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Big Bend Nat'l Park


gjhunter01

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Has anyone had or heard of any volunteer experience at Big Bend National Park in Texas? We have just applied for winter 2017 and have not gotten or found too much info as of yet. I did see they want a 3 month commitment and it's a long drive to a grocery store being so remote. I am just checking to see how other volunteers have managed and if one campground or position is better than another.

Greg

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If you Google 'volunteering in big bend nat'l park' you'll find some information. Here's one blogger's experience:

 

https://adventure-journal.com/2013/04/how-volunteering-in-national-parks-is-a-pretty-cool-deal/

 

I just remembered a very active poster on Woodalls.com forum Go to that forum and search Member Profile for PawPaw_n_Gram They volunteered there and they post lots of good information.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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My husband works and lives there, and the kids and I will be permanently joining him this summer. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the volunteer side of things, but what would you like to know about the park itself?

Stephen & Karen and our six boys, ages 21, 21, 19, 17, 14, & 11
Stephen - Military retiree (as of summer 2012) & current DOI employee (Big Bend National Park)
Karen - Homeschooling stay-at-home mom & veteran
San Antonio, Texas

Fulltimed May 2013 - July 2014 (yes, all eight of us!)
Open Range "Rolling Thunder" (H396RGR - fifth wheel toy hauler bunkhouse) - SOLD
Ford F-350 diesel dually - for the camper
Ford E-350 fifteen passenger van - for the crew

Our unfinished travel blog: http://coach-and-six.blogspot.com/

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Thanks Kirk and 2gypsies, that is the info I was looking for which now has us more interested.

 

Kinsa - I have just heard back from Karren and she has a opening and is sending us a application. Hopefully she can help answer our new list of questions.

1 - Can they accommodate a 40' fifth wheel?

2 - It looks like a long way to get groceries, how do volunteers deal with that?

3 - Services, cell, FHU?

4 - Security concerns being close to the border?

 

Thanks - Greg

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Thanks Kirk and 2gypsies, that is the info I was looking for which now has us more interested.

 

Kinsa - I have just heard back from Karren and she has a opening and is sending us a application. Hopefully she can help answer our new list of questions.

1 - Can they accommodate a 40' fifth wheel?

2 - It looks like a long way to get groceries, how do volunteers deal with that?

3 - Services, cell, FHU?

4 - Security concerns being close to the border?

 

Thanks - Greg

1. I believe the only campground that can accommodate a 40-footer is the Rio Grande Village campground. There are pull-thru sites there. The two other RV campgrounds accommodate only very small, short campers.

 

2. Yes, shopping is an issue. There are basic grocery items available in the park stores (at park prices, of course). Most people go into Study Butte (stoo-dee byoot, about 30 miles away from Panther Junction) to the Cottonwood General Store. It is small, but it is packed with nearly everything you would need. However, if there is a specific name brand or the odd item that you can't live without, they likely won't have it. About once a month or so, most people make the drive into Alpine (about 100 miles away from PJ) with their coolers and stock up on groceries at that time.

 

3. There is no cable television available, even for permanent employees. Cell phone coverage is very limited. The best place to pick up a cell phone signal is Panther Junction, but it is spotty even there. I don't know if seasonal workers have the option of a landline or not, sorry. As for FHU, I don't think they're there. There *might be* for volunteer sites, but I doubt it. At Rio Grande Village, there are water spigots near all campsites, as well as a dump station, and generators are allowed during daytime hours. There are showers and laundry there, too.

 

4. Yes, you might see the occasional illegal border crosser. However, US Border Patrol has a very strong presence in the park. There is a legal port of entry at Boquillas, used mostly by tourists and Boquillas residents who work nearby. But border violence is not a problem there. About the worst that happens is Mexicans illegally setting out their handicrafts on large boulders in order to make a few bucks off the tourists. I think there's much more crime committed by American tourists than by the illegal border crossers.

Stephen & Karen and our six boys, ages 21, 21, 19, 17, 14, & 11
Stephen - Military retiree (as of summer 2012) & current DOI employee (Big Bend National Park)
Karen - Homeschooling stay-at-home mom & veteran
San Antonio, Texas

Fulltimed May 2013 - July 2014 (yes, all eight of us!)
Open Range "Rolling Thunder" (H396RGR - fifth wheel toy hauler bunkhouse) - SOLD
Ford F-350 diesel dually - for the camper
Ford E-350 fifteen passenger van - for the crew

Our unfinished travel blog: http://coach-and-six.blogspot.com/

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I also wanted to add that I know there are some campsites in the employee housing area at Panther Junction which are used only for seasonal workers. I'm not sure if that includes volunteers or not, but it might. I see long RVs in those spots, and I'm fairly certain those have at least partial hook-ups. There's no public shower there, but there is public laundry.

