Big Bend Boondocking
by Julie and Kel Kohlhaas
(Paw Paw, MI)
This is one of the backcountry sites. As you can see you are out on your own with beautiful view of the Chisos Mountains. This site is about 2 1/2 miles from the main road via gravel, two-track road.
Our favorite place to boondock is at Big Bend National Park in southern Texas. The park has many road side backcountry campsites and a lot of these you can get to with a small to medium RV.
There are few sites that a large rig can get to. All of these sites require driving 1/2 to six miles on gravel roads. Some of the roads are rough and require high clearance and/or 4-wheel drive to negotiate.
The park is very diverse, with it's own mountain range, three magnificant Rio Grande River canyons, a hot spring, and plenty of Chihuahuan desert. It is a pardise for hikers, paddlers, and geology enthusiaists. The winter temperatures are mild, spring and fall are moderate, and summer is hot.
To arrange your stay you need to stop at the Visitor Center and view the "book." The book has all the backcountry campsites listed and where there are available sites. You can then plan how set up your stay and make reservations. The maximum stay is 14 days.
The park is large and the sites are spread through much of the park, which allows you to stay in different areas and shorten your drives for day trips. Once you have set up your camping, you need to fill out a permit and pay a one-time $10 fee per fourteen-day stay.
