Digital Nomad Guide to Working from Big Bend National Park

Purchases made through some links on this page may provide The Detour Effect with commissions (at no extra cost to you). Thank you!

This year I spent the month of November based near Big Bend National Park in West Texas so that on my days off from working remotely, I could explore the park and do as much hiking as possible. Similar to my Digital Nomad Guide to the Smoky Mountains, Boondocking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Digital Nomad Guide to Southern Utah, and Best Day Hikes Near Las Cruces posts, the following advice is designed for vanlifers or rubbertramps who need to be able to work during their travels. That said, it’s also a thorough guide about things to do in Big Bend National Park in general. After all, I had a whole month to create a comprehensive roundup!

A Brief Orientation to Big Bend Country

Prior to this trip, I somehow never realized that Big Bend National Park is so named because it’s located where the Rio Grande makes a “big bend” in its otherwise straightforward course towards the Gulf of Mexico. 

Big Bend National Park sits right on the border of the United States and Mexico, and in fact you can even cross into Mexico at Boquillas near the Rio Grande Visitor Center on the southeastern corner of the park. When hiking in Santa Elena Canyon on the southwestern corner of the park, one side of the canyon is Texas and the other side is Mexico.

The Spanish referred to Big Bend country as “el despoblado”, the uninhabited land. While there is plenty of nomadic Native American history in and around Big Bend National Park showcased by petroglyphs and pictographs, and the road between Marathon and Persimmon Gap is essentially what used to be the old Comanche Trail where raiders traveled to and from Mexico, overall the badlands didn’t seem to support a prolonged presence by any one group of people. It was harsh country for pioneering Europeans, as well, especially Cabeza de Vaca who may have been the first European to set eyes on the Big Bend during a harrowing journey that left only 4 survivors of a 300 man expedition in the 16th century.

Big Bend National Park is not to be confused with Big Bend Ranch State Park, its neighbor to the west. The state park is also a good visit, and I made some recommendations below about which sites to prioritize if you decide to make a detour into Big Bend Ranch.

Where to Stay and Work in Big Bend National Park as a Digital Nomad

Where to Car Camp Near Big Bend for Reliable Wifi/Cell Signal

There is not reliable cell service within the bounds of Big Bend National Park itself. Chisos Mountain Lodge, Rio Grande Village Store, and Panther Junction Visitor Center have public wifi, but unless you’re trying to pay an exorbitant amount of money to stay at Chisos, none of these options make sense if working remotely from your laptop for an extended time period as a digital nomad.

The next closest towns are Terlingua and Study Butte (these are basically one town), which are just outside the park gates on the northwestern side, but cell service is spotty here as well, and I was not able to find free dispersed camping nearby. Even if I had, my wifi hotspot would not have worked here. Regular accommodations with complimentary wifi will be expensive for an extended stay in this area. There is wifi at the local school library, but a reviewer on Google Reviews says “Some nice school personnel told me that the wifi was not for visitors. This is part of a high school, not an independent building. Closed on weekends, open until 4 otherwise. Would not recommend, but nice people.”

That leaves the three main gateway cities that welcome visitors making their way to the Big Bend: Alpine, Marfa, or Marathon. After passing through one of these towns, you will not encounter much in the way of amenities again until you reach the park approximately 1-2 hours later. They are your last access to gas, accommodations, and groceries. Marathon is an hour from Panther Junction Visitor Center. Alpine is 1.5 hours from Panther Junction or 1.5 hours from Terlingua. Marfa is 1 hour 50 minutes from Terlingua or 2 hours from Panther Junction. 

I chose to stay in Marathon because it was the closest possible town to Big Bend National Park where I would have good cell signal, and because they have an extremely affordable camping spot. The Marathon Motel & RV Park only cost me $15/night to park my truck camper. On my work days, I posted up at the Marathon Motel & RV Park and used my Verizon MiFi Hotspot and Jackery Power Station and solar panels to work from my truck (the RV Park has their own wifi, but based on where I parked it wasn’t always reliable).

