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**This facility will be closed April 1 - April 24, 2022.**
Chisos Basin Campground, perched high in the rugged Chisos Mountains, is one of the most sought-after campgrounds in Big Bend National Park. At an altitude of 5,400 ft., the campground is surrounded on all sides by tall, rocky cliffs and is conveniently located near some of the park's most spectacular and popular trails. This campground offers excellent views and mild temperatures. Also found in the Chisos Basin area is the Chisos Basin Visitor Center, the General Store and the Chisos Mountains Lodge, which houses the only restaurant in Big Bend National Park. Please note: The road to the campground is steep and winding with sharp hairpin turns. Trailers over 19 feet and RVs over 24 feet are not recommended. No RV parking is available at the group campground. All sites where you may have a generator are now reservable. If you need to use a generator and you do not have a reservation, you will need to camp elsewhere. Recreation This campground is a hub for hikers. Some of the park's most spectacular and popular trails are nearby, including the Lost Mine Trail, the Window Trail, the South Rim Trail and the Pinnacles Trail, with its access to the park's highest point, Emory Peak (elevation 7,825 ft.). Campers can find the trailheads for most of these trails in the main Chisos Basin area a mile or so further down the basin road from the campground. Access to the river is approximately 30 miles away, where visitors can canoe, kayak and fish. Facilities The Chisos Basin Campground has 60 individual campsites. Beginning in 2020, the campground will be available for reservations year-round. Sites 1 - 40 are reservable, sites 41 - 60 are first-come first-served. The first-come, first-served sites are not visible on this website. Because of the size of each campsite, they are more suitable to tent camping than RVs or trailers, though both are allowed. Each site comes with a picnic table, charcoal grill and bear-proof food storage container, and some sites come with picnic shelters for shade. All campsites are within easy walking distance to drinking water and toilets, and a dump station is provided for RVs and trailers. Natural Features The national park is named for a curve in the Rio Grande called the "big bend." For 1,250 miles, the river is an International Boundary between the United States and Mexico. The campground lies at the base of several sloping cliffs amidst montane shrubland; desert plants such as Arizona cyprus and mesquite trees fill the landscape. Maple, aspen, pinyon and ponderosa pines grow at higher elevations just above the campground. Though it is lower than the surrounding cliffs, the Chisos Basin is at a higher elevation than other campgrounds within the park. Summer temperatures here are cool, yet warmer than other areas in fall and winter due to the cold air sinking into lower regions. The Chisos Mountains are a popular nesting site for migratory birds. The mountains provide the only nesting ground in the United States for the Colima warbler, which arrives in mid-April and departs for its wintering grounds in southwestern Mexico by mid-September. Nearby Attractions Big Bend National Park encompasses 801,000 acres and the Chisos Basin area is centrally located. This allows visitors an excellent opportunity to explore all areas of the park in a relatively short drive. Big Bend offers excellent hiking trails, miles of rugged dirt roads, and endless possibilities for sightseeing. ADA Access: N
From Interstate 10, take highway 385 south to Fort Stockton and then on to Marathon. From Marathon, go 40 miles south on Highway 385 to the north entrance of Big Bend National Park. Drive straight 26 miles to Park Headquarters at Panther Junction. Turn right and drive for three miles. Turn left at the Basin sign and go seven miles before making a right into the campground road.
Fantastic campground. Absolutely stunning views, lots of hiking, clean campsites, and friendly / helpful Host. Chisos Basin Campground is for smaller campers and tenting. We camped in a truck camper and it was tight. We camped in site 17. Could not take the camper off the truck and have room for the truck. But do not let this stop you from visiting this stunning NP. Thank you!
The campgrounds are a little close to each other but there is a lights out curfew at 9:30pm and wildlife proof lockers for your food/coolers. The skies are dark and beautiful. We hiked the Lost Mine Trail at sunset and it was breathtaking.
Camped in site 37 . A central campground for trails and the very nice restaurant. But for a “dark sky” park it was annoying to have lights on all night around the bathrooms! Kind of crowded. But friendly campers in mid January! We liked Cottonwood campground better; more rustic.
Location is everything. Chisos Basin Campground is a very close quarter campsite with very little parking for large vehicles. Even when you are within the recommended length according to the .gov site, you may still be sticking out on the road or parked along the edge of the road. This is not a "secluded" campsite.. The winds can get up and disturb your gears across the campground if your not carful.
But Locations is everything. It's high in the "mountains" with grand views, wild animals, and close to a lot of trailheads. There is a small store up the hill and a restaurant. The sunsets are amazing from the basin. The mountain cliffs will turn bright orange and red with the right light. There are bears, cats, coyotes, pigs, and foxes. We even saw a small ground bird that wound visited our camp, scratching at the grass and brush for seeds. We saw a fox one evening dart across the road.
Big Bend is a Dark-Skys Park, so don't be that one guy that leaves his exterior camper lights on all night. The stars at night are big and bright, and absolutely amazing!! We laid there looking through the sky light for half the night. They will keep you awake.. So many and oh so bright!!
If you want secluded, look to the back row at Rio Grande campsite or one of the backcountry site. Cottonwood is quite and peaceful too. Spring is best, summers are rough, hot and can be dangerous for the unprepared. The beast season is Nov - March/April. The best time is when the cactus blooms around spring break.
Enjoy and be prepared, it is a desert, but oh what a beautiful desert she is...
First time in Big Bend, and it was stunning. The views were amazing, and the campground was clean and taken care of. The water faucets, bear boxes, and bear proof trash cans were all very helpful in making this a more comfortable camp. The store on the edge of the campgrounds saved our bacon with heavy-duty tent stakes (get heavy-duty tent stakes. It's rock out there with some dirt sprinkled on top) and not a moment too soon as the second night we were there, the temperature was 38 degrees with 20 MPH winds. The store has a wide selection of foods, drinks, and clothing to cover most of the small items you forgot, and it was not price gouged.
Important for winter camping, the basin is easily 10 degrees colder than the rest of the park. The hiking path right at the campground is gorgeous, and we will definitely be back.
