First time to Big Bend

[thepecks]

I fust retired, finally.  My husband and I are planning our first trip to BBend (26 ft RV) in June.  Are we crazy to go in June?  We would like suggestions on campgrounds, things to do -- all of it!  I have read alot of the "chats" and done some research.  By the looks of it, we will probably make this an annual trip.  Any tips would be appreciated.  We have camped before (just not in Big Bend) and live in Dripping Spings, TX (just outside of austin).

[jeffblaylock]

With that RV, your best bet is Rio Grande Village. There are some hook-ups there, but the real reason RGV is your best bet is the difficulty in getting the RV down the road into the Basin. It's not recommended for RVs over 24 feet.

June is hot, but afternoons can bring cloud development and occasional thunderstorms, which block the sun for awhile. Try to do most of your activities in the mornings and late afternoons, while seeking shade at the campground or a couple other locations (like Dugout Wells) during the heat of the day.

As for recommendations, we need to know what your interests are, whether you have a vehicle that can go on the backcountry roads, and how many miles are you willing and able to hike?

[thepecks]

our rv is a 5th wheel, so we will have a truck to travel around.  We can do mid level hiking without any problems.  I looked at the rio grande village, but was a little concerned about the proximity to mexico (problem?).  If we stayed at the RGVillage, we could drive into the Basin for the day with just the truck

[Reece]

A 26' fifth-wheel might put you within the 24' max. trailer recommendation for the basin. I think the issue is the length of the rig you will be pulling around the sharp turns.

[jeffblaylock]

I wouldn't be worried about the proximity to Mexico, as this is an established, popular campground. The isolation of the place greatly reduces the interest in and scope of illegal activity, and the locals really don't want any problems.

[Tars Tarkas]

our rv is a 5th wheel, so we will have a truck to travel around.  We can do mid level hiking without any problems.  I looked at the rio grande village, but was a little concerned about the proximity to mexico (problem?).  If we stayed at the RGVillage, we could drive into the Basin for the day with just the truck

   This just seems strange to me.

  "Proximity to Mexico"?  How close is too close?  I mean why not go to Yellowstone NP instead if proximity to Mexico is a concern?   There isn't much you can enjoy doing at Big Bend if worrying about how close you are to Mexico will preoccupy your mind.

  Okay, assuming drug related violence is your concern, and not ethnic or racial prejudice, I know there are serious problems along the border.  If the drug lords are going to kill you at Rio Grande Village though, they'll kill you at Panther Junction too, or even Chisos Basin. 

  The proximity to Mexico is one of the attractions of Big Bend, in my opinion.  Too bad the border isn't open.  It will be next year though!

  I'm a WASP US citizen by birth who was born in Mexico, so I am biased.  Border problems aren't nonexistent in Big Bend, but by my experience and all accounts I've run across, you're more likely to be a crime victim (if that is your concern) at home than at Big Bend NP.

  There are any number of things worthy of more concern at Big Bend than the proximity to Mexico.  The heat in June just for one.  Bears, lions, rattlesnakes, heat stroke, drowning, backing into a cactus, for a few more.  I'd recommend focusing on the unrelenting natural beauty of the Bend area and the most likely friendliness of any foreign nationals you may run across there.

  TT

[Reece]

Come on Tars. The man is expressing a legitimate concern. Peck asked a question. He didn't make an accusation. Are you denying that Mexico has become a near narco state? I traveled in Mexico a good deal in my younger days - 3 month visas mostly - no stranger to danger, but I would think twice about going now. When I hike Big Bend Ranch I much prefer leaving my truck at a trail head inside the park than right off highway 170. Call me a scaredy cat if it makes you feel better. My daughter and son in law just hauled a trailer of exotic wood from southern Mexico to Texas and they were told by their Mexican partner not to travel certain roads near the border at night. "You will lose your truck and most likely your lives." If all you know is what you see on the news, you should be more than a little alarmed. Once the Pecks take their "first trip" and get a feel for the place, they will be more at ease.

[Homer67]

The rangers and Border Patrol sure are on edge in the park.  We had heard from a ranger at PJ that a Congressman was in the park on the 18th, so that may have been why.  We were stopped by law enforcement ranger Manuel Uribe supposedly for driving 52 in a 45 just west of the gas station while heading toward PJ; he checked us for warrants, checked on the status of our 2000 Tahoe, then detained us until another armed ranger arrived.  We were pulled from the car and made to wait by the side of the road while he searched our vehicle and our personal possessions, supposedly searching for 'rocks, plants or wildlife.'  He told us to stand away from the car as one "never knows what will come flying out once these doors are opened." No ticket or warning was issued for the alleged speeding violation. It is so nice to have been profiled as a drug smuggler or human trafficker...has BiBe become a police state for American Latinos?