I have a strange schedule, but each “weekend” I would drive an hour (sometimes it was more like 1.5 hours depending on which trailhead I was bound for) to Big Bend and spend the day hiking. That evening, and for the next couple evenings of my weekend, I would stay at a HipCamp campsite called Coyote Crossing which is located in Study Butte/Terlingua. That way I would be much closer to the trailheads when I woke up each morning. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t get wifi signal in Study Butte on my days off. Coyote Crossing was extremely private and quiet, except for the coyote songs that lulled me to sleep at night.

Use my referral code THEDETOUREFFECT to get $10 off your first HipCamp camping trip!

Where to Shower and Buy Groceries Near Big Bend National Park

Marathon Motel & RV Park has a very clean shower and bathroom situation, and if you drive 3 minutes up the road, there is an awesome little grocery store called the French Grocer. The French Grocer even had fuel for my MSR Pocket Rocket! Nearby, the V6 Coffee Bar was a welcoming neighborhood joint to grab a warm meal when I got tired of camp food. The Gage Hotel is also located in Marathon and is a fancy dining option if you want to splurge. It was featured on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown called Far West Texas. The Gage also has a fitness center, but for non-guests the membership costs $95/month.

In-Park and Dispersed Camping in Big Bend National Park

It would not have been more expensive to camp at the designated national park campsites such as Chisos Basin Campground on my days off, but they have a competitive reservation system and I didn’t plan this trip far enough in advance to snag in-park campsites. Note that there are also backcountry drive-in campsites you can reserve a permit for. I drove to a few of them just to check them out for future reference, and they are pretty cool. This would be for your days off though; working remotely from these sites likely wouldn’t go well.

These backcountry pull-in sites do not have amenities (water, bathrooms) like the more populated park campsites have, and some of them require driving on rough roads. I drove out to Terlingua Abajo, a site near Luna’s Jacal, because the map says there are ruins to see here. There is one part of the “road” where you are essentially driving at the bottom of a slot canyon’s dried creek bed. My left side truck wheels were down in the creek bed, while the right side wheels were up on the bank, and narrow canyon walls surrounded me on either side. Then I’d turn a bend, and now the right side was down and the left side up. If another car had approached in the opposite direction, we could not have passed each other. I made it just fine in the end and I ultimately found the drive to be fun and adventurous (although, there were not really any ruins to see when I got there. It was just old abandoned car parts).

If you plan on hiking in and tent camping in the backcountry instead of car camping at drive-in sites, you will need to reserve a permit for that too. The coolest place to tent camp in the wilderness is along the South Rim Loop hike. In my Big Bend hiking post you can read about how I did this as a long day hike, but many people plan it as an overnight backpacking trip.

Amenities for Car Campers Near Big Bend National Park

It’s best to stock up on gas and whatever food and supplies you need for your time in the park when you’re in Marathon or Alpine, but if you do need something after arrival in the park, you still have options. There are grocery stores and restaurants in Terlingua/Study Butte. The Panther Junction gas station also has a pretty good selection of camp food and supplies. There is a gas station in Terlingua/Study Butte as well, although one day when I pulled up to the pump in Terlingua, the gas was flowing so slowly that a line of cars piled up. After waiting 20 minutes, you’d have only pumped about $5 worth of gas. I asked a park ranger about this and he said they often run out of gas there around holiday times with high visitation, like Thanksgiving.

If you decide to stay in Alpine, this is the largest of the three Big Bend gateway towns. Holland Avenue is lined with shops and restaurants; when I was there, they were having a big Art Walk event with street vendors and food trucks. Alpine is a college town, and I loved the Museum of the Big Bend located on the Sul Ross State University campus. Personally, this town didn’t give me the same outlaw vibe that Marathon and Marfa have, but it’s still cute. 

If you decide to stay in Marfa, check out my post about visiting Marfa here. It’s an artsy, hip town with it’s own set of fun things to see and do, including El Cosmico, the Prada Marfa art installation, and the Marfa ghost lights. 

