a problem getting a first-come, first-served site in early PM on a busy Saturday, but it does fill up. YMMV. Extra credit: Take the 3-mile hike along the river to Langford Hot Springs. Great moonlight walk/soak!