Stephen & Karen and our six boys, ages 21, 21, 19, 17, 14, & 11
Stephen - Military retiree (as of summer 2012) & current DOI employee (Big Bend National Park)
Karen - Homeschooling stay-at-home mom & veteran
San Antonio, Texas

Fulltimed May 2013 - July 2014 (yes, all eight of us!)
Open Range "Rolling Thunder" (H396RGR - fifth wheel toy hauler bunkhouse) - SOLD
Ford F-350 diesel dually - for the camper
Ford E-350 fifteen passenger van - for the crew

Our unfinished travel blog: http://coach-and-six.blogspot.com/

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We volunteered at the Persimmon Gap visitor center in the winter of 2013. Panther Junction and PGap can handle 40' rigs. Ours is 37'. We loved the assignment. But, take a cooler to the supermarket in Alpine and don't forget anything! We had weak cell signals. But, opted for a land line installed at our rig in PGap to ensure internet access.

2014 DRV Mobile Suites 36' RSSB3

2013 Ford F350

http://where-rv-going.blogspot.com

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Thanks Kirk and 2gypsies, that is the info I was looking for which now has us more interested.

 

Kinsa - I have just heard back from Karren and she has a opening and is sending us a application. Hopefully she can help answer our new list of questions.

1 - Can they accommodate a 40' fifth wheel?

2 - It looks like a long way to get groceries, how do volunteers deal with that?

3 - Services, cell, FHU?

4 - Security concerns being close to the border?

 

Thanks - Greg

 

We volunteered at Big Bend over the 2010-2011 winter at Cottonwood Campground. There were four volunteer FHU sites across the road from the campground. They could accommodate any size rigs. Minor grocery shopping was done at the small store in Terlinqua, about an hour away, that had all the basics. Major shopping was in Alpine at 2.5 hours one way. Ice cream from the Swans truck that came about once a week at that time. :) If anyone was making a grocery run then standard policy was to ask the rest of the group if they needed anything. We had satellite internet so were not without communication. We could sometimes get cell service at the employee housing area. The volunteer sites were a couple hundred yards from the Rio Grande and we did not have any issues at all. There were the occasional crossings but mostly to round up their cattle and horses that crossed the river. There were a few problems on the other side of the park but only a few. As far as I know that has not changed.

If you enjoy hiking you will enjoy Big Bend. I believe it has some of the best hiking around. You just have to be cautious since missing a trail marker can have some serious consequences. Just use caution and hike with a partner whenever possible. We were fortunate to see a lot of wildlife including bears with cubs but did not get to see any mountain lions. If you go into the Chisos Basin you are more likely to see them. There were regular volunteer hikes that gave you a chance to see some areas that were not on the trail maps. Overall it was a good experience except for the lack of activity at the Cottonwood Campground. We were coming from a Lassen Volcanic NP campground with almost 200 sites that was very busy all summer. Cottonwood has 24 sites and usually had about 3-5 occupied except at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Never actually filled up at any point so it was somewhat boring on work days. We did go to some of the back country sites that were auto accessible to check compliance and do cleanup. That helped occupy some of the day. It was a very different experience. We had volunteered at some fairly remote locations so were prepared to handle some of the challenges Big Bend presented. Hope you enjoy your time there.

Tom and Kendall

Fulltime in 2007

2002 39' Dutch Star, Chevy Trailblazer toad

www.footloosewanderers.com

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We volunteered at Big Bend over the 2010-2011 winter at Cottonwood Campground. There were four volunteer FHU sites across the road from the campground. They could accommodate any size rigs. Minor grocery shopping was done at the small store in Terlinqua, about an hour away, that had all the basics. Major shopping was in Alpine at 2.5 hours one way. Ice cream from the Swans truck that came about once a week at that time. :) If anyone was making a grocery run then standard policy was to ask the rest of the group if they needed anything. We had satellite internet so were not without communication. We could sometimes get cell service at the employee housing area. The volunteer sites were a couple hundred yards from the Rio Grande and we did not have any issues at all. There were the occasional crossings but mostly to round up their cattle and horses that crossed the river. There were a few problems on the other side of the park but only a few. As far as I know that has not changed.

