Big Bend - Chisos Mountains in Oliver.

[Bruce Olive]

Just returned from Big Bend trip in our Oliver Elite II. We can highly recommend that you approach the park from the west side via Terlingua and Study Butte. We drove from Davis Mountains State Park to Presidio to Lajitas. This is a gorgeous drive along the Rio Grande and the Big Bend State park - a wonderful intro to the Texas Mountain trails. Spend two or three nights at Maverick Mountain RV resort in Lajitas to take some river trips into the canyons. (AAA discounts available). These guided trips are not available inside the park and you have to drive out to meet the river rafting groups which is a minor drag.

For the record we were able to get the 24 ft Oliver Elite into the larger site at Chisos Mountains campground even though the recommended maximum length is 20 feet. The issue is the sites are small, uneven and off the grid. But oh my what an experience. If you come into the park from Marathon and just go to Rio Grande Village you are missing a lot.

Good luck and happy trails.

[Carol and Mike]

Bruce, we did the same thing this past September. Maverick RV Park in Lajitas was good, hiking in the park was outstanding. Our next trip to Big Bend will be when the weather is a bit cooler! Mike

[jen b]

I spent a week at Big Bend in the fall of 2015 and loved it. I stayed at Rio Grande Village so I could easily do wildlife photography along the river, though. Made a number of trips to hike around the Chisos basin, which is gorgeous.

If I went again, I'd go back to Rio Grande Village because I was so charmed by the javelina roaming the campground.

[John in Michigan]

We spent 9 nights at Big Bend Natl Park in January. Loved it! We camped in the no generator zone at Rio Grande Village using our new 100 watt solar setup, worked great. Camper in the adjoining site saw numerous javelinas including juveniles. We never saw any in the campground although we saw a few near Santa Elena Canyon.

We got up to Chisos Basin and hiked a mountain trail there. Hiked canyon trail near Rio Grande Village. Also saw an Oliver camper and several other FG campers in the campground.

[Al and Cindy K]

Thanks for posting Bruce; It doesn't get much better than a campsite with Casa Grande in the background. We have a 19' Scamp and like site 47. Although it has a bit of a downward slope there's a great view of The Window and it offers a bit of privacy. Was this your first trip to Big Bend?

We're from NC as well (between Rocky Mount and Tarboro). Our first trip to BB was in 78 and we've been returning as often as possible; usually staying 3-4 nights in each of the three NPS campgrounds when we visit.

Hope to see you folks on the road sometime. We'll likely be at the NPS Frisco campground on Cape Hatteras NS opening weekend (4/21) - Come on down and we can swap stories about Big Bend. Invite is good to all others as well.


Al

[Stan and Carol]

We were in Big Bend the last half of January, stayed both at Rio Grande and Chisos campgrounds. We hiked the Window trail and I'm thinking as we are hiking outbound, this is all downhill, which means coming back will be all uphill. Yep, it was, and it about killed us, I'm 72 and Carol is 70, but we made it. Quite a hike.


Stan

[Lady Scamp]

Way to go!

[Al and Cindy K]

Originally Posted by Stan and Carol

We were in Big Bend the last half of January, stayed both at Rio Grande and Chisos campgrounds. We hiked the Window trail and I'm thinking as we are hiking outbound, this is all downhill, which means coming back will be all uphill. Yep, it was, and it about killed us, I'm 72 and Carol is 70, but we made it. Quite a hike.


Stan

We're just a few years behind you folks and agree that its a 'vigorous' trek but well worth it.

We hiked this trail for the first time while on our honeymoon in 78. Just as we reached the bottom, Cindy caught her ankle between two rocks and twisted it so badly I had to carry her all the way back up. We still take that trail every time we visit but she's much more careful these days

[donthompson]

Like Stan and Carol, I camped at the Chisos Basin Campground. I was there from 1/21/17 to 1/31/17. I drove to Big Bend from the north (Marathon) and left the park near Terlingua and took the river road to Presido. I strongly recommend that you drive the river road in or out of the park as long as your tow vehicle and camper are in good shape. There are many miles without cell phone reception and the traffic was non-existent in late January. I had no issue getting to Chisos Basin. My campsite (#33) was a tight fit because the only place to park the tow vehicle was beside the Ollie. My VW Touareg and the Elite II fit, but just barely. Beautiful campground and campsite.

The hiking in Big Bend is spectacular. I'm 67 and pretty fit. Some of the hikes were strenuous, but none were too taxing. I hiked the to the Window pour-over (4.4 miles round-trip), the Lost Mine Trail (4.8 miles round-trip and one of the prettiest hikes I took), a 9 mile hike to Emory Peak (the best hike during my visit) and the hike to balanced rock. I did a few other short hikes and explored the backroads. I recommend the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, the Sam Nail Ranch, and St. Elena Canyon. I also had an enjoyable visit to the hot springs near Rio Grande Village.

I'll return to this national park--it's a treasure.

[Jon Vermilye]

Here is a photo of an Escape 17B in Site 44 (a tight fit). It is a shallow pull off on the side of the road - I wouldn't want anything wider.