The Best Time to Visit Big Bend National Park as a Car Camper

Be aware that nights in the desert can get very cold. You want to avoid visiting Big Bend in the harsh summer months, but you might be surprised by the winter conditions you can encounter as December nears as well. I found November to be the perfect month to visit Big Bend National Park. The first couple weeks, I would wake up cold in the truck camper and put on layers while rushing to heat up some coffee. Then, by the afternoon I would be stripping layers off on the verge of overheating, especially when doing low elevation desert hikes such as Mule Ears. It was essential to stop hiking by 1-2pm most days. The last couple weeks of November, those hot afternoons faded into memory and the hiking weather was perfect, but mornings and evenings could be very cold. The final week we even had some freezing rain and cloudy weather with sleet, so I was happy not to be staying around into December.

All of this advice goes equally for the town of Marathon as it does for the national park itself. In early November I would wake up cold, but while working in the back of my truck camper on my laptop, I would often get extremely hot in the afternoons. Then, the last week of November I rarely got out of my thermal sleeping bag while working.

Things to Do in Big Bend Country

Hiking in Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park

My guide to the best hikes in Big Bend National Park required it’s own separate post:

I talk about wildlife and emergency preparedness in this post as well, so even if you’re not a hiker, it’s worth checking out if you plan on spending time in the park.

Prefer a guided multi-day hiking tour at Big Bend National Park? Check out the 6 day trip offered by Timberline BH Adventures.

Terlingua Ghost Town

There are ruins of old mining camps to visit in Terlingua, but nowadays I’d hardly call it a ghost town. Perhaps it’s tourism that reinvigorated the population, but a lot of residents also seem like the type of people who are looking for a desert hideaway from society. The vibe is a bit like Bisbee, Arizona, but with a larger dose of Slab City and Deep South mentality instead of hipster Los Angeles transplants.

Having breakfast at the Chili Pepper Cafe provides a glimpse into the local lifestyle. Old timers drink coffee and eat migas in leather jackets while sharing stories of bad luck and singing along to “Jolene” as it plays over the speakers.

The dosuseries Badlands, Texas by National Geographic tells the tale of a murder that rocked the community of Terlingua, but I get the feeling many residents don’t agree with the way Terlingua was portrayed. One reviewer suggested Ghost Town: 24 Hours in Terlingua as another perspective.

Luna’s Jacal

There are a handful of ruins to explore throughout Big Bend National Park, including Luna’s Jacal. Gilberto Luna was a Mexican farmer who built this pioneer settlement in 1916 and lived here with his family until 1947. You can duck under the low dugout roof and explore inside the home. To reach it, visitors need to drive down Old Maverick Road, which can be a bit rough. At the end of Old Maverick Road is Santa Elena Canyon, so I did these two sites in the same day by starting in Terlingua (though you can also reach Santa Elena on the more maintained Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive).

Rancho Estelle

The ruins of the Dorgan House (1930s) and Sublett House (1910s) lie between Santa Elena Canyon and Castolon on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and make up the Historic Rancho Estelle area. Originally called Grand Canyon Farms, the floodplain the Subletts farmed has become overgrown and reclaimed by the desert.

The Fossil Discovery Exhibit is located along the road between Persimmon Gap and Panther Junction. It’s a great way to learn about how Big Bend was shaped and formed over millennia, including what types of dinosaurs once roamed the landscape.

Entry: free, open from dawn to dusk. The parking area is not recommended for RVs or trailers.

Museum of the Big Bend

The Museum of the Big Bend is located on the Sul Ross State University campus in Alpine, Texas. I was very impressed by it; there are a variety of exhibits about pioneer history, early conquistador exploration, vaquero culture, Native American presence, and the flora and fauna of Big Bend. There is also a room dedicated to historical maps of Texas, showing how early explorers and cartographers perceived the borderlands over time.

Entry: $5/person, open Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM – 4PM, Closed major holidays. When I visited they were not able to take cards, I needed to go to the ATM the next building over.