If you enjoy hiking you will enjoy Big Bend. I believe it has some of the best hiking around. You just have to be cautious since missing a trail marker can have some serious consequences. Just use caution and hike with a partner whenever possible. We were fortunate to see a lot of wildlife including bears with cubs but did not get to see any mountain lions. If you go into the Chisos Basin you are more likely to see them. There were regular volunteer hikes that gave you a chance to see some areas that were not on the trail maps. Overall it was a good experience except for the lack of activity at the Cottonwood Campground. We were coming from a Lassen Volcanic NP campground with almost 200 sites that was very busy all summer. Cottonwood has 24 sites and usually had about 3-5 occupied except at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Never actually filled up at any point so it was somewhat boring on work days. We did go to some of the back country sites that were auto accessible to check compliance and do cleanup. That helped occupy some of the day. It was a very different experience. We had volunteered at some fairly remote locations so were prepared to handle some of the challenges Big Bend presented. Hope you enjoy your time there.

Alas, my husband tells me the Schwann's truck doesn't come there anymore, which has me most disappointed.

Stephen & Karen and our six boys, ages 21, 21, 19, 17, 14, & 11
Stephen - Military retiree (as of summer 2012) & current DOI employee (Big Bend National Park)
Karen - Homeschooling stay-at-home mom & veteran
San Antonio, Texas

Fulltimed May 2013 - July 2014 (yes, all eight of us!)
Open Range "Rolling Thunder" (H396RGR - fifth wheel toy hauler bunkhouse) - SOLD
Ford F-350 diesel dually - for the camper
Ford E-350 fifteen passenger van - for the crew

Our unfinished travel blog: http://coach-and-six.blogspot.com/

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Howdy Tom and Kendall,

 

You just have to be cautious since missing a trail marker can have some serious consequences.

Any other consequences apart from getting lost? If yes, would it be anything one can't fix by consulting a portable GPS which is being carried and recording the hike?

 

Please comment further on that.

 

Thanks,

--

Vall.

Getting ready to join the RV full-time lifestyle in 2017!

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Howdy Tom and Kendall,

 

 

Any other consequences apart from getting lost? If yes, would it be anything one can't fix by consulting a portable GPS which is being carried and recording the hike?

 

Please comment further on that.

 

Thanks,

--

Vall.

Once you get off the trail, in the remote open desert, the GPS can give you your location and direction, however, just striking out cross country after you have run out of water will be dangerous. You run into steep dry washes, fields of Lechugilla you have to walk hundreds of yards out of the way to walk around and probably other obstacles. No cell phone connectivity in most places to call for help.

I believe the trails you need to be concerned about are the longer, cross country trails such as

-- The Dodson (spelling??) about a 25-30 mile multi day hike in the low country from the west side of the Chisos around the south side to the east side of the Chisos. Over the years several people have gotten lost, ran out water and died on this trail.

-- Taking the Chimneys trail all the way to Maverick road. The 2-3 miles of the trail was not really well defined. However as long as you kept going west you will hit the road.

-- Banta Shut-in trail is pretty remote.

There are other 10-20 mile cross-country hikes that are remote as well.

 

However most of the trails the general public use are very well marked.

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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No Schwann's truck is a bummer. Guess we will have to make other ice cream arrangements if we return. I hope my post wasn't too discouraging. It is really a beautiful park with excellent hiking. You just have to be prepared for the remoteness. We met some really nice folks while there. The visitors to that park are of the more independent type but also very concerned with keeping the campground clean and maintained. No trash thrown around like we have experienced in some locations. We may not ever make it back as volunteers but we will definitely go back for an extended stay some day. My comment on the consequences of missing trail markers is something I always caution about at Big Bend. As Al Florida pointed out it can be a long way before you come across a road and then you can still be a long way from nowhere. GPS definitely helps but make frequent checks on your surroundings. It's a big desert and you can stray off even some of the more popular trails. It is surprisingly easy to miss the trail exiting a wash. Hope you enjoy your visit and maybe change your mind about volunteering after you visit the park.

