Binxie
Well-known member
Hi, All! Thinking about the Big Bend region of southwest Texas this winter? I’ve just been tooling around the region (in August!) and have some info.
Big Bend National Park allows boondocking along some of the graded desert roads for nearly free. You can go up to 14 days for a $10 backcountry permit, plus park entrance fee (if you don’t have the national access pass). Pets are allowed, but you have to keep them in camp. Of course, they also have regular campgrounds.
Big Bend Ranch State Park has some drive-up campsites for $8 per night. They have good info on where standard 2WD will suffice, where you need at least high clearance, and where you need high clearance 4WD.
Balmorhea State Park off I-10 is one of my favorites, with water-only drive-up sites at $11 per night, and a little more, of course, for electric, etc. Balmorhea is a desert spring turned into a huge, 25ft deep natural swimming pool. Sometimes even in winter the weather is warm enough to take a dip.
Chinati Hot Springs is a tiny "resort" almost literally at the end of the road. I mean, this place is remote! It’s a friendly, charming establishment built in 1937 that has seven old-fashioned adobe rooms. But it also has camping spots for $20 a night. That’s not the cheapest, but it’s a nice excursion to a desert oasis for a few days to soak your bones in the hot springs. There are no hookups, but water is available. They have a communal kitchen with a large veranda, nice hiking up the canyon, native gardens, etc. It’s seven miles up a graded road from Ruidosa, Texas, and the parking areas aren’t large. Class Bs should do fine, as well as shortish Class Cs and light trailers. I got up the road OK driving an old Honda Civic, so it’s not too bad, but call first and talk to the owners if you’re concerned.
Wildlife Management Areas managed by the state of Texas are free or nearly free to camp at, and there are a couple in the Big Bend area. The info isn’t well organized, but they seem to require a statewide Limited Use Pass, which is $12 for the year. Sometimes they’re also closed off for Special Permit Hunts. So in all cases, its best to call the particular WMA’s warden before going there.
FreeCampsites.net has a handful of free sites marked. I haven’t tried them (yet) and can’t comment.
Even tiny towns in the region have several RV parks, if that’s your thing.
If you do come to the Big Bend region, I recommend you don’t miss driving “The River Road,” FM 170 along the Rio Grande between Presidio and Terlingua. It’s one of the prettiest drives in the country, IMHO. Be warned, however, that while paved, there are some curvy, 10% slopes. I also don’t recommend taking FM 170 when it’s raining overhead or in the mountains nearby because washes flash flood the road.
Big Bend National Park allows boondocking along some of the graded desert roads for nearly free. You can go up to 14 days for a $10 backcountry permit, plus park entrance fee (if you don’t have the national access pass). Pets are allowed, but you have to keep them in camp. Of course, they also have regular campgrounds.
Big Bend Ranch State Park has some drive-up campsites for $8 per night. They have good info on where standard 2WD will suffice, where you need at least high clearance, and where you need high clearance 4WD.
Balmorhea State Park off I-10 is one of my favorites, with water-only drive-up sites at $11 per night, and a little more, of course, for electric, etc. Balmorhea is a desert spring turned into a huge, 25ft deep natural swimming pool. Sometimes even in winter the weather is warm enough to take a dip.
Chinati Hot Springs is a tiny "resort" almost literally at the end of the road. I mean, this place is remote! It’s a friendly, charming establishment built in 1937 that has seven old-fashioned adobe rooms. But it also has camping spots for $20 a night. That’s not the cheapest, but it’s a nice excursion to a desert oasis for a few days to soak your bones in the hot springs. There are no hookups, but water is available. They have a communal kitchen with a large veranda, nice hiking up the canyon, native gardens, etc. It’s seven miles up a graded road from Ruidosa, Texas, and the parking areas aren’t large. Class Bs should do fine, as well as shortish Class Cs and light trailers. I got up the road OK driving an old Honda Civic, so it’s not too bad, but call first and talk to the owners if you’re concerned.
Wildlife Management Areas managed by the state of Texas are free or nearly free to camp at, and there are a couple in the Big Bend area. The info isn’t well organized, but they seem to require a statewide Limited Use Pass, which is $12 for the year. Sometimes they’re also closed off for Special Permit Hunts. So in all cases, its best to call the particular WMA’s warden before going there.
FreeCampsites.net has a handful of free sites marked. I haven’t tried them (yet) and can’t comment.
Even tiny towns in the region have several RV parks, if that’s your thing.
If you do come to the Big Bend region, I recommend you don’t miss driving “The River Road,” FM 170 along the Rio Grande between Presidio and Terlingua. It’s one of the prettiest drives in the country, IMHO. Be warned, however, that while paved, there are some curvy, 10% slopes. I also don’t recommend taking FM 170 when it’s raining overhead or in the mountains nearby because washes flash flood the road.