Native American Rock Art

There are some truly amazing examples of Native American petroglyphs and pictographs throughout southwest Texas and Big Bend country. Some of the most interesting sites I learned about include:

Big Bend Ranch State Park Cave Handprint

On the brochures for Big Bend Ranch State Park, there is a picture of a red handprint in a cave. This is located just off the mile 12 marker on Main Park Road and no hiking is required. However, to reach the pictographs from the FM 170 River Road junction with Casa Piedro Road takes about an hour of very rough, unmaintained driving. A park ranger advised that I have a spare tire or two on me before embarking on this road. Ultimately I didn’t visit the cave because it was nearing sundown and after driving the two hours out-and-back to look at the paintings, I would still have to drive all the way back to Terlingua to camp. If you do make time to visit this site, you might tack on the Cinco Tinajas Trail and Leyva Escondido Loop Trail for more historic pictographs, and/or plan on getting a permit to camp within the state park.

Chimneys Trail Petroglyphs

I described these in my Best Day Hikes in Big Bend post.

Hot Springs Pictographs

There are supposedly pictographs on the canyon walls along the Hot Springs trail I describe in my Best Day Hikes in Big Bend post, but I was not able to find them 🙁

White Shaman Preserve

You must take a guided tour to visit the rock art at White Shaman Preserve near Lake Amistad. They take place every Saturday from September to May at 12:30pm. It’s about a two hour drive from Marathon, Texas to the Preserve. 

Tall Rock Shelter in Davis Mountains

In the Davis Mountains, there is a massive piece of art that doesn’t resemble other examples I’ve personally seen throughout the southwest. I have no idea how to get there and it sounds quite inaccessible, but you can learn about this impressive mystery and see a replica at the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine, Texas.

Indian Head Petroglyphs

It’s a short, easy walk to these petroglyphs in Terlingua, although trip reports mention a rough 4×4 drive to reach the “trail”.

Horseback Riding

Big Bend Stables and Lajitas Stables offer guided horseback rides around the Big Bend Ranch State Park and Terlingua area. If somehow you are a digital nomad who travels with a horse of your own, you can get a permit to ride on some of the most popular trails within Big Bend National Park itself. This must be a popular choice, because I saw plenty of horse poop on the hiking trails!

Rio Grande River Trips

Did you know that instead of hiking into Santa Elena Canyon, you could opt to sail into it? Local outfitters offer half-day and multi-day guided river trips on the Rio Grande. You can also rent canoes and go on your own.

Fort Leaton State Historic Site

Fort Leaton is on the outer western edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park near Presidio. The adobe structure served as a trading post on the Chihuahua Trail from 1848-1884. Travelers, soldiers, explorers, traders, freighters, Native Americans, and Anglo settlers often visited the site or sought protection here from Native American raids and borderlands outlaws. The fort is a fine example of historic adobe structures in Texas and really helped me imagine what life might have been like here in the 1800s.

Entry: The $5 day pass to enter Big Bend Ranch State Park suffices as your ticket into Fort Leaton. A Big Bend Ranch State Park day pass can be purchased at Barton Warnock Visitor Center (east entrance) or at Fort Leaton State Historic Site (west entrance).

Contrabando Movie Set

They are slowly demolishing the movie set originally built in 1985. It may have been a cool stop in the past, but now only one building remains. If you are visiting Big Bend Ranch State Park anyway, you might as well stop here, but don’t make it a destination in and of itself.

Overall, I found it quite easy to base myself near Big Bend as a digital nomad. As a growing number of employees gain the ability to work remotely, the amount of people living, traveling, and working from their cars is bound to increase proportionally. Most rubbertramps and vanlifers tend to focus on visiting national parks. Yet, very few guides to the national parks include the information that’s most relevant to these types of travelers, such as wifi and shower access. I hope my digital nomad guide to Big Bend is helpful to others like me. What else would you like to know about working remotely from Big Bend National Park?

🏕️ Search for other campsite options, free or paid, via The Dyrt.
🏨 Find budget hostels in Marathon or standard hotel options in Marathon, TX.
✈️ Coming to Texas from further afield? Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.

Related:

Pin It: