We drove out to Big Bend National Park for the day while we were camped at Fort Davis State Park. You may ask what you can do in Big Bend National Park if you are only going to be there for the day and the drive to get there is 150 miles each way. The answer is not a whole lot however we did have a purpose for the side trip. We have signed up to volunteer at Chisos Basin Visitor Center for three months in the summer of 2009 so we wanted to check out where we would be working and living. We drove from Fort Davis on Hwy 118, through Alpine and on to Terlingua and Study Butte to the entrance on the west side of Big Bend National Park. We stopped in at the Panther Junction Visitor Center first then headed up the 6 mile narrow windy road to Chisos Basin with it’s sharp curves and steep grades. The visitor center is small but interesting with exhibits and items for sale. The campground is nothing more than a rocky outcrop. At 5,400 ft above sea level the summer weather is pleasant and it is of course surrounded by the magnificent Chisos Mountains however the camping spaces are small, not level and have no amenities. (By this I mean water and or electricity.) There is a comfort station with flush toilets but no showers. There is a sink for dishwashing only. Trailers up to 20 ft are allowed however this campground is really best suited for the tent camper. There is a campground host site with full hook ups (they frequently have openings for campground hosts) however this site was also rocky, not level and no shade.