Tom and Kendall

Fulltime in 2007

2002 39' Dutch Star, Chevy Trailblazer toad

www.footloosewanderers.com

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I took a hike there once and though I was on a trail I had misunderstood and thought I was on a loop trail. I was resting and eating a snack when some hikers came by and as we talked Ifigured out something wasn't right and asked where they were parked and had accessed the trail. The bad news was I had no choice but to double back the way I had come. I had enough water to make it back but my steps were baby steps by the time I got back and I was completely out of water and snacks. Even though I was on a well used trail there still were not many people there and I could have been in real trouble if I had been much farther out. I still really enjoyed my visit there and I camped in 3 different campgrounds at least 2 nights each. I would go back in a heartbeat but I would be really careful about hiking and even driving to have plenty of water and some emergency rations in the truck. My hiking days are almost over but it would be good even if I just drove and parked to see what I could. I went at the end of Oct and 1st part of Nov. which was a great time of year there weather wise. I was tent camping. It would be great in an RV except I think you have a length restriction for the basin of about 25 ft. I don't think I would go in the summer. I saw a bear and a mountain lion while I was there. Also a goodly number of javelina and deer milling around the campground in the basin. Quite a bit of coyote singing in the area at night as I remember.

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We've hiked I think every trail recommend for the common visitor. You can't get lost on those trails. They are well marked. The much longer cross-country trail are a way different species and most visitors do not know about them. They're done by very experienced hikers. For those you'd have to research beyond the general park brochure of recommended trails. I would not have any hesitation to hike in Big Bend. It's an absolutely wonderful place. Yes, the whole park is kind of remote but you're certainly not far from people. There are folks traveling the roads and trails constantly, including rangers, and there are tiny towns near it for basic groceries and Alpine for major ones perhaps once a week or so. It might take a little more planning - food-wise, but certainly very doable. We know of volunteers that have returned often.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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"Death in Big Bend" was a popular book passed around among the volunteers. I actually missed a wash exit on one of the trails described in that book. Obviously with different results! I caught my mistake within a quarter mile or so. Just sayin'.

Tom and Kendall

Fulltime in 2007

2002 39' Dutch Star, Chevy Trailblazer toad

www.footloosewanderers.com

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Hi Al,

Once you get off the trail, in the remote open desert, the GPS can give you your location and direction, however, just striking out cross country after you have run out of water will be dangerous. You run into steep dry washes, fields of Lechugilla you have to walk hundreds of yards out of the way to walk around and probably other obstacles. No cell phone connectivity in most places to call for help.

I believe the trails you need to be concerned about are the longer, cross country trails such as

-- The Dodson (spelling??) about a 25-30 mile multi day hike in the low country from the west side of the Chisos around the south side to the east side of the Chisos. Over the years several people have gotten lost, ran out water and died on this trail.

-- Taking the Chimneys trail all the way to Maverick road. The 2-3 miles of the trail was not really well defined. However as long as you kept going west you will hit the road.

-- Banta Shut-in trail is pretty remote.

There are other 10-20 mile cross-country hikes that are remote as well.

 

However most of the trails the general public use are very well marked.

 

Thanks for the thoughtful, detailed response.

 

We've some experience with shorter (less than 5 miles) desert hikes in the Mojave NP, on both marked and unmarked trails. What we do to be as safe as possible is:

 

0) Always hike in the winter, or late autumn / early spring at most. We've never even been to a desert region during the summer (nor do we plan to).

 

1) Survey the area beforehand using Google Terrain Maps or online USGIS topo maps, then preload the latter in our smartphones, and turn on track recording during the hike (we use BCNav/Oruxmaps apps for that). That way, we have our current trajectory so far superimposed on the topo map along with our current location, and can backtrack if needed.

 

2) Carry at least a gallon per person in a camelback-like backpack and drink constantly from it, plus two half-quart emergency (aluminum) bottles in the side meshes. We've never had to use the emergency water bottles yet. Since learning about hyponatremy, we also carry some salty snack around and try to take a bite every few gulps of water.

 

3) Carry an Iridium-based satellite phone or emergency rescue-calling device, plus a powerbank in case we need to recharge it (or the smartphones). We currently own a Delorme InReach, and plan on also getting a PLB as backup.

 

4) we try to be as careful as possible (never put hands/feet where we can't see, beware of loose rocks/stepping, etc), and if anything goes wrong or in an unpredicted way, we turn back the way we came in. The motto is "live to hike another day".

 

We have done some nice hikes on unmarked trails so far, here's one we took the time to document: https://plus.google.com/103049401937242990092/posts/15oA5rs6uH1

 

Anything we should add to our "have fun but stay alive" list?

 

Cheers,

--

Vall and Mo.

Getting ready to join the RV full-time lifestyle in 2017!

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  • 2 months later...

