Grassy Banks Campground — Hotel in Manuel Benavides

Gorgeous space to camp. (Especially at night, with the stars!) This site doesn't appear to fill up, so long as you're tent camping. Camping in a compact car? This is your spot.

We snagged a campsite with a shelter, lantern hook, picnic table, and a GREAT view of the mountains across the river in Mexico. (I think it was site 9?) The sandy ground was surprisingly comfortable to sleep on, which was great because our air mattress could not withstand 30-degree temps. As a forever city dwellers, we could definitely feel the peace and solitude of this campsite. We only had one neighbor--for one night--in the three days we camped here.

You can hear traffic from 170, but it's intermittent and not disruptive. Watch out for rock falls on 170 at night. West Contrabando Trailhead is a quick drive away if you want to get out into nature. I wish we had mountain bikes...I would have loved to bike along the trail!

Signage to the campsite could be better--we missed the turnoff one night, because the only sign pointing toward the campground is located in a dip in the road. Toilet paper in the vault toilet seems to only be restocked when campers alert park staff about the lack of it. At least a previous camper left...

Great campground on Hwy 170 with direct access to the Rio Grande via a dirt boat ramp. Bathrooms on site are clean and well stocked. There is no water or electricity on site so you must bring everything you need with you. The town of Lajitas is a 10 mile drive which has gas and a small country store. I highly recommend campsite 15 as its pretty private, has room for a large 10 person tent, a shaded picnic table, and is very close to the river and bathrooms, and I proposed to my now fiance there! Lower Madera and Arenosa campgrounds are also a great choice. These are first come first serve sites so make sure you get there early if you want to guarantee a specific site, they'll let you check in before the 2pm posted check in time. If you're looking to book a last minute site in the busy season at Big Bend then I highly recommend looking at Big Bend...

Stunning!

One of the best campsites I’ve ever stayed at, and we picked it at random off a map. Beginners luck!

Its proximity to terlingua ghost town and lajitas was awesome. We enjoyed dining out and going to grab coffee in the morning.

We were kayaking the Colorado Canyon, that being the case, the location of grassy banks was perfect for being near our put in/take out.

The drive to grassy banks is gorgeous, 170 river road is one of the most impressive drives you’ll do in the US.

The campsite is clearly marked from the main road, and the campsite ground features nice restrooms, trash facilities, and well kept, covered, camp grounds.

Will...