Upper Madera Canyon Campground

"I think the state park is even better than the national," became a bit of my mantra as we've been touring around Big Bend for a few months.

We've spent a ton of time in this area, every small town, every hidden swimming hole, every dive bar and mountain peak, and I'm going to stand by this. The River Road winding along the Rio Grande, the "more stuffed with good stuff" atmosphere, the coloration, the plants, the trails...it's not that the National Park is in anyway lacking, there is just so much beauty and it's all so close together here in the State Park.

Upper Madera is one of two campgrounds right next to one another, but Upper Madera is up a couple of hundred feet so the views are that much better. Lower Madera has more sites, which are significantly shorter. Spot #1 in Upper Madera is large enough for any length rig because the road splits into three separate ones, and you can just take one of them up.

However, you're a drive away from the primitive toilet and there are no hookups anywhere in the park, so you'll need to be completely self-contained. Oh and there is no AT&T or Verizon service out here at all.

Sunsets, hovering vultures, and with a good strong toss you could pitch a rock to Mexico.

I'd much prefer staying here to Rio Grande Village in the national park, too. Give it a look, and check out Closed Canyon if you want a truly gorgeous hike.

We extended our stay twice and ended up in Site #1 in Upper Madera Canyon for 13 nights. I cannot begin to describe the amazing views, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, incredible starry skies, how wonderfully quiet and peaceful it was.

Upper Madera has only 4 sites - #1 is a pull-through fairly close to the entrance. It is large, level and could accommodate any size rig. There is a covered picnic table and firepit. Site #2 was small and hadn’t even been graded – didn’t seem usable at all. Sites #3 and #4 were down a hill and at the end of the road. The gravel road was doable, but neither site would be ideal for a large rig (over 30 ft). Each site has a covered picnic table and firepit. No campsites in the state park have hookups.

Upper Madera sites are along the top of a bluff, but the price for those fantastic unobstructed views is no protection from the winds. A couple of times we pulled in the slides when things got to rockin’. So add a few extra rocks to the patio mat.
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The easy access to Site #1 means you are fairly close to the road, although FM170 is not heavily trafficked, you do get some road noise and people driving into the camping area several times a day to check out the view. Lower Madera camping area and river access has a separate entrance, although folks were frequently confused and pulled into Upper Madera by mistake. Lower Madera has about 17 sites of various sizes.

There is so much to see and do at Big Bend Ranch State Park! We did several hikes (Closed Canyon and Fresno Canyon Overlook were favorites), visited both the Warnock and the Sauceda Ranch Visitor Centers, floated 9 miles of the Rio Grande, and checked out Presidio and Terlingua. One of the International Mountain Bike Association’s “Epic” rides is within the park and Rog rode several sections of the 60-mile Epic route. (You can check out our blog - several posts have more description and pictures from Big Bend Ranch State Park.)

The reservation system at Big Bend Ranch State Park is somewhat tricky to navigate. The visitor center can only do same day reservations, everything else goes through a central reservation call center. The information from the call center is not always accurate, especially regarding which areas have sites that can accommodate larger rigs. To complicate matters no reservation (advance or same day) is for a specific site – only the area. So if you want site #1 in Upper Madera and there is someone camped in Upper Madera they cannot tell you if #1 is open or occupied. A bit challenging when you may not fit elsewhere and since the campsites may be 20 miles or more from the visitors center you can put in some miles getting it figured out.

Note: the $8 is the camping fee. Big Bend Ranch State park also charges a daily entrance fee of $5 per person which is waived if you purchase the $70 annual pass.

We were in a virtual dead zone – no Verizon cell service at all. There is some wifi at the visitor’s center, but it was marginal at best.

We stayed at the Upper Madera Canyon Camp Site, selecting site #4. The views were fantastic, and while the wind can pick up, we loved the privacy. Site #3 and #4 are farther away from the road. Sites in the Lower Madera Canyon are closer to the River, and close to a hut bathroom, but don't have the views.

The location is perfect to access the West Contrabando Trail that leads to quite a bit of options for hiking and mountain biking. Additionally, this campsite is close enough to a general store in case you need supplies (about a 15 min drive).

We originally booked the RV sites at La Cuesta, but found that it was really just a pull off along side the road - no picnic table or fire ring.

Forget the busy and crowded national park! Upper Madera campground was the most amazing surprise! If you are staying in the park- this site is a must! The sweeping mountain views of Texas and Mexico are breathtaking! As a female traveler I felt totally safe and sound camping out here with very limited people around! The sunsets and stargazing are to die for! Would recommend this site to anyone interested in primitive camping and incredible views!

We stayed at the Upper Madera Campground. It is high on a bluff that overlooks the river and Lower Madera Campground. The first week we were boondocking entirely on our own tanks. The second week was Spring Vacation for the local schools, so they brought in chem-tiolets. That saved us from having to go to the Visitors Center to dump until we left. We actually started on site 4, but moved to site 3 after a front came in and rocked the trailer all night. A second front came in a few days later and since we were facing into the wind, it wasn't as scary. We were there just after the artic freeze, so the temperatures were below the 80ies, and we got to see everything go from winter brown to spring green even though normally it would have been passed that. It was really great for we who had never been to desert TX.

Its November now and Madera canyon is gorgeous but it, like almost all of Big Bend Ranch, is dusty.
The vegetation away from the river is largely brush/small trees with little shade. And dust....camping away from the ocean, in the dry sand dunes would be a good example of camping here. There are a lot of boondocking sites but you will be tested here, especially in the hot months...usually May through September. The road is rough so be aware of that. Big RVs and trailers will find hard going. That said, the park has gorgeous view after gorgeous view. A photo awaiting hanging around every corner. The hiking is varied and great tho only three trails allow dogs. The Contrabando trail is actually a system of trails, many miles long. Not for the novice due to heat, no water, terrain and presence of rattle snakes, bears and mountain lions. No AT&T and probably no any other service. Nearest medical help appears to be in Terlingua. An option for non boon dockers is a very nice commercial RV park in Lajitas. Lajitas is a very good base as to positioning. There is one grocery but it is amazingly overpriced. Example: Oreos, over $8. There is gas in Lajitas but I'm not sure if propane is available. Terlingua...just a beautiful 20 minutes away from Lajitas, has reasonable groceries and a few cafes. In this area everything is a long way from everything else so watch you gas. You should know. Every trail requires a permit. $20 at the Park headquarters (Barton Warnock), about 2 miles outside Lajitas. You can get permit envelopes there and drop them and money in slots at most trailheads. According to the web, the fine for no permit seems to be, well, a LOT. Lajitas is usually pronounced LAH he tass.

We were the only folks in the upper Madura and we had our pick of sites. We got the spot at the end of the road, down a little hill from sites 1 and 2. There is a new outhouse here and it was the nicest we found in the park.

The wind here can be brutal and, like another reviewer said, the dust can be bad. Definitely tie off a few more guylines for the tents and you'll be fine.

The site has a few spots cleared off for setting up a tent and we ended up with several ground tents and a rooftop tent.

We appreciated the heavy metal trashcan at the site, as well as the canopy and picnic table. The views are amazing.

The Madera Camping Area at Big Bend Ranch State Park is composed of an upper and lower section. In this video, i give you a walking tour of the Madera Camping Area within Big Bend Ranch State Park in TX. There is no cellular connectivity at this location.