camping with friends

Went out here to camp with some friends back in 2016 when I was in grad school. Some of my friends brought their dogs to this pet-friendly site, and we camped out in the group campground. We didn't mind being around other people, and it wasn't too noisy when we went. Good space to set up a few tents. Hiked the trails with the dogs, and there are some good vantage points on some of the trials with scenic views over the landscape.

family camping

My family and I took a camping trip out here when I was in grad school back in 2016 around the time of Thanksgiving. We took our dogs and camped in a group campsite. Really nice group campgrounds if that's your vibe. We made a mini-Thanksgiving meal here at our campsite and got to hike the trails with our dogs. The mini waterfalls here are really neat along with the rock formations. Good family-friendly camping for sure.

little getaway

I used to go here a ton when I went to school in Abilene at Hardin-Simmons. It was not too far of a drive from the campus, and I even took class trips out here for our botany class. Campgrounds are decent (I have heard they have been much improved since I've been there). My times here were always fun little getaways from college life that provided me with a good time to unwind and relax. Trees aren't too tall for providing shade, and there are tons of mesquite trees, so watch out for thorns while you're walking.

windy but beautiful views

I stayed here in college back in 2013 during a class trip to Palo Duro and absolutely enjoyed it. Great hiking trails. The place we camped was nice. It was a group campground, but the only bad thing that happened during the trip was the wind picked up at night and nearly blew a few of our tents away. Some people couldn't sleep in their tents any longer and moved to our group van we drove out to Palo Duro. The next morning, the wind had died down, and I took a little morning hike to enjoy the sunrise. Definitely a great time. My friends and I used a Dutch oven to make some apple pie at the campground.

family fun

I've been camping here plenty of times as a kid growing up in Cedar Hill, TX. My family and I would camp in the spring, early/late summer, and fall months. Plenty of sites have a campfire grill and picnic table along with electrical outlets. Good camping sites for "glampers" who have to have Internet access and electronic use. Finding/reserving a campsite is super easy at the welcome center where you pay an entrance fee to the park. Plenty of lake to share with other people at this state park. My brother would go fishing at the smaller ponds here. At some campsites, you can here the traffic passing by on FM 1382, but if you can sleep through that noise, you'll be fine. Plenty of hiking/biking trails as well. Great to bring pets. Bathrooms are available as well near many of the campgrounds.

Colima 2 for the win!

Colima 2 is a primitive campsite in the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park on the Colima Trail. My boyfriend and I backpacked to the campsite from the Chisos Basin trail head down Pinnacles trail to Boot Canyon. The Northeast Rim trail was closed at the time due to respecting space for the peregrine falcons and their nests. The night before, we camped in the Rio Grande campground which wasn't secluded enough for us, so we decided to reserve this campground at the Chisos Basin Visitor Center the next morning. Camp was super easy to set up here. There was a bear box included and plenty of flat ground for easily tent setup. There was PLENTY of tree coverage which was nice because it got hot out in the afternoons under the sun. We chose this campsite because we wanted to hike the South Rim on the same day. We offloaded some weight from our backpacking packs after setting up camp in the mid afternoon, got to hike the South Rim for the remaining hours of daylight, and enjoyed dinner back at Colima 2. The next day, we hiked back to the Chisos Basin trail head on the Laguna Meadows trail. Colima 2 offered the seclusion from other campgrounds we were wanting, and it's definitely on our radar when we return to Big Bend National Park.

somewhat crowded developed campground

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.