Chisos Basin Group Campground (Big Bend, TX)
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:30 UTC
- Sites
- 7All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Chisos Basin Group Campground, situated high in the rugged Chisos Mountains, is one of the most sought-after campgrounds in Big Bend National Park. It has seven group camping sites available for groups of nine to 20 people (size is site-dependent). At an altitude of 5,400 ft. (1646 m),, the campground is surrounded on all sides by tall, rocky cliffs and conveniently located near some of the park's most spectacular and popular trails. The Rio Grande is only a short drive away. Also found in the area is the Chisos Basin Visitor Center, the General Store and the Chisos Mountains Lodge , which houses the only restaurant in Big Bend National Park. Keep reading
Recreation
This campground is a hub for hikers. Some of the park's most spectacular and popular Day Hike trails are nearby, including the Lost Mine Trail, the Window Trail, the South Rim Trail and the Pinnacles Trail, with its access to the park's highest point, Emory Peak (elevation 7,825 ft./2385 m). Campers can find the trailheads for most of these trails in the main Chisos Basin area a mile or so further down the Basin road from the campground. Access to the river is approximately 30 miles (48 km) away, where visitors can canoe, kayak and fish.
Facilities
The group campground is located approximately 1/4 mile (.4 km) away from the main Chisos Basin Campground. Each site comes with a picnic table, charcoal grill and bear-proof food storage container and some sites come with picnic shelters for shade. All campsites are within easy walking distance to drinking water and toilets. No RVs, trailers, or generators are allowed. Group Site "O" allows for ONE smaller (up to 20 feet/6 m) recreational vehicle (camper van, pickup camper, or small RV) to camp adjacent to the tent area as part of the larger group. All other sites are exclusively walk-in, tents only.
Natural Features
The national park is named for a curve in the Rio Grande called the "big bend." For 1,250 miles (2012 km), the river is an International Boundary between the United States and Mexico. The campground lies at the base of several sloping cliffs amidst montane shrubland; desert plants such as Arizona cyprus and mesquite trees fill the landscape. Maple, aspen, pinyon and ponderosa pines grow at higher elevations just above the campground. Though it is lower than the surrounding cliffs, the Chisos Basin is at a higher elevation than other campgrounds within the park. Summer temperatures here are cool, yet warmer than other areas in fall and winter due to the cold air sinking into lower regions. The Chisos Mountains are a popular nesting site for migratory birds . The mountains provide the only nesting ground in the United States for the Colima Warbler, which arrives in mid-April and departs for its wintering grounds in southwestern Mexico by mid-September.
Nearby Attractions
Big Bend National Park encompasses 801,000 acres (324,153 ha) and the Chisos Basin area is centrally located. This allows visitors an excellent opportunity to explore all areas of the park in a relatively short drive. Big Bend offers excellent hiking trails, miles of rugged dirt roads, and endless possibilities for sightseeing.
What the agency tells you
A camper arriving the day AFTER the reservation begins is considered a No Show. A No Show may result in a cancellation of your reservation. Contact the park at 432-477-2251 if you are late or will not be arriving until the day after your reservation starts.
Vehicle Restrictions. The road to the campground is steep and winding with sharp hairpin turns. The vehicle restriction for the road and campground is 24 feet (7 m) for motor homes and 20 feet (5.8 m) for travel trailers. No RV parking is available at the group campground, with the exception of site O.
Tents Only. The group campground is tent-only; no RVs or trailers allowed. That includes rooftop tents and camper vans. One exception is Group Site "O" which allows for ONE small (up to 20 feet/6 m) recreational vehicle (camper van, pickup camper, or small RV) to camp adjacent to the tent area as part of the larger group. All other sites are exclusively tent camping only.
Everything else this campground posts · 12
Tent Size. Tents larger than 8 ft. by 8 ft. (2.4 x2.4 m) are not recommended because of site layout. Sites P, Q, and R can accommodate larger tents if necessary
No Hookups. There are no electric, water or sewer hookups.
Organized Groups. All organized groups in Big Bend require a Special Use Permit. Visit the park website for additional information. Group maximums are 50 people in the park at one time per group.
Generators Prohibited. Generator use is prohibited in the group campground area.
Group Picnic Shelters. Sites P, Q and R have picnic shelters
Food Lockers/Bears. Bears frequent the area. All food must be kept in the food storage locker at each campsite or in a hard-sided vehicle. Trash must be disposed of in the animal-proof dumpsters provided. Do not leave coolers or food boxes unattended at any time.
Are you still here? Please collapse your tent during the day if you are not in the campsite. Bears have been known to investigate and damage standing tents.
Campfires. No wood or ground fires allowed at any time. Charcoal may be used in the raised grills provided at each site.
Pets. Pets are allowed in each campsite, although they must be leashed and restrained at all times. Pets are not allowed on trails or in buildings.
Minimum & Maximum Occupancy. Group campsites require a MINIMUM of nine people. The park will not honor reservations with fewer people. Maximum group size varies by campsite from 10 to 20 people.
Hammocks. Hammocks are only allowed when not affixed to natural features. Do not hang hammocks on trees. No hammocks or other devices may be attached/tied to trees or any other natural features or objects.
Big Bend National Park is an International Dark Sky Park. In the interest of protecting night skies, outdoor lighting will be limited between 10 PM and 6AM to handheld lighting designed for wayfinding and lighting needed for immediate camp chores or cooking.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 7 · 7 tent-only, 7 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 30 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…are within easy walking distance to drinking water and toilets. No RVs, trailers, or generators are…”
- Store
- Nearby
Around the campground
- On the water
- River
- Birding
- Evening Programs
- Guided Interpretive Walks
- Hiking
- Picnic Tables
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 4th darkest of 154 in TX
- Bortle 1
8 of 14 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:30 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 17
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:30 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
7 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 7 mapped sitesAll 7 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 7 of the 7 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Group Sites L-R | L | group tent only area nonelectric | 30 ft | 118 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
| Group Sites L-R | M | group tent only area nonelectric | 26 ft | 104 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
| Group Sites L-R | N | group tent only area nonelectric | 22 ft | 107 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
| Group Sites L-R | O | group tent only area nonelectric | 23 ft | 104 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
| Group Sites L-R | P | group tent only area nonelectric | 24 ft | 93 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
| Group Sites L-R | Q | group tent only area nonelectric | 24 ft | 93 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
| Group Sites L-R | R | group tent only area nonelectric | 24 ft | 120 ft | 7.8 mi | $40–$60 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, TX)Big Bend National Park · 0.0 mi
Big Bend Backcountry CampingBig Bend National Park · 7.0 mi
Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX)Big Bend National Park · 16 mi
Rio Grande Village (Big Bend, TX)Big Bend National Park · 22 mi
Rio Grande Village Group Campground (Big Bend, TX)Big Bend National Park · 22 miFrom Interstate 10, take highway 385 south to Fort Stockton and then on to Marathon. From Marathon, go 40 miles south on Highway 385 to the north entrance of Big Bend National Park. Drive straight 26 miles (42 km) to Park Headquarters at Panther Junction. Turn right and drive for three miles (1 km). Turn left at the Basin sign and go seven miles (2.1 km) before making a right into the campground road.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Study Butte, TX
Typical weather
Typical October night 54°F, day 74°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 38°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Junes are colder than the June line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Chisos Basin Group Campground (Big Bend, TX) is in Texas’s 23rd congressional district. Whoever holds it votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. See how its representative votes on public lands →
Our roster still carries Tony Gonzales for this district and the current federal record doesn’t list them as sitting, so we’re not naming a representative here until the two agree.