I'm off first 10 days of every month new here but I want to get out there.
Texas Big Bend National Park Event in Future?!?!
- Thread starter Jose Losoya
- Start date
I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm definitely down for a trip to Big Bend as long as I've got a couple months notice.
Enthusiast III
Im starting to gather information for this trip, you will definitely have plenty of time to plan i want to give everyone time to plan accordingly , right now the month i have in mind is October , mainly for cooler weather, keep an eye out for the Rally point Event Post!
Enthusiast III
Enthusiast III
We have traveled the backcountry in Big Bend NP and there are a few things you need to check out. First, backcountry camping is allowed ONLY at sanctioned camping sites, which have limits on vehicles & campers allowed per site. The camp sites cannot be reserved ahead of time, they can only be resrved at the ranger station once you check in, they are first come-first served. Trailside camping is not allowed in any of the backcountry areas. Second, wood fires (for cooking, etc) are not allowed, and if the fire danger is high, even charcoal is banned and it's propane cooking only. We only go out solo or with one other rig because of the camping limitations. You can get the basic info here. https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
Good luck with the plannng & enjoy the trip, it's amazing country !
Good luck with the plannng & enjoy the trip, it's amazing country !
Its an amazing place! There is great camping in Terlingua. When you drive into town there are some "lots" that are available for tents or vehicles. I can't remember the name, but the bar owner manages one of them. He is a cool old Duse that rides his Harley from Alaska to spend the winter there. Play some pool and enjoy some Terlingua Gold. If you are mountain bikers take your bikes. Big Bend State Park is just down the road. Amazing winter man biking. There is also a cool old cemetery in Terlingua that is great for photos at sunset.
Advocate III
Yeah, that’s the Boathouse, but he no longer owns it. They have some interesting shelter sites there with sort of canvas tent shelters, but it’s far from being secluded, if that’s what anyone might be looking for. Cool place though, nonetheless, with a single shower for the campground and a whole host of interesting characters, both local and from away, that inhabit the bar on any given night.
Terlingua is one of the most interesting places in the country.
Advocate III
Absolutely - even the phrase Viva Terlingua has an interesting history, going back to Jerry Jeff Walker, I think it was. Dinner at the Starlight Theatre, there at the end of the "porch" at the trading post in the heart of Terlingua, is a must if in the area for more than a night or two. I know the place well. Even if you just end up sitting on the porch with a beer or two from the trading post and watching the sun set on the Chisos Mtns, is a treat. The Doctor is gone now, but the place is still full of characters.
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I just got back from a week long trip to Big Bend. I also went last year but it was a "long weekend" trip and not near long enough. I live a little bit west of Ft Worth so what we do it stop and spend the night at Monahans Sand Hill State Park and finish out the drive the next day through Alpine. We just drove the national park roads and only made it to the state park for one day. We stay at Rancho Topango campgrounds which is in between Terlingua and Lajitas. They have group campsites as well as sites that are close enough that people in a group would still be grouped together. They also have normal type bathrooms and showers. $10 per person for those over 4 years old. Gas was $2.94 in Terlingua and $3.05 at the gas station at Panther Junction. Just for perspective it was $2.24 here at home. The gas in Lajitas was $3.44 so avoid it like the plague. That is at the state park entrance though so you probably won't go there. You can go through Ft. Stockton and get gas and groceries at the Wal-Mart and then enter the park through Marathon if you are just going to the national park. The park speed limit is only 45 so it's a long drive through the park if you are going to Terlingua. I took my Rotopax with 6 gallons of fuel just in case but didn't need them. I would just fill up at the store in Terlingua before going onto the national park each day.
We started at Maverick Road traveled to Santa Elena canyon. You could take River Road from there across to Black Gap road and hit Glenn Springs back up to Panther Junction. Keep in mind that these roads look short on the map but take forever. Old Ore Road for example took almost 4 hours. The roads are rough but you make a lot of stops to take pictures and check out sights. Most of the roads are full of "washboards" so they are slow-going. I didn't air down but I probably could have for a more comfortable ride. I was just too lazy to mess with it. I was not too sure about Black Gap road since my gf, son and I were by ourselves in my stock Tacoma TRD Off Road. By chance there were some folks also heading down there in some very modified Jeeps so we went in front of them. I had no problems at all getting through everything. I ran in regular 4wd until I got to the step deal. My wheels slipped a little bit so I put it in crawl control so I could finally try it out. (This was the first off road trip in the new Tacoma.) Crawl control got me right up without any effort. I didn't try my rear locker simply because I wanted to try the crawl control. A regular 4wd would be okay you just might have to put a little more effort into it than I did. I was also weighted down in the back with an AllPro Apex rack, rotopax, RTIC cooler, ARB fridge, and a bunch of other gear. Don't go there thinking you need winches, a lift, whatever else to get through. I would consider us to be on the beginner to novice overland level so it's not my superior driving skills that got us through.
