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Stacy
Trip Date 09/20/2017 Posted On 10/11/2018 17:38:57 |
Camping | Texas | Terlingua | Hiking | Review of Terlingua Ranch Lodge for RV Camping | RV Sites near Big Bend National Park | Big Bend National Park | Big Bend State Park
The primary destination for our 12 day RV road trip was Big Bend Country on the Texas-Mexico border in west Texas. It was a return trip for me (albeit almost 40 years after my original visit) and a first for Scott.
If you are planning a trip to either Big Bend National Park or Big Bend State Park and are in need of a place to stay, take a look at this post. You'll find an overview of what amenities you can expect should you choose to stay at any of the available accommodations at Terlingua Ranch Lodge.
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Campground Amenities at Terlingua Ranch Lodge
With 32 guest room cabins, 8 pull-through and 12 back-in RV sites, 7 individual tent campsites, 2 open campgrounds (with shared water spigots) and even a horse camp, Terlingua Ranch Lodge is more than just a campground or RV park. This well-kept and clean "resort" was quite different from the few other places that we've camped in our RV up to this point. Access to the Terlingua Ranch Lodge amenities is included for all guests - from tent campers to RV campers as well as those staying in the comfort of one of the cabins.
Although we did attempt to walk through the entire area to see all that is available for guests, we unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to take advantage of most amenities. Our walking tour began with a downhill trek from our assigned campsite toward the ranch office and gift shop where we checked in.
Before we got there, we came upon a small herd of javelinas - curious looking animals with their pig like snout and mohawk style hair on their backs.
We continued our walk past the horse corral and barn - both empty during our visit.
After checking out the back-in RV sites, we walked through the swimming pool area. The pool was the main reason why we chose this resort for our stay. It was the one amenity which we hoped to use - that was until we checked-in and received the disappointing news that the pool was closed for the season. In addition to a bathhouse, a large partially covered cabana home to one lonely picnic table and a large BBQ pit both sit next to the pool.
Before returning to "RV There Yet?", we reversed direction in search of the advertised Terlingua Ranch Airport which we finally determined was a landing strip in the grass that couldn't be seen very well from the road. We wrapped up our tour of the ranch by passing the Bad Rabbit Cafe, laundrymat ($2.00 per washload; $0.25 increments for dryers), cold storage lockers ($25.00 per animal for storage) and guest cabins. While the cafe was open during our visit, we missed out on the music offered on each weekend evening year round.
As we spent the majority of our time in one of the two nearby parks, we did not take the time to hike the uphill trail between the Whitehouse and Ball Mountains which reportedly offers a fantastic view.
Subject to availability, reservations can be requested by phone (432-371-3146) and require a one-night deposit and credit card guarantee. The total cost for our 6 night stay was $168.00 ($28.00 nightly) for a pull-through site with 50-amp power, water and on-site sewer. To avoid any disappointment, when you call to make a reservation, be sure to ask which of your preferred amenities will be available during the dates of your stay.
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Campsite Amenities at Terlingua Ranch Lodge
Although reservations can be made in advance via telephone, sites are not assigned until arrival. The flat back-in RV sites ($24.00 nightly) have 50-, 30-, 20- and 15-amp electric and water with a dump station located nearby. Only 25 foot or shorter RVs are allowed in the back-in spaces, however Scott felt certain that he would have been able to back-in and park "RV There Yet?" into a space without interfering with any other RVs. Except for the fact that there were only two RVs in the entire ranch (ours in a pull-through site and one RV in a back-in space), the 12 back-in spaces offer very little privacy as they are lined up in a row on a large gravel area with very limited space between sites.
Although the sites are relatively flat, accessing the 8 "upper" RV sites located at the base of Whitehouse Mountain requires an uphill drive on a narrow, winding and unpaved road. In addition to 50-, 30-, 20- and 15-amp electric and water, all of the pull-through gravel sites also have on-site sewer. While the sites have no grills, tables or trees, during our stay each was clean and had large on-site trash cans.
All of these sites are advertised as having a fire ring for outdoor cooking but the ring was nowhere to be found at site 16, our campsite. We did, however, have a number of large rocks that appeared to have been previously used for a fire ring. With a little bit of rearranging one evening, Scott created a homemade ring which worked perfectly for grilling our dinner.
We had absolutely no cell or data service through our carrier (Sprint), and were advised by the on-site office personnel that none of the cell phone providers have coverage at the ranch. While free wi-fi is offered to all guests, the service was intermittent and quite slow. The wi-fi typically worked for limited data surfing, however no calls, streaming or facetime. There were no broadcast television stations available at Terlingua Ranch.
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Favorite Campsites at Terlingua Ranch Lodge
Our walk through the ranch made us appreciate campsite 16, the site that we were assigned for our 6 night stay. If we returned to Terlingua Ranch, we would definitely choose the same very private site - even though it did not have a grated fire pit. (Although the gravel road to pull-through sites 17-21 was in worse condition, site 19 is also quite private.).
Getting to Terlingua Ranch Lodge
Driving south on US-118, you'll come upon a sign advising you to turn left to reach Terlingua Ranch Lodge for your "home away from home".
The 16 mile drive down Terlingua Ranch Road is an interesting one. You'll be greeted along the way by a ... well, I'm not sure what ... maybe a traffic cop or a one member welcoming committee?
After completing the first 13 miles on a paved road, the final three miles to the 425-acre Terlingua Ranch Lodge are on a pretty well cared for dirt road.
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Getting to Big Bend National Park
The 45 plus minute drive to get from Terlingua Ranch Lodge to the very outskirts of Big Bend National Park is manageable, however longer than we anticipated. Entering Big Bend State Park requires an even longer drive. Getting to the national park requires a 35 mile drive each and every day that you want to enter the park. Although the scenic drive past Corazones Peaks and the Christmas Mountains to Maverick Junction (the closest entrance station) is quite unique, we would definitely search for a campground or RV park closer to the entrance station if we visit in the future.
Campgrounds in Western Texas
If you have some more time to spend in the western part of Texas, check out our post titled Review: Tumble In RV Park in Marfa, Texas. Located a short distance from the Marfa Lights Viewing Area, this RV Park is just as unique as the city in which it resides.Choosing a Campground
When you have a choice of places to camp in either a tent or RV, which do you prefer and why -
- locations with a resort type atmosphere or
- locations closer to well-known tourist attractions?
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