CHISOS BASIN CAMPGROUND Site Exploration & Review | BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK | Texas

Campground reviews are back, baby! We return by checking out Chisos Basin Campground at Big Bend National Park in West Texas. Few campgrounds are as surrounded by such natural beauty as this campground - perfect for tent campers!
Chisos Basin Campground provides visitors of Big Bend National Park a place to place to call home in the great outdoors. Nestled by the Chisos Mountains with views of Casa Grande and Emory Peak are 60 campsites offering different setups primarily for tent campers and those with short RVs.
Sites 1-18 are the only ones that allow generators and feature lovely stone pavilions with a covered concrete picnic table and grill.
Sites 19-60 do not allow generators. Some sites feature metal pavillions over picnic tables and some do not. Stand-up grills and fire rings also vary.
There is one ADA campsite - Site 37 - that has an accessible grill and picnic table, as well as paved access to the restroom facility (also ADA compliant), and a water spigot.
Reservations are required to camp.
Trailers longer than 20 feet and RVs longer than 24 feet are not allowed as the roads within the campground are narrow with no sizeable driveways for recreational vehicles.
There is a dump station. Restrooms do not have showers.
Wood and ground fires are not allowed. Above ground charcoal fires and liquid-fuel stoves are allowed.
VIDEO FILMED: 05/19/2022
▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ Chisos Basin Campground - www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisi...
⚪ Directions to Chisos Basin Campground - goo.gl/maps/HZqzkNbaivopnrq58
▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Intro
00:51 Our Campsite - Site 38
03:14 Amenities and Facilities
07:55 Campsites 21-60
15:49 Campsites 1-20
19:04 Campground Store and Visitor Center
▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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⚪ See where we've been - www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mi...
⚪ Music from Epidemic Sound - www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!

[@waldo9462]

Excellent review!! Please share more videos 🤙🏽

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! We definitely intend to try and do just that! 😄

[@immeans1567]

Thank you for this video, it’s so helpful! We just booked site 51!!!

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! Glad it was helpful! Hope you have a fun time. 😄

[@TheBeardofReason]

Great Video! #51 is a good one! Would like to add some info on your site tour. We ALWAYS get site 13, 14, or 15. They all have the newer shelters and grills, and are quite large compared to others in the campground. All three are close to the restroom, but far enough away not to hear doors slam. All three offer "decent" privacy. #13 is just to the left of the trail you showed going up to the store. #14 has a great tree to put you tent under. Our favorite. The trail to the bathroom is very nearby. #15 is great but has a water spigot right next to the driveway. That is a plus when it's time to get water, but a minus when people are walking up to fill their hydration packs. In all honesty, most people use the spigot by the restroom anyway. #18 is at the corner of the exit near the dumpsters. It is very large and flat though, offering space for several tents. It also has a shelter. Tip to getting 13, 14, or 15. They are two-week in advance only sites. You cannot book these 6 months out like the rest of the campground. We always book one of the other sites (like 51) six months in advance to ensure we have a site, and then change our reservation two weeks out. We always get one of these sites, but you need to do it at the earliest possible moment when they become available. August is a great time to camp at Chisos Basin if you are going to do your hiking up in the mountains. High temps are 20 degrees cooler than at the river and typically are in the mid 80s for the high (in August!). Lows in the 60s (usually). If you are wanting to hike lower elevation trails, then visit Big Bend from November through March and camp at Rio Grande Village. The Chisos Mountains Lodge - If you want to stay here you better do it quick. They are tearing it all down in 2024 to make way for a state of the art "green" facility. The current lodge was built in 1964 on a poor foundation (they didn't prepare the clay soil properly) and it no longer makes sense to try to keep fixing it.

[@CactusAtlas]

All very useful and helpful advice! Not sure if or when we'll be able to return to Big Bend as it's rather far from us, but hopefully, others will find this useful as well. Thank you! 😄

[@georgederocher8202]

Only the restaurant building is being replaced . The “rooms “ are remaining . They may be closed during construction, not sure

[@BrentDnD]

Fun fact, at 16:00 when you said those were the "newer" style pavilions, those are actually the older ones. We used to come to Big Bend a couple of times a year when I was growing up in the 1970s and 80s. We would bring our pop-up camper and stay a week or two and stay in the Basin campground. The bathrooms are much improved since then, and we didn't have those bear/mountain lion boxes to put our food into. But as far as the stonework pavilions on those campsites, those go back to at least the 70s/80s. We used to stay in that first loop, usually anywhere from sites 4 through 15, but almost always at site 7 if it was available. Watching this video brought back so many wonderful childhood memories running wild with my sister and our friends, climbing on rocks all over the campground, and just generally having tons of fun.

[@CactusAtlas]

Funny that we thought they were newer. 😅 Glad we could bring back some good memories! 😊

[@JLS_2023]

We booked site 51 because of this video and man… it was awesome! Thanks for the advice.

[@CactusAtlas]

So happy to hear! Hope it was a great time there. Those views are great, right? Thanks for letting us know! 😄

[@TheCameronsnell]

Love the video... is there room for a honda civic @51? I just got a tent ⛺️ and ready for the new life of tent camping before I was a overlander.