I guess this has rambled on long enough so I'll wrap it up. Things to see are definitely Chisos Mountain Resort area, Boquillas Canyon area and get a walking stick from the Mexican guy that brings them over. They were only $7 but $17.95 if you buy them at the park store. You leave your money in a plastic jug and take the stick you want and he comes over later and gets the money. You can see him making them right across the river. Santa Elena canyon is also a must see. That's about all you have time for in a weekend trip. I hope this helps.
We started at Maverick Road traveled to Santa Elena canyon. You could take River Road from there across to Black Gap road and hit Glenn Springs back up to Panther Junction. Keep in mind that these roads look short on the map but take forever. Old Ore Road for example took almost 4 hours. The roads are rough but you make a lot of stops to take pictures and check out sights. Most of the roads are full of "washboards" so they are slow-going. I didn't air down but I probably could have for a more comfortable ride. I was just too lazy to mess with it. I was not too sure about Black Gap road since my gf, son and I were by ourselves in my stock Tacoma TRD Off Road. By chance there were some folks also heading down there in some very modified Jeeps so we went in front of them. I had no problems at all getting through everything. I ran in regular 4wd until I got to the step deal. My wheels slipped a little bit so I put it in crawl control so I could finally try it out. (This was the first off road trip in the new Tacoma.) Crawl control got me right up without any effort. I didn't try my rear locker simply because I wanted to try the crawl control. A regular 4wd would be okay you just might have to put a little more effort into it than I did. I was also weighted down in the back with an AllPro Apex rack, rotopax, RTIC cooler, ARB fridge, and a bunch of other gear. Don't go there thinking you need winches, a lift, whatever else to get through. I would consider us to be on the beginner to novice overland level so it's not my superior driving skills that got us through.
I guess this has rambled on long enough so I'll wrap it up. Things to see are definitely Chisos Mountain Resort area, Boquillas Canyon area and get a walking stick from the Mexican guy that brings them over. They were only $7 but $17.95 if you buy them at the park store. You leave your money in a plastic jug and take the stick you want and he comes over later and gets the money. You can see him making them right across the river. Santa Elena canyon is also a must see. That's about all you have time for in a weekend trip. I hope this helps.
Went to Big Bend WMA it’s east of the National Park. We camped right on the river. I think it’s better than the National Park.
Advocate III
Cool photos, @Levidale - but do you mean Black Gap WMA, just east of BBNP?
I think if we are going to do a group camp this would be more ideal. The campsite are larger And we could always drive to big bend to do those trails if the wma area isn’t enough
Advocate III
Cool, I thought that might be what you meant. No apology necessary - just didn't want folks to look up Big Bend WMA, which is actually wayyyy east, in Florida, a different Big Bend entirely!
Definitely a good alternative to check out, I agree, and you bet, close enough to the national park and a bunch of other places in which to explore trails.
Not sure what the camping regs might be in Black Gap WMA, but know that a lot of the camping sites in BBSP, not sure about the NP, are restricted in number of vehicles per site, last I heard. When you get too many vehicles all camping together in wilderness areas it has a different impact than the same number of vehicles camping in the same area at different times, so that's definitely something to consider, too. It is why some places restrict numbers.
Also to be considered with groups of any size when camping is the amount of human waste often left behind. Not the most pleasant of subjects, I know, but that deserves mention in being an important part of wilderness camping. As OB members we can, and should, lead by example. More and more catholes are being dug improperly or too close to site, water, and trail. A general rule is a good 70 paces (200') away from site, trail, and water. I've camped off-road in Big Bend as far as eight miles from pavement and found human waste piles just under a hastily placed rock with t-paper in cactus. It's disappointing.
Some places are now prohibiting even catholes. Here's a great alternative offered by @Plisken in his post Wisdom From the River that is well worth considering. After many years of alternatives, I finally got a composting toilet.
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Far as I know there wasn’t any amount of people that could be had at one place. The campsite are in twos and are very spacious. And plus the othe campsite are not so spread out around the river like they are away from the river. It’s still primitive campsites and you only have to get a land use permit and it’s good for the whole year. It’s 12.50. All the campsite have shelters an a outhouse
I'm in, just pick a date! We've been planning and preparing for a Big Bend trip since the end of last year, but every time we tentatively pick a date it gets consumed by a wedding or something else we can't get out of, 2018 has been a scheduling nightmare because of it. We are in though, just update the thread when you've finally settled on a date and I'll get it on the calendar.
