Off-road River Road, Big Bend National Park, Texas

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River Road traverses the southern portion of the park, roughly connecting the areas near Rio Grande Village and Castolon. While generally following the course of the Rio Grande, the road runs a considerable distance from the river, especially in its mid-section near Mariscal Mountain. You cannot actually see the river along the River Road unless you take a side trip to one of the primitive roadside sites located next to the river. Due to its length and usually rough road conditions, allow a full day to drive from end to end. Primitive roadside campsites (permit required) located along the road, allow for extended exploration. The following sites are from East to West: Gravel Pit 1 (GP-1) and Gravel Pit 2 (GP-2) can each accommodate 2 vehicles, 10 people, no horses. Gravel Pit 3 (GP-3) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 12 people, no horse. Gravel Pit campsites are located off of River Road East, 1.8 miles from the main paved road to Rio Grande Village. Campsite access road is 1.4 miles in length. La Clocha 1 (LC-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 10 people, 4 horses. La Clocha 2 (LC-2) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 8 people, no horses. La Clocha campsites are located off River Road East, 2.6 miles from the main paved road to Rio Grande Village. La Clocha access road is 0.7 miles in length. Solis 1 (SO-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 12 people, no horses. Solis 2 (SO-2) can accommodate 3 vehicles, 15 people, no horses. Solís campsites are located along River Road East, 13.7 miles from the main paved road to Rio Grande Village. There is a 1.7 mile long river access road. SO-1 and SO-2 are along the access road. Fresno 1 (FR-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 8 people, no horses. Fresno campsite is located along River Road, 18.6 miles from the main paved road to Rio Grande Village. Talley 1(TY-1) and Talley 2 (TY-2) can each accommodate 2 vehicles, 8 people, no horses. Talley Road is located along the River Road, 23.2 miles from the main paved road to Rio Grande Village. The TY-1 site is located at the Talley/River Road junction. TY-2 is located 5.1 miles down the Talley Road. Dominguez Trailhead 1 (DT-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 8 people, 4 horses. Dominguez Trailhead 1 (DT-1) is located along River Road, 22.7 miles from the west end near Castolon, or 31.3 miles from the east end near Rio Grande Village. Loop Camp 1 (LP-1) can accommodate 3 vehicles, 12 people, 4 horses. Loop Camp 2 (LP-2) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 8 people, 4 horses. Loop Camp campsites are located along the River Road, 23 miles from the west end near Castolon, or 31 miles from the east end near Rio Grande Village. The two campsites are located at the end of a 3.5 mile-long access road. Johnson Ranch 1 (JR-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 10 people, 4 horses. Johnson Ranch 2 (JR-2) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 8 people, 2 horses. Johnson Ranch campsites are located along the River Road, 15.6 miles from the west end near Castolon, or 38.4 miles from the east end near Rio Grande Village. There is a short 0.3 mile access road to the campsites. Nearby ruins are the remains of the Elmo Johnson Ranch. This combination trading post, cotton farm, and goat ranch was in operation until the 1940’s. During the 1930’s the U.S. Army constructed an airstrip here. Camping is prohibited near the ruins. Gauging Station (GA-1) can accommodate i vehicle, 6 people, no horses. Gauging Station (GA-1) campsite is located on River Road West, 14.2 miles from the west end near Castolon, or 39.8 miles from the east end near Rio Grande Village. There is a short 0.4 mile access road to the campsite. An IBWC river gauging station is nearby. Readings of river flow have been taken here since 1936.Service road to the nearby river gauging station is closed—official use only. Black Dike (BD-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 10 people, no horses. Black Dike campsite is located along on River Road West, 10.7 miles from the west end near Castolon, or 43.3 miles from the east end near Rio Grande Village. There is a short 0.1 mile access road to the campsite. The forces that erupted the Chisos through thousands of feet of sedimentary rock are evident at Black Dike where a finger of magma (called a dike) once intruded softer rock. That soft rock has eroded away, leaving the blackish basalt standing alone. Black Dike is named for the volcanic dike that crosses the river nearby. Buenos Aires 1 (BA-1) can accommodate 2 vehicles, 10 people, 4 horses. Buenos Aires campsite is located on River Road West, 4.4 miles from the west end near Castolon, or 49.6 miles from the east end near Rio Grande Village. There is a short 0.3 mile access road to the campsite. This is the closest River Road campsite to Castolon. The west end is lesser used, and generally in a rougher condition. Unless you have full confidence in your high-clearance vehicle, consider backtracking from the Mariscal Mine and coming out through the Glenn Spring Road. River Road crosses numerous washes, and is often impassable after rains. River Road is maintained for high clearance vehicles only. After rains, River Road and Gravel Pit Road are extremely muddy and may quickly become impassable to all vehicles. Check with a ranger for current conditions. It is illegal to cross the river and enter Mexico. Report any contacts with Mexican Nationals to rangers; do not purchase items from vendors. To minimize the possibility of theft, secure belongings when away from these campsites and while sleeping. Do not leave your property unattended for long periods of time. To minimize the possibility of theft, secure belongings when away from this site. Do not leave the site unattended for long periods of time.

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