Of the 11 national parks we have been to so far, Big Bend National Park has been our favorite! This is mostly because of the size and beauty of the park, but also because of the journey required to get there.
RV Camping in or near Big Bend National Park
We usually just go with the flow during our travels, and try to book a spot nearby a few days before we get there. This may not be the best strategy with Big Bend. We realized as soon as we started looking for a boondocking site or campground, how massive Big Bend is, and how far from everything it really is. After our research, we realized all of the camping spots in the National Park were booked for the next two months! We ended up finding a campground about an hour from the park with electric hookups, a dump station, and fresh water.
At first we were a little bummed that we couldn’t find something closer, but we ended up loving our campground at Tin Valley! The drive there was an incredible introduction to the National Park as the mountains began to surround us. The few employees we met at the campground upon arrival were extremely friendly and helpful. There was a really cool artsy vibe to the whole place and we couldn’t have asked for a better spot to stay during our visit. We had no service of our own, but were able to connect to the campground WiFi if we needed to for a short period. Starlink would definitely be the best option for this area if you absolutely need an internet connection.
Also keep in mind that because of how secluded Big Bend and its surrounding towns are, their gas and food prices are much higher. While the average price of regular unleaded gas in Texas was $3.19 a gallon, the prices near Big Bend were closer to almost $5.00. Snacks and groceries were also a bit pricier, but we didn’t mind as we only had to deal with this for a few days.
Rent an RV to explore Big Bend National Park
Things to do in Big Bend National Park
While we were only there at the National Park for two days, we managed to do 3 hikes, enjoy swimming in the Rio Grande and hot springs, and visit most of the visitor centers and their awesome Fossil exhibit! Keep in mind, the average distance between each visitor’s center is about 45 minutes, so building a general itinerary for the day can be helpful.
Day One Itinerary
To start our trip, we accidentally drove to the wrong trailhead, but stumbled upon the Ernst Ridge Trail. This specific trail is six miles and we knew it would be too much to take on right out the gate. However, the cool thing about this trail is that it offers the Rio Grande Overlook within the first quarter mile! The Rio Grande is the river separating Texas and Mexico, and surrounds much of Big Bend National Park. This brief hike was very steep and strenuous, but the reward was breathtaking.
We then headed for the Grapevine Hills Trail in search of Balanced Rock, which looked like a hike we didn’t want to miss. Ironically on the way there, we passed almost all of the booked boondocking spots that we had wanted to stay at initially. We realized very quickly that the hilly and bumpy dirt roads we were driving on would have been quite the challenge even for our little 22ft travel trailer, and were even more grateful for our campground outside the park. The trailhead only had parking for about 10 cars, and we were the tenth car. The hike was flat for the first half, but then became a scramble that we all enjoyed very much. The rocks all beg to be climbed on, and our family always enjoys these types of hikes the most!
To wrap up day one, we went to check out the hot springs. This was by far one of the coolest experiences we’ve ever had. The springs fill up a shallow square pool that can fit about eight people comfortably. It overflows into the Rio Grande, allowing swimmers to easily hop into the river to cool off for a bit. The best part was being able to stay as late as we wanted. Big Bend doesn’t close its gates, making it a great spot for stargazing. We stayed in the hot springs until about 10:00 p.m., allowing us to observe not only the swallows hunting at sunset, but also the bats hunting in the moonlight. We saw Great Blue Herons as well as many cows on the river as well. What an incredible first day!
Day Two Itinerary
Day two’s big hike was the Santa Elena Canyon Trail. We heard this was a DO NOT MISS in Big Bend, so we did it first. The hike is pretty easy, besides some steep ramps at the entrance. The views here are incredible (just like everywhere in Big Bend), and of a different kind. The canyon surrounds you the way skyscrapers would, and when you do hear the echoes of other hikers on the trail, they are sounds of laughter and people playing on the rocks. There is again so much to climb on the edges of the trail, that we ended up spending way more time than we intended, and didn’t make it back to a Visitors Center in time for the kids to get their junior ranger badges. But that’s okay because we can mail their books in later!
We then drove to the outdoor Fossil Discovery Exhibit, probably one of the coolest we’ve ever been to. We learned about the ancient inhabitants of Big Bend including the Deinosuchus, a crocodile that was the size of a bus!
Naturally, we finished up our trip with another late stay at the hot springs, and got to see a meteor burn up in the atmosphere! Or aliens depending on who in the family you talk to.
Overall, we could not have asked for a more fulfilling Big Bend experience, considering our visit was only for two days. Our advice? Feel free to camp outside the park if you don’t mind the beautiful drive, and if you do camp in the park, high clearance vehicles with 4WD are a must! Also, plan a longer trip than we did! There is so much to do there, and we hope to go back one day. Check out Big Bend National Park, and as always, Happy trails!
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