I suspect most people have heard of Big Bend National Park, but it is significantly less visited than most other national parks. This could be because of its very remote location, or perhaps because it lies on the US / Mexico border. Regardless it is being overlooked by many who are missing a real gem.
We stayed in Rio Grande Village which is one of three (or four? - keep reading) campgrounds inside the park. Each is without hook-ups, although there is a secondary area at Rio Grande Village which has full hook-ups. Nice to have hook-ups but it is actually a parking lot with pedestals and sewer connections. All the rest of the sites are spattered with trees and very well spaced. Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood each have dump stations and fresh water. Chisos Basin does not. As well there are dedicated remote sites throughout the park, some of which are incredible, and some would be difficult to reach with a low clearance vehicle.
The cost of the dry sites was very inexpensive, and with the national parks pass you get 50% off. That discount does not apply to the remote sites.
Except for Chisos Basin and remote sites, all campsites are accessible by any size rig. The road to Chisos is restricted because of a couple of switch back turns that would be difficult to get round with a big rig. Also the campsites at Chisos are VERY small. The full hook-up sites at Rio Grande Village are also a bit small. We saw a couple of 40 footers there but it was tight.
There are multiple visitor centers, multiple very well stocked stores, and two gas / diesel stations. If you are coming in from Marathon there is nothing between the town and the park. If you can make it to Panther Junction inside the park you will find fuel to be cheaper there than Marathon. If you are entering by way of Terlingua, you will find decent fuel prices and some private campground options. There is also a great little grocery there that has everything you could possibly need.
Inside the park you have to remember that it is big and you will do quite a bit of driving if you want to see it all. There are incredible hiking trails at every turn and lots of roadside information kiosks and displays. Be sure to visit the dinosaur fossil exhibit.
There are many areas with real ruins at various stages of reconstruction or degradation. We really enjoyed these, especially the one which have had little or no rehab done.
There is also a natural hot spring beside the Rio Grande with an area to take a soak. The water is a constant 105 degrees and it runs out of the soaking area right onto the Rio Grande. You can drive to within a quarter mile of the spring or there is also a long trail in from Rio Grande Village. The spring is popular even in bad weather so it is best to go early if you want to get wet.
Also note that the Big Bend National Park area is the darkest area in the US. That makes for incredible star gazing. Unfortunately many in the campgrounds use outside lights so it's best to drive to one of the many parking areas outside the campground for the ultimate viewing experience.
The park has its share of javalina, coyotes, snakes and crawling things, but they didn't seem to be invasive. We did have a coyote charge through the campground, but he look panicked, simply wanting the quickest way out. We also saw one large tarantula who could not get away fast enough.
We crossed the border into Bouquilles MX which was a fun and friendly experience. After a short briefing at US Customs, you walk down a dirt trail to the river where a gentleman in a rowboat awaits to shuttle you across. The cost is $5/pp round trip. Once on the other side you can walk into town or ride a burro. I believe it is a little less than a mile so an easy walk. But there is a "cool factor" taking a burro ride like this. The burro is also $5 round trip.
Note however that your burro guide will stay with you in town and expect a tip after showing you around. Everyone was friendly and the restaurants serve good food and ice cold beer and margaritas. We never felt pressured or in any way threatened. It was a very cool experience from begining to end.
As I said, the park is huge, and it has huge elevation changes. That means there are actually different climates as you progress through the park. Chisos Basin is at 5401 ft while Rio Grande Village is at 1850 ft above sea level. We saw as much as 30 degrees of temperature difference depending where we were. It seemed that Rio Grande Village had more sun and being at the lowest area of the park, was always the hottest. Of course Chisos Basin we a bit cloudier and much cooler because of the elevation.
Did I mention the sunsets? Amazing!
All in all this was absolutely in my top 5 of places I have visited. The desert, the river area and the mountains made it like traveling to three different parks. The scenery was amazing, and while I'm not an avid bird watcher, we enjoyed the wide variety we saw. We especially enjoyed the roadrunners who often approached us inquisitively. They are very unique birds.
That's it for our review of Big Bend National Park. I expect we will return to this gem at some point in the future. It was very enjoyable and we never felt unsafe or had any second thoughts about doing anything or going anywhere in the park or surrounding area. If time allows be sure to take a side trip to Terlingua. It was a fun day for us.
Thanks for reading and feel free to share with anyone who might be interested.
Cindy and Terry
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