Grapevine Hills 2 & 3 Primitive Campsites

As others stated yes the road in is rough. But doable in a minivan or car. Just a lot of bumps and rocks. Tip: don’t drop your camper off, just go when you are ready for bed. More than one trip up and down this road is time consuming.
But the absolute silence and serenity was worth it. No light pollution and big skies. Pack in pack out. No bathrooms.
Just 3 miles to the Panther Junction gas station and store.

We had reservations for 7 nights in this spot but we only made it though 2 before needing to relocate due to the heat.

The road in is heavily washboarded and it took us an hour to go the 3 or so miles from the main road. The washboarding isn't an issue with just a TV, but you have to go slow with a trailer.

There was plenty of room at the site for a 30 ft Airstream and our truck. We didn't have any neighbors because of the heat. The view is incredible and so is the profound silence.

I don't think we would stay here again because of the road - GH1 would be a better option.

ATT service was 3mbps down and 0.6 up with a roof mounted Pepwave Mobility 42G antenna. TMobile was roaming with 1mbps down and up. No issues with Starlink.

Ok.
Made it down to Big Bend NP. What a beautiful ride in! Everything I was reading says the park campgrounds are full and they were extremely busy. Well could have fooled me. Yeah there are people here and camps are full... but far from what you would think of as packed. I guess I'm used to the chaos on the east coast. I was able to get a primitive camp spot last minute online at recreation.gov for 2 nights...10 bucks a night...only thing available. Grapevine Hill 2. I'm right next to another spot GH-3, which is a couple guys in a tent. It's about 4 miles NW from Panther Junction...where the main NPS building is (great free wifi btw if ya need it) and the only gas station. The road into my site (another 4 miles due north) was ok for my 27' rig. Very bumpy, rocky, with long washboard like stretches and very narrow in spots...others coming the other way with 4x4s were nice enough to pull off to make room for me. Just not sure I'd want to bring a diesel pusher or big 5th wheel down here...but I was just fine...couple dry washouts to cross, but I didn't come close to getting stuck or bottoming out anywhere...just took it slow..5-10 mph. This road continues on to other GH camp spots and a trail head to balanced rock....which I'll go see today.... so there is a somewhat steady flow of people driving by.. 2 or 3 an hour during the day. Site is flat and level. Has a bear box to store food if you are in a tent, but nothing else. There arent that many black bears here, 30 to 50 down closer to the Rio grande...but its the javelinas that can get food aggressive and you need to look out for....they hate dogs too and will attack them if threatened.

Anyway, surrounded by great views and deafening silence. Nightime is sooooo dark b4 the moon rises, you literally can't see your hands if you put them right in front of your face. It was crazy and a little unnerving to be honest. But man the stars are absolutely unbelievable. It's ranked the #1 spot in the country for stargazing...for professional and amateurs alike. I will never forget it.

Internet and cell service is spotty throughout the park...comes in and out while driving. Att has zero signal. My vzw I'm getting decent service...HSPA+ (basically in-between 3g and 4g lte) . My 4g lte vzw jetpack doesn't work, but with my phone I am pretty much able to access everything as normal, just slower. I'm actually surprised vzw is working this well here. There is no TV or FM radio signal whatsoever.

I'm at around 4,000 feet so it's chilly at night...low 40s high 30s. 80 during the day. Moving down south to the Rio grande village on Sunday.

This is one of the few backcountry sites in Big Bend NP that will comfortably accommodate an RV trailer or big rig. There’s a large area here off the dirt road to pull into, turn around, back up, etc. The trade off is that technically it’s two spots in one (GH 2/3). Don’t let this discourage you too much though. Unless it’s high season, the odds of someone else camping with you are low because who wants to reserve a backcountry site right next to another camper? (When you reserve the site, the ranger can tell you if anyone else has currently booked the neighboring spot.) Even if you do end up sharing the site with someone else, it’s not too bad. I’ve parked in much tighter conditions in every single RV park I’ve visited.

This location is pretty well located with easy access to Chisos Basin and Panther Junction. Not to mention you’re most of the way down the dirt road that leads to the Balanced Rock hike.

As far as cellular data, the AT&T 3G is quite good.