We Made a Mistake...5 Nights Camping at Big Bend National Park

We drove down from Austin Texas towards the Big Bend National Park where we spent five nights camping there. Since this was our first national park we unfortunately made a mistake when arriving but we figured it out eventually. We dealt with some harsh weather our second night there and experienced some of the most beautiful stars at night. We hope you enjoy this video of our learning experiences!

►GEAR WE RECOMMEND◄
►KITCHEN

►BATHROOM

►Lighting

►OTHER CAMPING ITEMS

►Electrical

►Our Filming Gear
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~DISCOUNTED LINKS~

Who are we?
We are Yvonne and John! We're both from Queens, New York and in 2018 we left our full time jobs to travel. We spent two years saving our money and have visited 17 countries and over 30+ cities so far. We are now heading on our next adventure, road tripping through the USA and enjoying the great outdoors! This channel will take you along on our journey as well as show you everything we learn along the way. :)

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that we provide we may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

[yvonneandjohn]

FYI: In this video we are at BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK. Forgive us for saying state park. 😅

[TerlinguaTalkeetna]

It's Big Bend NATIONAL Park! The STATE park is a different park 20 miles away. That one is largest in the state park system. As for the wind, it's very normal in the deserts for the wind to blow hard AT TIMES. Non-locals ( tourist ) often say to me " WOW that was freak wind storm yesterday " and my response is always the same "Na, not really" and "It's not a freak wind storm if they happen all the time!" No short cuts to experience, you just got some and nobody died, good job! People in hurry out here often get in to trouble. Take time to learn slowly about a place so that you can come to understand it. That way it sticks in your soul. Viva Terlingua

[robertmacdonald]

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off too.” Keep adventuring!

[boywonder]

I’ve always been a van camper. Wind, rain just makes it cozier. I carry a mountain bike to explore questionable dirt roads before committing.

[stanw]

Good for you guys. " We're learning " that's what's important.

[GwenMotoGirl]

You survived! I’m glad you showed it all and that you found your real campsite. Thanks for the pinned post to clarify that you were at the National Park, not the State Park. This is a beautiful and unique area although the Big Bend demands your respect. I’ve had my own scary close calls including a flash flood. This wind is typical for the area. New subscriber here. Much respect for you both on your learning journey.

[sightslessseen]

Good for y'all that you're getting out there and learning and experiencing. You'll take some heat in the comments at first, but soon you'll be experienced pros. Hope you create some great memories along the way, making this all worth it and more!

[lesliescoggin]

suggestion for first time tent campers in Big Bend. Stay at Boquillas. There are large cottonwood trees that block the wind, the ground is sandier plus there is some grass. Also there is a small store and gas station and showers. Quite a few interesting things to see nearby.

[DrDave-ubuw]

Had everything gone smoothly it would have been less memorable. You will remember that trip forever!

[kellycoleman]

We love Big Bend. I’ve learned through the years that the prettiest place to stay is at the Chisos Mountains Lodge. Although I had a close encounter with a large, male cougar (two feet) one night the last time we stayed there. We often see black bears in the mountains too. Many years ago I went with two high school buddies to Big Bend and we set up our tent the first night on the river. The next morning we emerged from the tent to see that we were surrounded by cattle which had crossed over from Mexico during the night. It was also already 100 degrees at 9 am. We decided to hike up the Chisos mountains and camp there the next night. It was much cooler but the nearby lightning from an unexpected thunderstorm was pretty frightening.

[derekhenderson]

You guys are awesome! I’ve really appreciated watching your videos. Good to see people getting out of their comfort zones and experiencing new things. Looking forward to more videos and upgrades! Hats off to you both!

[ddo]

Heh, you all had a very similar experience to me and a college buddy of mine when we first camped out in Big Bend National Park, in the spring of 2002 I believe. We were in an style (steel bar exo-skeleton ground tent, and we couldn't get the wimpy stakes it used to go into the ground without bending/breaking due to the rocky soil, so we put the biggest rocks we could carry in the interior corners to hold it down, and simply jammed the ends of the steel bars into the ground. Well, as you learned, the winds at night can be brutal, and our poor tent got bashed and we got no sleep. We kept having to "reach" though the tent material to grab the steel supports and pull them back into position. At one point, the tent finally collapsed on us, and we both "abandoned ship" into my '98 Jeep Wrangler TJ. Well, my buddy could somehow sleep sitting upright (the back of the jeep was full of gear so we couldn't recline seats). But I couldn't sleep like that, and besides, the winds had my jeep rocking and rolling on its suspension anyway. So at some point, when I was so tired I could have cried, I finally got out of the jeep, crawled back into the collapsed tent (which was much calmer/quieter once it collapsed, since it didn't catch nearly as much wind being so close to the ground), back into my sleeping bag, and finally fell asleep.

There were a lot of other learning events that trip, which we called "Welcome to the Desert."

[llerradish]

I've camped in a tent on a windy night before. The nice thing about having your tent on the ground is that you can use your car as a Windbreak

[daveh]

It is nice to see young people doing what we all did, learn and laugh... that is the joy of it. Thank you for your video.

[tegunn]

Really enjoyed this! The honesty of your learning curve is great! Crawl, walk, run phases of training. Ya'll did great, lot's of memories shared that you will talk about later in life...

[es]

I knew you guys were in trouble when you kept calling Big Bend a state park, lol!

[poodleprofessor]

I was there in October and it’s so beautiful. Did y’all go to Santa Elena Canyon? Wow. Really cool. I have a couple videos on my trip. I want to go back!

[hollis]

Well, you’re learning. As someone who grew up camping, I was entertained at your expense. Tents on the ground aren’t necessarily more precarious, in fact you could set them up so your vehicle, or when possible, trees, etc. can protect you from the wind. Wind loves deserts, especially at night. The Toyota you’re driving is a high clearance vehicle with legendary capabilities. Keep exploring.

[juanitagreenspan]

I love that you guys are taking the leap and getting out there and learning as you go. I have been to Big Bend several times. A great place with so much to explore. Take care. safe travels.

[TexasR]

You guys are doing Great! Do you know how many people sit home and never step outside, how many never leave their county, how many people wait til they're retired to ever take on an adventure. I think this was a great start. Keep going! BTW, that Toyota will do everything in BBNP, even Black Gap.