Big Bend National Park Site Questions

[buckee]

Is there any campgrounds in big bend national park texas that will accommodate a 36 ft fifth wheel with f h u or just electric and water . And if not where is a good place to camp close by .

[UTTransplant]

There are a few hookups at Rio Grande Village RV Park, but hard to get since they fill very very early with reservations. We stayed at Rio Grande Village campground with no hookups. We also stayed outside the park at Stillwell Store. Definitely a no-frills place, but FHU. Close to the park. There also is a popular RV park called Maverick Ranch which is much more upscale. A few others exist, but these are the ones I know.

[NRF]

Originally Posted by buckee

Is there any campgrounds in big bend national park texas that will accommodate a 36 ft fifth wheel with f h u or just electric and water . And if not where is a good place to camp close by .

Yes, there is! Inside the park is Rio Grand Village. (https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvis...servations.htm)

We went last April and stayed outside the park at Maverick Ranch (part of Lajitas Golf Resort) https://www.lajitasgolfresort.com/mo..._maverickranch

We enjoyed that because of the proximity to the resort and restaurants. Originally, we had our reservation inside the park but due to the fact that there would be no cell reception / wifi, we changed to the one outside the park. (we still work and needed to be able to communicate).

As the park is so large, there will be a lot of driving no matter which location you stay. I think even w/o the need for wifi/cell service, I would probably still opt for Maverick (although inside the park is much less expensive).

[twogypsies]

We've stayed with our 40' in Rio Grande Village campground - no hookups and very pleasant area and lots of roomy sites.

There's also Rio Grande Village RV which is a concessioner. The sites have hookups and are all in a row.

As stated, the park itself is huge so it depends on if you want your experience to be within the park and possibly a day siteseeing outside the park or if you want to spend your time outside the park and do a day of driving in the park. If you're hikers, I'd highly recommend staying in the park for the best overall experience and shorter drive times.

[traveldawg]

I'd recommend this campground Maverick Campground). We didn't and, although we were in the same immediate area, we regretted our decision on another popular campground nearby.

It wasn't for a few days before we realized what their sign "Good Water" really meant. That was about the time we realized we had about the worst water ever from a campground (the one we stayed in).

[andy29847]

I've been to Big Bend many times. I've stayed in several different campgrounds. None of them are what you might call a resort.

I've spent the most time at Big Bend Resort and Adventures. This is a desert campground 3 miles from the west gate of the national park, in Study Butte, TX. I like it here because they have gas, grocery shopping, nearby restaurants, and a store. This is where I'll stay next time I go.
https://www.bigbendresort.com/

Mavrick Ranch RV Park is in Lajitis, 20 miles from the west gate of the national park. It is a desert park too, but much of the lot is paved. They have most of the ammenities that you find in Study Butte but stuff tends to be more expensive (and everything down there is expensive). I stayed here once, but didn't like being so far from the national park activities.
https://www.lajitasgolfresort.com/mo..._maverickranch

Farther up the road is Marathon Motel and RV Park. This park is 40 miles from the main gate of the national park. I liked this park a lot. It is a desert park but it is well maintained. There is a big emphasis on sky watching here. There are a couple of really good restaurants in town too.
https://www.marathonmotel.com/

The park headquarters/visitors center is in the middle of the park. It is a long ways from any of the gates to the vistors center.

I wrote some report from my visits, complete with photos.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/big-b...again.1499435/

https://advrider.com/f/threads/2020-...-trip.1426252/

[NRF]

Originally Posted by andy29847

I've been to Big Bend many times. I've stayed in several different campgrounds. None of them are what you might call a resort.

I wrote some report from my visits, complete with photos.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/big-b...again.1499435/

https://advrider.com/f/threads/2020-...-trip.1426252/

Thanks for sharing! Photos look great and so does the blog!

[IRBgigi]

Trying out a new RV-specific GPS vs regular GPS and it’s recommending a route that adds 2 hours coming from Ft Stockton (see screenshots). Anyone have experience on the shorter route and why it would be unsuitable for a class A, 12’10”?

[IRBgigi]

Originally Posted by IRBgigi

Trying out a new RV-specific GPS vs regular GPS and it’s recommending a route that adds 2 hours coming from Ft Stockton (see screenshots). Anyone have experience on the shorter route and why it would be unsuitable for a class A, 12’10”?Attachment 347689

Actually, the route is from Austin. It’s just the last leg from Ft Stockton that differs.

[grassy]

Stayed at the Maverick..in the 45 parks we stayed at during our 11k, 15 state, 45 park stays, it rated as one of the top 3 worst we stayed at..

No idea of the 5 star rating.. it was a total cluster.. Never again


Ian.

[andy29847]

Originally Posted by IRBgigi

Trying out a new RV-specific GPS vs regular GPS and it’s recommending a route that adds 2 hours coming from Ft Stockton (see screenshots). Anyone have experience on the shorter route and why it would be unsuitable for a class A, 12’10”?Attachment 347689

This is GPS dumb stuff.

[jacwjames]

This is a timely post for me as I'm planning a trip to visit National Parks out west.

So I'll be watching this, thanks.

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by IRBgigi

Trying out a new RV-specific GPS vs regular GPS and it’s recommending a route that adds 2 hours coming from Ft Stockton (see screenshots). Anyone have experience on the shorter route and why it would be unsuitable for a class A, 12’10”?Attachment 347689

Feel free to start you own new thread.

The RV GPS devices use "truck routes". They try to avoid local and county roads. My Garmin even avoids state highways.

I made a "car" profile for my RV GPS because I love back roads. It was almost impossible to get the RV functions to work using back roads.

[Rob_M]

Originally Posted by grassy

Stayed at the Maverick..in the 45 parks we stayed at during our 11k, 15 state, 45 park stays, it rated as one of the top 3 worst we stayed at..

No idea of the 5 star rating.. it was a total cluster.. Never again


Ian.

There’s just not many choices in the big bend area and Maverick is the most high end one if you would call it that.