[@georgederocher8202]

responding to @TheCameronsnell. We were able to fit our Ram 2500 and 17’ Casita trailer in the parking spot for 51. It’s a mini loop with 52

[@Nathan-wn5mc]

This was perfect! I booked campsite 7 for me and my family. You showed everything I wanted to see about the site. Thank you.

[@CactusAtlas]

Heck yeah! Love to hear it! Hope you have a great time there during your visit! 👍

[@shaggyterrell8460]

I solo camped at site 49 last year, it was a bit sloped but a wonderful spot close enough to the bathrooms and not too close to other camp spots. Real close to the window trail too. The stars are amazing at night which was one of the main reasons I went last time. Got another trip booked there next week, can’t wait! Wish I would have seen this video earlier so I could have snagged that 51 spot but my old spot again will do!

[@CactusAtlas]

Nice! Probably feels a bit comforting to come back to a familiar site I bet. Enjoy your trip! 😄

[@keith9875]

As usual, another informative and entertaining video. You do a great job making and editing your travel adventures. Thanks,

[@CactusAtlas]

Glad you like them! Thank you! 😄

[@mozberg2191]

Awesome!!! Been looking forward to the campground style videos of the early days , those are the ones I really enjoy! The Zion, and grand canyon ones were great, half campground review and half trails and activities near the campgrounds.

[@CactusAtlas]

Glad you like them! We aim to have more to come! 😄

[@SidetrackAdventures]

We haven't been to Big Bend but right away I noticed the bear lockers in the background and was wondering what those were for because I had no idea there are bears there. The scenery at the campground is amazing.

[@CactusAtlas]

Yeah, the campground is noteworthy for sure. Can’t wait to get back out there sometime!

[@DovieRuthAuthor]

What a beautiful place! I would definitely opt for a space with shade. I imagine it can get really hot out there. Thanks for taking us along!

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh it gets hot out there, alright. The slower season is pretty much around the corner. Wouldn't catch us camping out there in summer that is for sure! 😅 Thanks for watching!

[@Dudskie30]

Thank you for this! What an intensive review, i get to know what to expect as i might go camping with my children.. I’m kind of skeptical with the bears around but i really want to try! Thank you! More camping reviews from you! You’re the best!

[@CactusAtlas]

We're aiming to have campground episodes once a month (usually at the end of the month). Had to take a long break since our last one before Chisos Basin but I think we're back on track! Glad we could help and don't be worried about bears. A number of campgrounds we've stayed at have bear lockers but they're not a super common thing. 😊

[@hikingwithjackieboy]

Thank you for the tour

[@CactusAtlas]

Happy to share. 😊

[@paultexasusa1366]

Awesome, Thank You

[@CactusAtlas]

You're welcome! 😄

[@fluffyotter1601]

I’d be traveling with my sun shower and a tarp…..lol! Beautiful area:)

[@CactusAtlas]

Wipes work in a pinch but yeah, a shower would come in handy especially in warmer weather. 😄

[@SoonerGirltravels]

Beautiful campground.

[@CactusAtlas]

Yes it sure is!

[@SomeplaceOrAnother]

Looks like a great 👍 campground ⛺️ with amazing 🤩 views 😎

[@CactusAtlas]

It really is!

[@gmo1986]

Amazing video🎉❤

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you 🤗

[@garyb4929]

Enjoyed, thank you. I use a truck tent, so not sure those were best suited, but liked area.

[@1a1u0g9t4s2u]

Like this style of video. Big Bend NP is on my list for later this fall after the heat season. Hope this site has dark skies for star gazing. Nice post, would like more like this.

[@CactusAtlas]

Wise idea waiting for things to cool down. Thank you though! We're aiming to do more videos like this again soon. 😄

[@georgederocher8202]

Big Bend is an International Dark Sky Park Darkest skies in the lower 48.,The NPS has done a great job of replacing all the fixtures . You WILL see stars !

[@michaelzet3704]

missing site 57 ... but i will see it sooon :)

[@CactusAtlas]

Oooh! Nice! Congrats and have a great time! 😄

[@Hiker97]

Thanks. I hope to get a reservation in a couple weeks and spotted a site that may work for me.

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! Best of luck and wishes for an enjoyable trip for you at Chisos Basin Campground! 😄

[@Hiker97]

@@CactusAtlas I ended up with 5 cacti site, #51

[@luisreviews6412]

This video is gold! Just the type of information I needed! Subscride button pressed 👍

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome, thank you! Happy we could help and welcome aboard! 😄

[@gstiles7]

really cool place! Next time head back and let's go up in the Chisos! Or is that next week....

[@CactusAtlas]

Didn’t make it up into the mountains this time (although it was part of the original plan). Had a really hard time putting a new grill I bought together the first night and ate up way too much time. But I did visit other really cool spots which will be revealed in the weeks to come. But, I always like to leave excuses to go back!

[@timcooper4699]

Thanks!

