Texas Camping Permits

In most places within the country, including Texas, no camping permit is needed when staying at a drive-in campsite at a state park, national forest or national park. All that is necessary is a simple exchange of money and perhaps a reservation. However, when heading out into the backcountry of the public lands in Texas, hikers and riders may be required to obtain camping permits directly from a park ranger.

Purpose of Wilderness Camping Permits

Wilderness camping permits serve several purposes. For one, they allow the park ranger to meet the campers first-hand before their hiking departure. This gives the ranger a short opportunity to educate the hiker on the proper procedures of low-impact backcountry camping. Another purpose of the permit is to limit the number of campers using the wilderness at one time, thus helping preserve the natural area. Also, whatever money is collected in fees can be used to help maintain backcountry trails and primitive campsites.

Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife

Within the Texas Department of Parks, there are several classifications that can be applied to the public state lands. These include state park, state natural area, state historic site or wildlife management area. A few of these places offer walk-in campsites, but in general the state of Texas does not provide abundant places for an overnight backcountry experience. With the exception of the Big Bend Ranch State Park, backpackers only need to pay the entrance fee and register for the camping area. At Big Bend Ranch, a 300,000 acre park in West Texas, camping permits are required to use the backcountry, primitive road and front country zones. Day use permits are also required for 4WD vehicles that enter the primitive road zone.

National Parks

Both Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe National Parks require backcountry permits for camping. This applies to backpackers as well a those using livestock to carry their gear. The Guadalupe permit is free, but a special backcountry entrance fee is charged for those heading out on the trails. At Big Bend, the backcountry permit costs ten dollars. All permits should be obtained in person within 24 hours of your departure.

Big Thicket National Preserve

The Big Thicket National Preserve in East Texas requires no fees for entry or use of the park. There are no campsite facilities in the park, but canoeists and backpackers are allowed to camp on sandbars or at designated places along a hiking trail. A backcountry permit must be obtained in person from the ranger station before departing on an overnight trip.

Rafting The Rio Grande

Whitewater rafters on the Big Bend section of the Rio Grande will need to obtain a backcountry use permit from the rangers at the Big Bend National Park. This permit is required for day use as well as for overnight river journeys. This is the same ten dollar item that is required by backpackers and horseback riders, who also use the park. River travelers, who are running the Santa Elena Canyon, may acquire their backcountry passes at the Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center, which is located above the national park near the Big Bend Ranch State Park.