Rio Grande Village Campground

Rio Grande Village Campground is the park's developed campground near the Rio Grande, about 20 miles east of park headquarters. It sits at 1,850 feet in a grove of cottonwoods and acacia, with 93 sites connected by paved lanes, grassy patches, picnic tables and grills. Some sites have overhead shelters. This is a useful base for the river country, separate from the nearby RV campground.

Reservations are required; there is no first-come camping. The campground is open year-round, with all 93 sites in the cooler season from November through April. Summer heat cuts the campground to 25 sites from May through October. There are no electric hookups, and each site allows up to eight people and two vehicles. The park entrance fee is separate from camping.

There are flush toilets, potable water and a dump station. The nearby village store has coin-operated showers, laundry, ice and Wi-Fi; cell service does not reach the campground. One ADA campsite has a paved path, accessible picnic table and grill. The campground roads are paved and flat, but that does not make the full nature trail accessible.

The Rio Grande Village Nature Trail starts behind campsite 18. Its easy 0.75-mile loop begins with a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk across a spring-fed wetland, then climbs a limestone hill to views over the Rio Grande, the Chisos and the Del Carmen Mountains. The boardwalk is the accessible part; the trail climbs beyond it. The wetland and hill make a good birding walk, and the hill is a favorite sunset spot.

This is a shaded, developed campground, not a secluded backcountry site. Campers praise its dark night sky and natural setting, but close spacing, vehicle traffic and generator noise can make privacy and quiet depend on the site and your neighbors.