Javelin Pens

Stayed here in July 2019. The Pens is a nice, large campsite. I was able to get a small camping trailer backed in with minimal problems. The site isn't level, it slopes towards the pens and road and it is most noticeable near the picnic table. Access from the ranger station is fairly easy in a high clearance vehicle. 4 wheel drive may be required if road conditions are deteriorated due to rai... Stayed here in July 2019. The Pens is a nice, large campsite. I was able to get a small camping trailer backed in with minimal problems. The site isn't level, it slopes towards the pens and road and it is most noticeable near the picnic table. Access from the ranger station is fairly easy in a high clearance vehicle. 4 wheel drive may be required if road conditions are deteriorated due to rain or if towing a trailer. There were a few areas where vegetation was overgrown enough to give my truck some desert pinstripes. The drive from the ranger station took just over an hour towing a trailer. Aside from the pens, there is a house ruin nearby, some old pumping equipment, and non-drinking water is available. I wandered around the nearby creek beds and saw a lot of animal tracks, but no critters. The campsite feels isolated, but expect rangers to pass nearby when they service the solar water pumps. Aside from hearing them come banging along from a mile away, no one else came around. This place gets hot in the summer. Really hot. There is no canopy or shade and anything in the sun (picnic table, fences, your skin) will feel like being inside a broiler. Sunrises and sunsets are nice here. The sky is wide open and good for stargazing. The site is so quiet I mistook the wind moaning across the hilltops as someone lamenting their journey to somewhere.

The good. The park is absolutely gorgeous. The sunrise and sunset from Javelin Pens is stunning. Dead quiet. Saw little wildlife but the area has bears, lions, javalina, and coyotes. The bad. On a map, it doesn’t look far from BBNP or Terlingua. It took 2.5 hours to get to the ranger station (from Terlingua), and an additional 1 hour to get to this site. It is 4x4 high clearance vehicles only t... The good. The park is absolutely gorgeous. The sunrise and sunset from Javelin Pens is stunning. Dead quiet. Saw little wildlife but the area has bears, lions, javalina, and coyotes. The bad. On a map, it doesn’t look far from BBNP or Terlingua. It took 2.5 hours to get to the ranger station (from Terlingua), and an additional 1 hour to get to this site. It is 4x4 high clearance vehicles only to get to this site. The road is overgrown and your vehicle will get scratched bad. Very rocky road. Risk of a blowout is high. Have a full sized spare ready. The ugly. This is the middle of nowhere. Literally. If you get a bit by a spider or snake, or god forbid have a medical emergency, you are on your own. Zero cell service. Military grade radios with a strong signal still may be out of range. It was upper 80’s in March. I could imagine in the summer, temps regularly top 110 degrees. Zero shade. Zero fresh water. The park has no paved roads. 17 miles from the entrance to the park headquarters. It’s a great spot only if you have the skills to be out there. Not for families with young kids, or the average BBNP guest who isn’t prepared.