Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, TX)

This campsite is in such a gorgeous location. Absolutely stunning. You will be pretty close to other campers, but everyone was very polite and it was worth it for the location

Loved our stay at Chisos Basin campground. Only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is the bathroom is in need of some repairs (one sink wasn’t working) but since they close for 2 years in one month, seems like they are letting things pass. We stayed in site 41 in my 19 ft campervan. We fit but I wouldn’t want any longer of a vehicle. View is amazing and the camp host is awesome. Be sure to do the window trail and lost mine trail since both are nearby. Can’t wait to go back in 2 years and see the improvements.

Awesome!

Great campground, awesome baleful and friendly camp host; appreciated the nearby camp store for ice!

The campsite was tight but the outstanding views far out weighed the small sites. Unfortunately, the rest rooms were not functioning due to drought conditions. We were camping in late March and experienced strong nightly storms and high winds. The hiking trails around the campground were excellent. We drove the Maxwell Ross Scenic Drive on a rainy day and it was a perfect, scenic drive to the Rio Grande.

This campground is absolutely beautiful. Chisos Basin is special! Site #26 has great shade all day which was awesome. However, it is really tiny and it’s difficult to find space to pitch a tent. There is no level ground at this site. We made it work, but want to warn folks especially if they’re trying to stay here with a couple tents!

Great views great location

Great location, great view

We love camping in our National Parks and enjoyed our stay at Chisos Basin in Big Bend, with a couple of caveats. Because of the water shortage, there were no toilets or sinks (other than a utility). The port-a-potties filled up very quickly and were often out of toilet paper and fairly messy. The lack of any sink for washing faces, etc. was difficult in such a dry, dusty climate. And the camp store was more limited than other other NP experiences. They are about to begin a big remodel of the area, which I believe will address many of these challenges (including better water capture to respond to the drought), and I'm excited to see what Chisos Basin will look like on the other side of some of those repairs/renovations.

The bear boxes at these camp sites are fantastic, and made it very easy to clean up the campsite and protect any food.

Most of the sites are quite small and very close together; there's not much privacy at this campground. Our site (29, loop 2) had a good layout and a little more privacy than most.

Some sites have ABSOLUTELY NO shade, which I imagine would be quite difficult in the summer months! The ones that do have shade structures (such as ours) are well suited to bringing a hammock-- I wish we had brought ours.

This campsite can't be beat for convenience to the best hikes: Lost Mine, Windows, and Emory Peak were all fantastic and easily accessed.

We did find that recent funding cuts meant we saw far fewer park rangers than we typically do on NP visits, and the visitor center hours were very limited :-( A sad state of affairs. But the ones that we did encounter were fantastic, as always. Rangers are what make America's Best Idea even better!

Our campsite offered spectacular views of Casa Grande, and the proximity to the Window and Lost Mine Trail was excellent. The park felt less busy than on Spring Break in years past, so that was a bonus. All park rangers, staff, and volunteers were friendly and kind. We love Big Bend!