Big Bend National Park is located in southwestern Texas. It’s a beautiful and expansive national park that in our opinion is definitely underrated! There you can find impressive mountains, lots of wildlife, the Rio Grande River, and incredible views. Here is our complete guide to visiting Big Bend National Park including information about where to stay and what to see while there!
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Big Bend National Park is not really near anything else. So you definitely want to make sure to stock up in places like Fort Stockton before making the drive into the park. There are small camp stores inside the park but you definitely want to make sure to stock up on groceries and any other essentials beforehand.
We spent the night before at the Fort Stockton Walmart and I think there were like 15 other vans and RV’s also spending the night there. It seems like it’s common for people to stop there and then head out the next morning into the park.
How Much Does it Cost to Get Into Big Bend National Park
It costs $30 per vehicle to enter Big Bend National Park. This fee is good for up to 7 days so it does allow you to enter multiple times if you decide to go back and see more.
Similar to all national parks you can purchase the annual National Parks pass for $80 a year and enter for free. We think the annual national parks pass is such a good deal and would highly recommend it! Even if you think you’re only going to visit 3 national parks in a year it is already going to save you money!
- It also works to enter national forests as well. If you are a senior you can get an annual pass for even less making it an even better deal!
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When to Visit Big Bend National Park
The busy time to visit Big Bend National Park is from November through April. During that time you definitely want to make reservations to stay ahead of time so you are able to get a spot no matter if it’s at one of the campgrounds or at a back country camping spot.
If you are able to visit during the week you will see less people as compared to visiting on the weekend. We visited in February and were lucky to get spots at the campgrounds for our stay. However, we weren’t able to get a back country camp spot because they were all booked during our visit.
The weather in February when we visited was in the 60’s-70’s in the day and then in the 30’s at night. It was really comfortable to hike during the day and still very doable to stay in our van without heat during the nights.
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Where to Stay in Big Bend National Park
Unlike some other national parks there is not really that not much outside of Big Bend National Park. That means that you really do want to stay inside the park in order to not have to drive far each day. The park itself is also very expansive so to drive from one part to the other can easily take you an hour.
You have two different options for where to stay in Big Bend national park. You can stay in one of the campgrounds within the park or you can camp in one of the back country camping locations. There are 3 main campsites within the park as well as a small lodge.
Campgrounds in Big Bend National Park
There are 3 campgrounds in Big Bend National Park– Chisos Basin, Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood. They are all located in different areas of the park allowing you to really see how different the landscape is!
You can book a spot at any of these campgrounds online through the recreation.gov app. Currently due to covid all of the campgrounds are by reservation only so make sure to reserve ahead of time!
Staying at one of the 3 campgrounds in Big Bend National Park costs $16 a night. When you make your reservation online you can pay and find your spot number upon arrival. Before choosing a spot you can view a map of the entire campground to make sure you like it!
Chisos Basin Campground
This is one of the most popular campgrounds within Big Bend National Park and for good reason! It is located at over 5,000 feet in elevation and the campground is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is an absolutely beautiful place to stay!
- Because of the higher elevation Chisos Basin tends to be cooler in temperature compared to the other campgrounds.
The drive up Chisos Basin road is very steep and windy as you climb in elevation so it’s not advised for larger rigs. When we visited in February there was also construction on the road which resulted in closures throughout the day. Make sure to check for road closures when you enter the park so you can plan accordingly!
There are so many trails located near Chisos Basin campground making it a really good place to stay if you are interested in doing some hiking. The Chisos Basin visitor center also has wifi, a small store, a small lodge, as well as a restaurant.
Rio Grande Village Campground
Rio Grande Village campground is located along the Rio Grande River on the border of the United States and Mexico. It’s location makes it a really unique place to stay! The campground itself is not quite as scenic as Chisos Basin. It’s flat and larger allowing more people to stay. But it’s proximity to the river is really cool making it definitely worth checking out!
- Rio Grande Village is also the only campground in the park that offers full RV hook ups if that is something that you need.
Cottonwood Campground
Cottonwood campground is located on the southwestern part of the park. It is also located along the Rio Grande River and in close proximity to the beautiful Santa Elena Canyon. The Castalong visitor center is right there as well offering wifi and a small store.
- Both Chisos Basin campground and Rio Grande Village campground have RV dump sites. Cottonwood campground, however, does not have one. So if you need to dump and are planning to stay at Cottonwood make sure to take that into account!
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Back Country Camping in Big Bend National Park
If you don’t want to stay at one of the campgrounds the other option is to back country camp. All of the back country camping and primitive camping options within Big Bend National Park require a back country permit. The back country permit costs $10 a night. You can buy them at Chisos Basin visitor center as well as Panther Junction visitor center. Now you can also book back country camping spots online.
We learned the hard way that the back country camping spots book up fast (especially right now during covid when capacity at the campgrounds is limited) so make sure to book ahead of time!
Is There Phone Service in Big Bend National Park?
We found while at Chisos Basin campground we had minimal phone service. You can also get some service at Panther Junction visitor center. However, at Rio Grande Village campground and the surrounding area we had no phone service at all.
You can get wifi at both Chisos Basin visitor center and Rio Grande Village visitor center if necessary. We were able to sit outside the Chisos Basin visitor center and connect to check emails which was really helpful!
