Dusty Paddle Site 1
Once a sea, this now desert campground offers views of the mountains into Mexico and the surrounding Terlingua, Texas area. Use your imagination and have fun at our tropical themed campground. There are plenty of cool rocks and an arroyo to explore on this 42 acres. Fossil And shell hunt, hike, bike, enjoy fabulous sunsets and the best stargazing possible. Keep a look out f
Once a sea, this now desert campground offers views of the mountains into Mexico and the surrounding Terlingua, Texas area. Use your imagination and have fun at our tropical themed campground. There are plenty of cool rocks and an arroyo to explore on this 42 acres. Fossil And shell hunt, hike, bike, enjoy fabulous sunsets and the best stargazing possible. Keep a look out for awesome desert plants and wildlife. Feel free to bring a painted rock with your name, date, and where you are from to leave at your campsite. This campground is private and remote but conveniently located within 10 minutes of a store that is well stocked with Wi-Fi, ice, beer, propane and other necessities. This is an off grid campground. If you are looking to unplug, this place is for you. Please remember to bring whatever you need for a complete Boondocking experience, such as water, fuel, shade etc. Please stay on discernible roads, to help preserve this property and pack out ALL trash, human waste, and pet waste.
Please do not remove anything including rocks, shells, fossils, etc. from the property so that others can enjoy them.
Sites 1 & 2 are suitable for tent camping and very small trailers such as pop ups. Sites 3 - 7 are suitable for tent camping and travel trailers up to 26'. Sites 1 & 2 have fire rings with cooking grates on them. Sites 3 - 7 have a central fire pit that does not have a cooking grate on it and is a community resource.
Please do be prepared for some leveling if you are utilizing a trailer.
Generators may be used but please be conscious and respectful of your neighbors that want to enjoy the peace and solitude of this vast open desert space. Limit generator use as much as possible. Solar charging works really well during the daytime to top off battery voltage. Please keep campground lighting to a minimum so that others may enjoy the dark sky for star gazing.
- Check in: After 2PM
- Check out: Before 12PM
- Cancellation policy: Moderate
- On arrival: Go straight to camp
- Minimum nights: 1 night
- Accepts bookings: 6 months out
- Response time: Within an hour
- Response rate: 100%
Activities
Offered on the Host's property or nearby.
Terrain
Natural features you'll find at Dusty Paddle Site 1 in Texas.
The vibe at Dusty Paddle Site 1
Places to see near Dusty Paddle
8 Reviews
The location was quiet and secluded. Worked well as a base camp for exploring Big Bend National Park. The night sky is amazing! It is a primitive site, but there are several places in Terlingua that have showers and other facilities for a reasonable price. If you want to escape to the wilderness or check out the stars, this is a great place for you!




If you go into the desert you should be prepared; have the right car and tires, sunscreen, shade for the heat of the day and plenty of blankets for the night, and a safe place to stay, with incredible views, dessert wildlife, and blissful seclusion, AND a reliable host to depend on. Dusty Paddle was just that place for us. We reached out to Allan in last minute desperation after our group of 8 drove 10 hrs to find out the original campsite we booked was nonexistent. We put in the request and Allan replied instantly and was so helpful and understanding! He treated us like old friends, and helped us with directions ahead of time, so we could find the very secluded site in the middle of the dessert with no phone service. Be sure you get the coordinates and directions from Allan directly, because the map will try to take you the wrong way. And when you get to the gully, keep going right through it, you’re almost there. The site itself was SO beautiful, especially at sunset and sunrise, and is located on a hill overlooking miles of beautiful desert, with mountains and plateaus in the distance. There are several acres to explore with beautiful rocks and plants everywhere. Allan has a space to pull cars into and level ground for setting up tents and a perfect fire pit! We left some firewood in there we brought for the next campers. I would highly recommend this site to anyone looking for an affordable secluded, primitive spot that isn’t too far from town with cell service, a grocery store and a gas station. I’m so grateful to have stayed at this beautiful site.




This was a great little get away spot near Terlingua and Big Bend Ranch State Park. We went for the stars and the sky, and we got lots of both. Be sure to pay close attention to Allan's directions, and I recommend making sure you arrive by light of day as getting to the site could be tricky without good light.
If you've never stayed in the desert, be prepared with lots of water and some layers.
Isolated and quiet. Alone with the coyotes. Close to Terlingua and Big Bend NP. Conducive to my trip plan.

Thank you for your stay, Ron. We are glad that you were able to enjoy the property and those coyotes!
Great location! Quiet and secluded.
PS. Downloading offline google maps of this area works great for directions since cell service is spotty at best.




Dusty Paddle was an awesome campsite! Location was really nice and not too far from overlooking a big washout (small dried out ravine) where water might have run through. We stayed at Site 1 and I didn't expect Site 2 to be so close, so if both sites were occupied, you may not have the privacy you might expect. Both sites were separated by a line of rocks. The camping site itself was very clean, the fire ring was very nice, heavy duty, and looked pretty new. It has a rotating grill grate that was very clean. It is spacious enough for 2-3 tents, with the cars/trucks parked in the drive way.
Allan gave us perfect directions and I mapped out directions ahead of time since there is no signal out there to rely on. I will definitely consider this site again in the future!
Loved it here! Nice and quiet and secluded, just like i like it!
- Property
- Dusty Paddle
- State
- Texas
- Country
- United States
- $20/night
- 1 Site
Kelwin, Thank you so much for your review and your star photos! We are happy that you enjoyed your stay and hope to serve you again in the future.