Chisos Basin Campground — Attraction in Manuel Benavides

There are three campgrounds in the park, this is by far the best. You are camped in a basin surrounded by red rock cliffs. The views are spectacular! We were in a 20 foot E-Pro trailer. There are lots of warnings that a 20' trailer or a 24' motor home are the maximum length that can make the road into the campground and they mean it! The road in is very sketchy. lots of switch backs and very steep. We went with my daughter, her boyfriend and another friend and had 2 campsites, They had a tent. All of the campsites are good for tents, only a few were good for a trailer. We had site 25 and it was great for a trailer, most of the sites are steep and would be difficult to level a trailer. Some of the sites had covers over the picnic tables for shade, ours did. Even in late September, it was hot, upper 90's, but cool and comfortable for sleeping. There is a dump station with water and several spigits in the campground. There are large bear boxes at every site. The campground was closed for bear activity just before we got there. My daughter originally had site 30, but it was still closed for bear activity. 30 is a beautiful, shady tent site. The camp host were great, you have to get the bear and rattle snake lecture when you get there. The bears are Mexican black bears and small. The bears we saw were less than 100 lbs.| We did some beautiful hikes. I highly recommend the Lost Mine Trail, spectacular views, go early for hikes and bring lost of water, it gets too hot in the afternoon. You have to hike carefully and look for rattlesnakes. We did not see any at this park. We also hiked The View and the Window View trails, both were beautiful. We went after record rains and saw lots of wildflowers and things were pretty green for the high desert. The hot springs and Santa Elena canyon were closed due to flooding, so we couldn't go see them.| We went to Boquillas Mexico for the day. It was fun. We did have to walk through mud to get to the river due to the flooding. A row boat takes you across the Rio Grand River for $5 a person and we rented donkeys to take us into town. It is a typical small Mexican town that depends on tourism. We had a nice lunch and a beer at Jose Falgon. We also bought some souvenirs to support the economy.| I also recommend going to the dinosaur exhibit, very interesting. We also did a scenic drive. This is a very diverse and very large park. There is desert, mountains and meadows. We had a wonderful time, I would highly recommend...

There are three campgrounds in the park, this is by far the best. You are camped in a basin surrounded by red rock cliffs. The views are spectacular! We were in a 20 foot E-Pro trailer. There are lots of warnings that a 20' trailer or a 24' motor home are the maximum length that can make the road into the campground and they mean it! The road in is very sketchy. lots of switch backs and very steep. We went with my daughter, her boyfriend and another friend and had 2 campsites, They had a tent. All of the campsites are good for tents, only a few were good for a trailer. We had site 25 and it was great for a trailer, most of the sites are steep and would be difficult to level a trailer. Some of the sites had covers over the picnic tables for shade, ours did. Even in late September, it was hot, upper 90's, but cool and comfortable for sleeping. There is a dump station with water and several spigits in the campground. There are large bear boxes at every site. The campground was closed for bear activity just before we got there. My daughter originally had site 30, but it was still closed for bear activity. 30 is a beautiful, shady tent site. The camp host were great, you have to get the bear and rattle snake lecture when you get there. The bears are Mexican black bears and small. The bears we saw were less than 100 lbs.| We did some beautiful hikes. I highly recommend the Lost Mine Trail, spectacular views, go early for hikes and bring lost of water, it gets too hot in the afternoon. You have to hike carefully and look for rattlesnakes. We did not see any at this park. We also hiked The View and the Window View trails, both were beautiful. We went after record rains and saw lots of wildflowers and things were pretty green for the high desert. The hot springs and Santa Elena canyon were closed due to flooding, so we couldn't go see them.| We went to Boquillas Mexico for the day. It was fun. We did have to walk through mud to get to the river due to the flooding. A row boat takes you across the Rio Grand River for $5 a person and we rented donkeys to take us into town. It is a typical small Mexican town that depends on tourism. We had a nice lunch and a beer at Jose Falgon. We also bought some souvenirs to support the economy.| I also recommend going to the dinosaur exhibit, very interesting. We also did a scenic drive. This is a very diverse and very large park. There is desert, mountains and meadows. We had a wonderful time, I would highly recommend...

Big Bend just keeps getting better every summer I come out here and I don't ever want to stay anywhere else other than Chisos Basin. Its beauty is unmatched, day and NIGHT! The stars and view of the Milky Way is like magic. Being surrounded by the Chisos Mountains feels like home. I've been coming out here for some solo camping for the last 3 years and I've been adding new adventures each time- There is so much to see and do in Big Bend! My primary tip for visiting during the summer can almost go without saying- HYDRATE! Have more water on hand than you'll ever expect to use because its 'better to be safe than sorry'. I bring about 9 gallons of water just for myself for 3 days and drink almost all of it. ||I stayed at campsite #54 this year. Lots of privacy, open view to the mountains and night sky, and shade covering the picnic table. I planned my visit around the moon cycle to be here during a "new moon" so that I would have full view of all the stars without moonlight hindering the starlight access. And man, the stars came out! ||The new things I did this trip: hiked in the desert to the Lower Burro Mesa Pourout, took in the view at Sotol Vista Overlook where you can see Santa Elena Canyon in the distance and drove out the Rio Grande River Boquillas Overlook.|And of course, one of the things I HAD to do again (hiked it last year too) is go up Lost Mine Trail. The peak is breathtaking. Since a lot of visitor hike this trail early in the day, I like to go just before sunset and pretty much have the whole trail to myself. Its BEAUTIFUL!! And this year I was able to meet 'bambi' on...