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4 Must Do Hikes in Big Bend National Park
There is so much hiking within Big Bend National Park that you could easily spend a while hiking all different trails. We obviously didn’t hike every single trail in this large park but here are a few that we did hike and think you should consider checking out!
Lost Mines Trail
The Lost Mines trail is a 4.8 mile out and back trail that gives amazing mountain and canyon views. The trailhead is located a mile from the Chisos Basin Campground making it a perfect hike to do after spending the night.
- The parking lot at the trailhead is really small so if you are planning to do this hike plan to get there early! The road is narrow so there isn’t really a place to turn around so head over there around early in the morning and you should be able to get a spot!
It’s listed as a moderate hike as it climbs over 1,100 feet in elevation before getting to the top. The views the entire hike are beautiful and we really enjoyed it!
We hiked on a cloudy day but decided to go for it anyways. The views the entire way up were incredible showing us the surrounding mountains and down into the canyon. However, as soon as we got to the top the clouds started rolling in and all we could see was white! It was still so worth it though and just goes to show how quickly the weather can change up there!
Window View Trail
If you’re looking for amazing views around the Chisos Basin Campground but not looking for a long or strenuous hike then the Window View trail is for you! It starts at the Chisos Basin visitor center and is a mostly flat and paved trail .
- It’s a 0.3 mile loop and is not to be confused with the Window Trail which is over 5 miles in length and much more strenuous!
We actually went back twice to watch the sunset here because it was so pretty! It’s a popular spot for sunset because of the lodge and campground nearby so make sure to get there before sunset to get a good spot!
Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
This is another easy 1 mile out and back trail that leaves straight from the Rio Grande Village campground. It climbs up giving views over the Rio Grande River, the campground nearby as well as across into Mexico.
It’s an easy trail even if you’re not an experienced hiker but want to see views of the surrounding area! It’s a really cool spot because of the location being so close to the border!
Boquillas Canyon Trail
Boquillas Canyon trail is a 1.2 mileout and back trail that goes down into the canyon along the Rio Grande River. The views driving from the Rio Grande Village campground to the Boquillas Canyon trailhead are beautiful! We did not expect that drive to be as scenic as it was!
It’s an easy trail that is mostly flat as you hike along the river for most of it. It’s really unique as you find ourself in the canyon looking up at the huge rocks that form the surrounding mountains.
- On this trail you will find people selling goods such as walking sticks and other woven items.
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5 Items to Bring for your Visit to Big Bend National Park
We were surprised by how much is available inside the park so if you do forget something there are a few small stores. There also is a gas station and a few places such as the visitor centers where you can use the wifi if needed. But here are 5 items to bring for your visit to Big Bend National Park to make sure you’re completely prepared!
1. Headlamp
Without a doubt you want to make sure you have a headlamp for your visit to Big Bend National Park. If you’re planning to do any hiking it’s always a good idea to bring a headlamp with you just in case it takes longer or it gets dark before you’re back. Even if you’re planning to stay in one of the campgrounds a headlamp will be useful if you use the campground bathrooms or if you want to go check out the stars at night (which you totally should)!
2. Layers
The weather can change quickly especially if you’re at Chisos Basin and high in elevation. So you definitely want to make sure to have layers. I started hiking in my winter jacket and this fleece and quickly took both layers off as the sun came out and the temperatures rose.
By the time we got to the top of the Lost Mines trail the clouds had rolled in and it started pouring rain. I was glad to have my rain jacket and these backpack covers which save us when we find ourselves hiking in the rain!
3. Hiking Boots
There are so many trails that range in difficulty but even on the easy hikes the trails are loose gravel making it hard to walk in sneakers. The first night we hiked the Window View trail to see the sunset I hiked in sneakers and it was not that fun. The second night we did it again I made sure to wear my hiking boots and was so much more comfortable! Dave has the same pair in the men’s version and also loves them!
- We both hike exclusively in these socks! They are really comfortable and don’t smell even if you wear them multiple times before washing (like we do sometimes).
4. Dry Shampoo & Baby Wipes
There are bathrooms at the visitors centers as well as at the campgrounds but there are no showers at Chisos Basin campground or Cottonwood campground. There are shower facilities, for a fee, at the Rio Grande Village store. However, right now due to covid they are closed.
Moral of the story you probably won’t shower during your visit to Big Bend National Park unless you stay for a while. So make sure to bring some dry shampoo (I like the dark one because there’s nothing worse than bright white streaks in my very dark hair) to rejuvenate your hair a little. A baby wipe shower is something we learned while hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It definitely doesn’t replace a real shower but it will make you feel a lot cleaner after spending the day hiking!
- We always have both of these items in the van. It’s nice to use a baby wipe to wipe off our feet too after hiking days or days where we’re outside a lot before getting into bed!
5. Reusable Water Bottle
There are places to fill up on water at the campgrounds as well as at the visitor centers which is really nice! Because you are in the desert there is a limit to the amount of water you’re supposed to fill up each day so be conscious you are not wasting it!
Being that they are public water spigots you are going to want a reusable water bottle so that you can refill it when you need to. I like this one because it’s really easy to drink while hiking without having to stop and unscrew it!
