Big Bend National Park36
Campsite #36 at Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX
$16
Campsite #36
| Drive-In | 8 people |
| 24 ft | Parallel |
| 1 | good |
11/7
12/7
Campsite #36 Features: Drive-In access, Parallel parking, 24-foot driveway, Fire ring w/ Grill, Food Storage Locker, Picnic Table, RV Site, Tent Site, Trailer Site, Pets Allowed
Campsite Reviews (25)
5.0 out of 5
| 5 star | | 52% |
| 4 star | | 32% |
| 3 star | | 8% |
| 2 star | | 4% |
| 1 star | | 4% |
@KevinC5577695 · Camped on Nov 15, 2025 at Campsite #36
Relatively spacious
@patrickc406034 · Camped on Feb 25, 2025 at Campsite #36
Very special place, beautiful hikes starting from the campground, the nearby lodge has some easy food options that can turn out to be pretty convenient! Only downside to the campground is that some campsites are on top of each other, lacking privacy, sense of isolation you could be craving for, or just nice, unobstructed views -like site #36 we had...
@CherylD4270459 · Camped on Feb 18, 2025 at Campsite #36
The campground is sadly lacking. None of the spots are level regardless of what you do. Our site was at least a bit more level but we were parking on the road. A bit of a disgrace for such a magnificent setting.
@BryanQ8D75A92D · Camped on May 1, 2024 at Campsite #36
Site 36 is probably the worst site in the best campground, so still worth reserving. Bathhouse door slams can be noisy at night and site is sloping and your RV door will face the road as there's nowhere to turnaround. But beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
@SueS2549054 · Camped on Apr 13, 2024 at Campsite #36
We were tenting in site 36. We liked it since it was fairly level and had a shaded picnic table. And we discovered there was an elf owl nesting in a hole in the electrical pole directly across from our site! They became active after sunset, and we could hear them chirping throughout the night.The site is also opposite the bathroom and the potable water supply, so very convenient.
@RuthT8819761 · Camped on Feb 14, 2024 at Campsite #36
Not my favorite campground: small sites etc but it was clean and folks got quiet.
@ChrisVC4BA27D3 · Camped on Jan 30, 2024 at Campsite #36
Chisos Basin is a beautiful campground, particularly for tent campers (it would be cramped for most trailers and RVs). The scenery is spectacular, there is immediate access to the Window Trail and the campground is centrally located to all three major areas of the park. I would give it 5 stars, but recreation.gov wont let me do so on my IPad!
@DavidK6336379 · Camped on Jan 15, 2024 at Campsite #36
we stayed at site 36 in the campground. a narrow site but adequate for our pick up truck camper . Camp sites are close together. nice clean restrooms, but for an international dark sky park we found it funny that there were white lights on the outside of the bathroom which remained on all night long! seemed counter intuitive! The Window trail head is near bye which was nice. The restaurant in the lodge is very nice. nice picnic table with sun cover over top.
@RobertB6182770 · Camped on Jan 10, 2024 at Campsite #36
Campground hosts were nice. Be sure to bring leveling blocks if you have an RV. You'll probably need them.
@GregO4992124 · Camped on Dec 21, 2023 at Campsite #36
I love Big Bend NP and Big Bend Ranch SP, and the whole area. I've done just about every hike in the NP. I've stayed at Chisos Basin campground twice, and I am disgusted that they now have WiFi!! That's just what the addicted population needs at their campground - more internet. I saw people standing in the bathroom charging their smartphones. Gotta get your internet fix, whatever it is, even while camping.What's next, room service to my tent?
@JaneL3877914 · Camped on Nov 28, 2023 at Campsite #36
Excellent camping. Neighbors were close but not too much. The bear box was handy. So many trails start from the basin ; it was great not to drive. I enjoyed the proximity of bathroom and dishwashing station. The store and visitors center were also great to have in walking distance. Most of all it was super clean and just beautiful.
@DouglasT563853 · Camped on Oct 23, 2023 at Campsite #36
The campground and the trails we hiked are very well maintained. The men's bathroom was clean working well supplied but no hot water and no light. Both park rangers on duty were friendly helpful and informative. This was my first camping experience in 30 years. Chisos basin has beautiful scenery and the temperature was in the high 50's at night to high 70's during the day Oct 23-27 2023. The windows and the lost mine trail are highly recommended. Take water and dress appropriately and pace yourself if you're in your 70's like me. The trails are very well maintained as I said before and the vista's along the trails and the trails end are gorgeous. The general store is very well stocked and a 5 min drive from the camp grounds. The are are several well placed bathrooms in the campground only a few steps away from the various campsites. No Showers at Chisos basin. Its a 45 min drive if you want a shower at one of the other campsites in Big Bend. A sponge bath was all I needed. Even gas is avaliable if needed for your car. I highly recommend this camp ground.
