Big Bend National Park

I arrived at Big Bend National Park at around 4:15 p.m. and the entrance station was closed. I continued to drive into the park to the Headquarters Visitor Center and arrived just before they closed. They directed me to the campground at Chisos Basin.
A tent campsite in the park is $14.00, cash or check. The campsite includes a sheltered bench, charcoal grill, and a bear-proof metal cabinet. The campsite is located in a beautiful setting, surrounded by mountain ridges.

Chisos Basin Campground - This campground was half full when I arrived at around 6:00 p.m. People kept arriving until 9:00 p.m. and the place was full the next morning.

The curvy and sometimes steep road into Chisos basin can be seen at the bottom of the aerial photo. The notch in the basin near the top of the photo is called the “Window.” The basin is a great spot and there are several trails that start at the Chisos Mountain Visitor Center. A lodge/motel and restaurant are also located near the Visitor Center.

The two roads to the Rio Grande River were closed because of damage from a recent hurricane. I was able to drive to within a half mile of the river. A Ranger told me that Summer and Fall are the slow periods for Big Bend National Park. There are two visitor centers near the river and they are closed during the summer months. It seems that most visitors come in Winter and Spring to raft down the Rio Grande.

The views were spectacular. I think the green vegetation this late in the season is the result of the hurricane that hit the Texas coast about a month earlier.