When we were driving out of Glenn Springs road from PC4, we again encountered two rangers parked and standing at the north end of that road; these rangers were very nice and professional when they flagged us down; they were surprised that we had been stopped and searched a few days before. When I inquired what was up, the ranger said they were merely engaging in a 'proactive presence. ' I did not mind this second encounter with the rangers as they did not automatically assume a dirty, unshaven Latino who just spent several days in the desert was a criminal.   Perhaps LE ranger Manuel Uribe was just being overzealous in our previous encounter, but I do not appreciate his searching for anything he could arrest me for.

We camped down at TA3, and there was NO problem.

Given the tension in the park, I would have NO CONCERN of any sort of problems regarding the proximity to Mexico.

[Reece]

Homero, don't take it personally. Sometimes the police are acting on a tip and will stop anyone who fits the vague description. We drove from Houston to Baton Rouge last Saturday and I saw 5 or 6 cars stopped, being searched. I was once stopped on Highway 1 in California and searched. They had a tip that a white van was carrying drugs. They almost took me to jail. I was shaken down in Puerto Vallarta once too. The Federales found some green dust in my van and almost took me in...Whew! It's no shame to be searched. It's a hassle, of course but so long as you stay clean, you have a lot less to fear.

[Undertaker]

We were checked on recent trip in-bound and out-bound, black F350 with tinted windows may have been reason, truck searched, think drug dog hit on stinking dirty clothing. Ended up with have a safe trip.

[Tars Tarkas]

Come on Tars. The man is expressing a legitimate concern. Peck asked a question. He didn't make an accusation. Are you denying that Mexico has become a near narco state? I traveled in Mexico a good deal in my younger days - 3 month visas mostly - no stranger to danger, but I would think twice about going now. When I hike Big Bend Ranch I much prefer leaving my truck at a trail head inside the park than right off highway 170. Call me a scaredy cat if it makes you feel better. My daughter and son in law just hauled a trailer of exotic wood from southern Mexico to Texas and they were told by their Mexican partner not to travel certain roads near the border at night. "You will lose your truck and most likely your lives." If all you know is what you see on the news, you should be more than a little alarmed. Once the Pecks take their "first trip" and get a feel for the place, they will be more at ease.

  Nothing much new to say.  Mrs. Peck worried about Rio Grande Village being too close to Mexico, not about driving a thousand miles across Mexico, the back roads of Sonora, or partying in Nogales or Neuvo Laredo.

  My point was that, despite its proximity to Mexico, BB is about as safe as anywhere, and that if one is afraid of Mexico, for almost whatever reason (we don't know that it's drug-related violence that worries Mrs. Peck), then there is probably almost no part of the park she would be comfortable in.  And what if she has a flat or other breakdown coming in on 385?

  If you're afraid of Mexico or Mexicans, you aren't going to be comfortable on Old Ore Road, River Road, Glen Spring Road, Old Maverick Road, or anywhere else you and one other vehicle might be the only ones around, which is, of course, anywhere in the Park.  And that's when you have the armor of your vehicle around you.  If you're afraid of drug traffickers or coyotes, you sure don't want to be on any of the trails.  You might feel safe at PJ or at the Chisos lodge, maybe.

  This kind of fear is not totally unfounded, no.  But Austin, New York, Nashville, Chicago and a most other US cities can well support the same fears, and not just about Mexicans by a long shot.

  I mean no offense, but really, if you're afraid of being near Mexico, Big Bend ain't the most rational place to go.  On the other, more realistic hand (in my opinion), don't worry, enjoy the Park!

  TT

[Tars Tarkas]

  My point was that, despite its proximity to Mexico, BB is about as safe as anywhere...

  One more thing I was thinking but should express, because this is what really drives my passion about the issue.

  I don't know exactly what the math is, but there are probably a million good people in Mexico for every one of the scumbags in the drug trade that drag down the country's good name.  Those decent people, including most of the people in San Vincente and Boquillas (just over the river from Rio Grande Village) should not be cast in the same light as the drug cartels simply because they live in Mexico.

  TT

[dkerr24]

Of course, this is just my opinion, but I would probably not consider a trip to BIBE in June.  The high temps would limit my outside activities too much.  My idea of a vacation might be radically different from yours, however.

I'd be headed to the mountains of NM or CO in June, not a 100F + oven.

BIBE is a great place to visit from Oct-Mar, but May/June are typically the hottest months in that area.

Darin

[Reece]

Not much new to say, eh? Dude, you're beating a dead horse.
Do you know where Dripping Springs is? We're not talking snow birds here. I would imagine the Pecks are well acquainted with the multicultural nature of our great state - that's one of the things that makes it great. I'd rather they were more cautious than careless. Anyone who reads that as prejudice is looking to be offended.

With a nice trailer and hookups, they could spend the heat of the day indoors, if they don't mind being cooped up, and explore in the cooler mornings and evenings, if they can make it into the basin, otherwise I'd wait for cooler times too.

I trailered at RGV years ago but it was in the winter.

[OldJeepr]

Our first trip to BBNP was in mid July 1962 - no a/c in the car, none in the cabins, and we loved it.  How better to truly appreciate the desert and the harshness of that environment than to be there at its peak?
Course, we were young, accustomed to the heat, and lucky.  It can be great, but be prepared.