[@CactusAtlas]

No problem! Hope we've been helpful, and if you visit Big Bend, have an amazing time! Thank YOU so very much! We are so appreciative. 😊

[@timcooper4699]

@@CactusAtlas We’re camping 4 nights at the wide open space next to you, #35. it’s been years since I’ve camped in the Basin, and the facilities look the same. I think the “newest” looking sites may be the oldest. Part of the Mission 66 expansion…that also included finding the Ross Maxwell road to Castellón. A great resource!

[@percythepig7774]

I just happened to camp here at campsite 12! on Thursday May 5th. The mountains were beautiful, and we hiked Emory Peak! We walked up on a bear on the trail and saw javelinas on the way to the park.

[@CactusAtlas]

!!! I don't know whether to say you're lucky or not seeing both javelinas AND a bear. 😂 A bear is one thing we have yet to see in the wild. Not sure what we'd think. Hahah!

[@danielpadilla2743]

Is it hard to get from this campsite to the Emory peak trail???

[@cadensanborn4919]

Very nice post catlas actus

[@VlogGoals]

Hello! Amazing video, stay connected! 😊👌

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you.

[@SwiftyTravels]

What a beautiful campground! The views are awesome! I love campground reviews! You never really know what you are going to find when you arrive and the days are long gone where you can just show up and grab a site. How far in advance did you reserve your site?

[@CactusAtlas]

I reserved it a few days in advance. I noticed some sites opened up last minute and grabbed one. I like to fly by the seat of my pants!

[@SwiftyTravels]

@@CactusAtlas that’s incredible!! Campsites seem to fill up so far in advance, of course with kids in school I’m usually stuck going during high season😳😂😂

[@percythepig7774]

And I also camped at site 37!!! The night before, we had to change sites! So weird to see my campsite on the video...

[@CactusAtlas]

Haha! Oh, man! Small world! 😅

[@percythepig7774]

@@CactusAtlas I made a rock stack towards the back of site 37, I'm wondering if it's still there.

[@CAPHOTO1961]

Great video. I see you were there in May, what were the temperatures like? Seems high season ends in April according to the park website. Are dogs allowed in that campground? Thanks mate, and happy new years.

[@CactusAtlas]

Pets are allowed, but I might be careful there as it's not uncommon for the campground to close due to bears in the area, and I don't think they're allowed on trails in the park.

[@fishtuationaqua]

Awesome review! This is the best one. We are planning to have a tent camp on the last week of June. I was wondering the heat. I booked the #039 which is next to your camp site. Is that place shaded? Is there any cellphone coverage?

[@CactusAtlas]

Cell phone coverage was decent with Verizon in the campground vicinity. As for shade, the site Glenn stayed in was really the one with the best shade. Can't really remember the degree of the other sites now.

[@vidhivankani7970]

Very informative! What time of the year did you visit? Does anyone know what Chisos basin in like temprature wise July week1?

[@CactusAtlas]

Glenn camped there in May of 2022. Not sure about temperatures but I would imagine it would be fairly hot in July and not much fun.

[@steven9163]

There is a small gas station nearby.

[@mrjwj2]

Great video! We just booked site 21 based on your recommendation. Do you have any tips on where we could rent equipment from? Might be a good video idea for you 🤔

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! Unfortunately we can't make any recommendations on equipment rental as it isn't something we have experience with. Appreciate the video suggestion though! 😄👍

[@AustinSamuelF]

I'm not sure when you were actually at Big Bend but do you know if there is enough water on the river to do canoeing currently?

[@CactusAtlas]

This was filmed a couple weeks ago. We are releasing a video tomorrow about Santa Elena canyon which was for the most part devoid of water and will give you a good idea. I saw water in Boquillas canyon and Boquillas hot springs, but was running shallow. I also drove north through big bend ranch state park and the river was dried up for the most part.

[@AustinSamuelF]

@@CactusAtlas Thank you so much for the reply, looking forward to the video tomorrow! I have a trip planned soon for Big Bend and was really hoping to do some canoeing somewhere in the area but sounds like that's a no-go sadly.

[@patriciashirley7095]

Hi friend

[@danielpadilla2743]

How is the cell service out there?? I just booked the same smot you are staying in. Also im trying to go to emory peak how far is it????

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! You're sure to have a great time there. As far as Emory Peak, we're not entirely sure as we didn't get an opportunity to explore the park much. From what I remember of Glenn's trip, cell service wasn't terrific at the campground.

[@OscarPerez-uu5tr]

Do any of the sites have power?

[@CactusAtlas]

Not according to their site. www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/basin_campground.htm

[@tpseeker3367]

Gotta say this is the Strangest campground layout yet. Great scenery just odd parking accessibility. Place has lodges yet NO Showers???

[@CactusAtlas]

It is a little different and unique. Shortly after this was filmed it was also closed for a period of time due to wandering black bears. So clearly still a popular campground even for wildlife. 😂

[@box4859]

You didn't do the first loop and I didn't see the site I reserved. 🤬

[@CactusAtlas]

More than likely, if sites or sections aren't shown, there are people there. We don't aim to invade people's space.