I know this topic has gone dead for the purposes of the original poster as they have decided to pass on the volunteer opportunity. But for anyone interested in what this park has for a volunteer I can offer this:

 

Big Bend has a large volunteer community, they average about 260 volunteers a year, most of which are winter jobs with a 3 month commitment. The jobs cover a variety of duties that range from campground host to visitor center host, to science and research, to trail patrol, to river patrol, and more.

 

In our experience Big Bend has a volunteer training program second to none. We received two full weeks of training before doing a single duty and were given additional educational opportunities during our service. We took advantage of renewing our CPR certifications and fire fighting techniques with fire extinguishers.

 

The only campground open year-round is the Chisos Basin Campground. It is at an elevation of 5,400' and is just barely bearable in the summer. The campgrounds in Rio Grande Village and Castalon are virtually at river's edge and open only seasonally, mid-October to sometime in April. The park is 880,000 acres (1,200 sq miles) in size with the Chisos Basin approximately in the middle and Rio Grande Village in the southeast corner and Castalon in the southwest corner, roughly 50 miles apart by a single park road.

 

If you are going to be a campground host, either Rio Grande Village or Castalon (the campground there is named Cottonwood) has a volunteer village that can handle any size rig you want to bring (I think that the hosts in RGV are directly in the campground). The Chisos Basin campground is just the opposite. This is not the place for even a slightly large rig. The mountain pass road to the campground has an everyday limit of 24 feet for a motor coach and 20 feet for a trailer. There are two wicked hairpin turns with absolutely no shoulder that have to be negotiated. For a volunteer with something in the low 30 foot range, law enforcement will close the road on both ends and let you work your way over the pass using the full width of the road without having to worry about head-on encounters.

 

Big Bend has five visitor centers, four of these five are operated by volunteers. Three are seasonal - Rio Grande Village, Castalon and Persimmon Gap. The two open year-round are at the headquarters in Panther Junction and Chisos Basin. The headquarters visitor center is the only one not staffed by volunteers.

 

If you are volunteering for the Interpretive Group and manning a visitor center then you will be housed in the volunteer village at either Rio Grande Village or Castalon. If you man Persimmon Gap then you will be housed in Panther Junction and given a park vehicle to make the 26 mile commute each day. There used to be an RV site at Persimmon Gap but it is now closed. I think getting water to this remote post for a couple of rigs got to be a problem. Typical schedule was 4 days on, 3 days off, 3 days on, 4 days off. There is a full street of RV sites in Panther Junction for volunteers working in Science and Research, Maintenance, Persimmon Gap and possibly Chisos Basin. We were visitor center hosts for the Chisos Basin and our rig was way too big for the mountain road. The park put us up in Panther Junction and gave us a vehicle to make the 9 mile commute to the basin each day.

 

Going in we had Verizon for phone and internet and satellite for TV. The satellite worked great, cell phone connection was miserable. But the park had a solution to the phone and internet issue, every RV site in Panther Junction had access to a Big Bend Telephone connection. We called them one day and were hooked up the next. Very inexpensive too, barely a quarter of what I was paying Verizon for phone and internet. Granted, it was DSL but it was unlimited and reliable. I am not positive but I think a land line connection is available at RGV and Castalon too.

 

The OP is right, this is a remote place. From our RV pad in Panther Junction it was 26 miles to Study Butte/Terlingua where the little store, Cottonwood, was. Even though this store is small, it has a surprisingly large selection of canned/boxed and frozen foods. Perishables not so much, and all of it was priced to match the difficulty of stocking a grocery store so far away from a distribution center. Our alternatives were to drive 109 miles to Alpine where there were two grocery stores or 109 miles to Fort Stockton to a well-worn Walmart. If we needed a full shopping experience with access to "big box" stores it was a 4 hour (one way) drive to Midland-Odessa. Happily, the park gave us (volunteers) access to a large refrigerator/freezer and we kept our shopping trips down to once every four or five weeks. This is where we learned about almond milk. You could buy ten gallons of the stuff and it did not need refrigeration and would be good for months. We've liked it so much that even after returning to civilization we have not gone back to cow milk.

 

For us the remoteness was a draw rather than a deterrent. We got to live in and explore the Chihuahua Desert and Chisos Mountains for five months. The people that had three month assignments were leaving when it seemed like they had just got there. Most would have stayed for another session if they had been given the opportunity but replacement volunteers (many returning for their tenth year or more) were at the gate.

2012 New Horizons Majestic | 2022 F-550 W/Classy Chassis Hauler Bed

Full Time Class of 2012 | Escapee #98787

BLOG: www.CuRVWander.blogspot.com

 

 

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