Big Bend Ranch State Park (aka BBRSP)

tx_shooter

You ever try to roughie a bear?
Staff member
Official Website Link

Scanned images of the park map are attached to this post.

Big Bend Ranch State Park is a great park to camp and wheel in West Texas. The park headquarters at Sauceda does accept cash or credit card (as long as the Internet connection is working which was 50/50 when I was last there). Reserve your camping spot well in advance as the colder months are their busy season. The best place to camp really depends on what you want to do while you are there. Camping in the remote spots is great to get way away from anyone but also makes traveling around the park much more time consuming as the speed limit on the main roads is 25 mph. If you intend to cover a lot of ground by driving around I would recommend getting a camping spot that is easily accessible from the main road - Los Ojitos being the prime example. This spot is easily accessed from the road yet private and has instant access to the rest of the park without wasting lots of drive time.

The website for BBRSP has some maps on it but the best map for use out there is available at the ranger station for purchase (~$7 last time I checked). I did not have good success using Google Maps downloaded to my phone for the area and plan to use BackCountry Navigator next time I go to the park. The PDF for the latest one side map is attached below.

Fuel/ Food: None. If you did not bring enough gas your best bet is to buy some off of someone who did or drive 1.5- 2 hours back to Presidio and buy some. The same goes for food.

Facilities: The park office at Saucedo does have heated/cooled restrooms with showers that are open 24/7. There are "eco friendly" outhouses at a few campsites. I only saw them at Tres Papalotes, South Leyva Campground and La Mota 1; other than these bathrooms you are looking for a bush.

Roads/Trails: The main roads are all marked as 2WD on the park maps. These roads are all dirt and maintained by road graders. These roads are wide enough and easily traveled by a truck with a trailer. The secondary roads are all marked as 2WD High Clearance (2WDHC). BBRSP recommends at least 8" of ground clearance on these roads for any vehicle; so pretty much trucks or SUVs. This is where the pin striping comes into play. These trails are tighter due to vegetation not being trimmed back by park staff - pinstriping begins. There are lots of trails that are easily covered with 2WD vehicles during good weather. The 4WD trails in the park range in difficulty but are not technical so much as not really maintained. The traction and camber of the 4WD trails will vary greatly depending on the part of the park you are driving in. These trails are also lined with pinstriping opportunities so good luck with that - after the first few you will just mutter a few choice words under your breath.

The trails that will most likely interest drivers are the 4WD Unmaintained roads. There a few roads in the main park that are unmaintained; but the vast majority of them are in the upper NorthWest part of the park. These trails can be difficult to find or follow as they receive almost no attention from park staff. Do not expect traffic on these trails.

2WD Road driving into the park towards Sauceda



2WDHC Road - driving down towards Javelin Pens/ Madrid Falls road



4WD Road - Madrid Falls Road


Camping: All camp spots for vehicle camping are marked and reservable. If you are going to be parking and hiking into the back country they have a list of requirements for camping that is available on the website and the ranger station. No campsite has electricity or running water unless you bring it with you. The South Leyva Campground is the only place where you will be close to other campers if you chose to camp there. This site is ideal for large groups that would bring +5 vehicles and want to camp close together. This is still an excellent location since it has easy access to the main road for exploring the rest of the park.

If tent camping is not ideal for the trip there is a bunkhouse and some rooms that can be rented at the Sauceda station.

Signs/ Marking: All vehicle accessible roads/trails are clearly marked at the turns. In the main areas the signs are the standard Texas park signs. Once you get onto the "light maintenance" areas the signs become rusted pieces of metal with the letters and arrows cut out. While this is easy maintenance it is harder to see in low/no light situations.



 

Attachments

  • BBRSP_2020Winter.pdf
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tx_shooter

You ever try to roughie a bear?
Staff member
Other pics of interest -

Nothing like running into family on your in-law's side while you are on vacation.



Along the main road between Papalote Encino and Pila Montoya 1


The sign that reminds you that you better have extra gas/water/food/Plan B.
 

Mitt78

Sanford and Son was my Sesame Street
You can also pay the entry fee and get permits for backpacking and primitive camping at Fort Leaton State Historic Site just east of Presidio. Fort Leaton serves as the west entrance in to the park.

Casa Ramon
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Do have a good map and or GPS on hand. The maps that can be purchased at the park HQ are good maps but not current. Some fences are down, trails can be washed out or overgrown also most trails are marked at the trail heads but not all markers are still standing. Many of the roads cross or are located in creek bottoms and being unmaintained can make it easy to go off trail.
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tex

That's Mr Asshole to you
I have been wanting to get back out there and more pics make it that much easier to move it up the list.
 

TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
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TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
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TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
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TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
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I have to say, these wagon wheel marks are very cool. Do you know that the first 'standard' was the width of tracks of the wagon wheels in China? Before they standardized, you would get kattywompus when you went into other regions. Great way to ensure the invaders didn't have it very easy bringing things into your territory.

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TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
Without 4 lightbars each, I hardly recognized those Toyotas as FJ's :)

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TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
lol
 

Silverback

Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
Man I need to get back out there!
 

tx_shooter

You ever try to roughie a bear?
Staff member
Man I need to get back out there!

I was discussing a trip this morning with my sammich maker. I will have to see how the temps look in the fall to see when we can get a trip out there. I really want to go when there is no or little moon.
 

Silverback

Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
Well I'm running low on vacation time and pretty much everything I'm gonna earn between now and the EOY is accounted for. BUT after Jan 1st I am gonna be looking to plan something because after Christmas the next family trip is in June.
 

SecretSquirrel

Whale Oil Beef Hooked
Staff member
I was discussing a trip this morning with my sammich maker. I will have to see how the temps look in the fall to see when we can get a trip out there. I really want to go when there is no or little moon.
Following...
 

TacoXpo

HOAX DENIER
Subbed... ;)
 

balakay

BabyMax
Interested. Now sure if I can do another Fall trip this year though with the HWM trip.
 
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