@garym1363889 · Camped on Aug 14, 2023 at Campsite #36
The weather was cool, between 70 to 90 degrees in the Chisos Basin even amidst a sweltering heat wave which had the rest of the desert floor hovering above 110+ degrees all week. The campgrounds were clean and mostly quite aside from the occasional guests that showed up and setup camp in the middle of the night or pre-dawn hours, but the park has no control over inconsiderate people unless they start closing the gates. There are many great trails to hike without leaving the basin, with lots of wildlife including bears and deer.
@PamelaD2861561 · Camped on May 9, 2023 at Campsite #36
The nozzle at the fresh hose at the dump station at Chisos is not compatible with a typical rv; impossible to add fresh water to our rv tank.
@jenniferj83104 · Camped on Mar 27, 2023 at Campsite #36
Overall, Big Bend was a great place to visit. A few heads up items: there are only showers at Rio Grande Village and there is only a restaurant in Chisos Basin. The shower is $2.00 in quarters for 5 minutes of water, which is enough time if you go quickly. The restaurant's breakfast is a little expensive for a continental breakfast. The dinners are very good, but do not offer a wide range of options and is a little on the expensive side. It was very windy, so I would suggest long tent stakes if you are camping in a tent. I would also recommend putting rocks on top of the tent stakes (everybody did that) to keep them from being pulled out of the rocky ground. We did a lot of hiking, which was all very nice!
@ChrisO377 · Camped on Nov 17, 2021 at Campsite #36
This is one of the most beautiful campsites I’ve ever stayed at. Picture perfect location for sure. The rangers and staff were so kind. Kid friendly! My daughter became a junior ranger here :) Plenty of bathrooms spread through the site.
Not much grass to work with at this location so if tent camping be sure to bring the footprint for your tent and a sleeping mat along with your sleeping bag.
My daughter and I loved every minute of it!
Not much grass to work with at this location so if tent camping be sure to bring the footprint for your tent and a sleeping mat along with your sleeping bag.
My daughter and I loved every minute of it!
@DomG888 · Camped on Nov 1, 2021 at Campsite #36
Clean & equipped with way more amenities than we anticipated. Trailheads are hard to find but that’s nature, I suppose. I’ll be back for sure.
@NancyJ650 · Camped on Oct 27, 2021 at Campsite #36
It is a shame that so many people reserve a campsite and fail to show up. The company reserving the spaces charge more to cancel than many seniors pay to camp, hence the camp is rarely full even though it’s fully booked.
This is a rare and beautiful place that should be appreciated fully when so many people are clamoring to camp.
Please revisit the policy.
This is a rare and beautiful place that should be appreciated fully when so many people are clamoring to camp.
Please revisit the policy.
@DinaK942 · Camped on Oct 12, 2021 at Campsite #36
The stars are magnificent at night.
@CynthiaH367 · Camped on Jun 25, 2021 at Campsite #36
Excellent camp ground. Our camp hosts, Jeff and Kim, we’re wonderful. We stayed the end of June and had lots of wind, rain and hail. But the temps were amazing for camping. Find heavy rocks to put inside the corners of your tent for the wind. It really helped. Metal, movable picnic tables were nice. Bear box and grill available. All sites seemed good. Bathrooms very nice. No shower. The available water was definitely drinkable but had a funky taste. I brought my Brita pitcher and it was perfect once filtered. Go here. You will be so happy you did.
@VirginiaS801 · Camped on Apr 27, 2021 at Campsite #36
Our stay in Chisos Basin was excellent. The park host was very accommodating and answered all our questions. The beautiful sunsets and stargazing from our site , Loop 2, site 36 was outstanding. The desert was in bloom and the Spring bird migration was spectacular. Late April is a beautiful time to visit!
@elliottb426 · Camped on Apr 4, 2021 at Campsite #36
appreciated the advance notice of road work.
@ThomasW258 · Camped on Mar 6, 2021 at Campsite #36
One of the more impressive camp locations I have been to. You wake up with the Chisos Mountains surrounding you. And then you are walking distance to several great hikes, including The Window, which was outstanding. The store a visitor's center are also a walk away.
@JaneP844 · Camped on Mar 3, 2021 at Campsite #36
Our stay at Chisos Basin was wonderful! The campground is close to trailheads, the bathrooms are clean and the campground hosts and rangers are helpful, knowledgeable, and caring. My only disappointment was that we were informed of the road construction after we were in the thick of it. We shifted schedules around to reduce the impact but an earlier alert would have been appreciated. Also we found that the description of one of our sites was quite inaccurate but with the help of one of the camp hosts, all worked out.
@PamP705 · Camped on Feb 22, 2021 at Campsite #36
Perfect location! The road closures slowed us down, but we understand that work has to be done. It was really well organized.
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