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Big Bend National ParkRuins of the Mariscal Mine
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Big Bend National Park
Castolon Today
 
Today, visitors camp where farmers once worked the fields. Cottonwood Campground has 35 sites, but is the most primitive of Big Bend's "developed" campgrounds. There are no hookups or dump station. The campground has pit toilets and running water (although it is a good idea to bring your own drinking water). Cottonwood Campground is a popular place for birdwatching and, occasionally, solitude.

The La Harmonia Company Store is still in operation, although these days it caters to visitors instead of farmers and ranchers. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, closed for lunch. Prior to the closure of the border crossings in the park in 2002, many of the people from the village of Santa Elena, Mexico shopped and received their mail at the La Harmonia Store.

From November to April, volunteers and rangers present interpretive programs including guided walks, and evening programs (check the weekly activity schedule posted at visitor centers and campgrounds throughout the park). The visitor center at Castolon is also open seasonally during this time.

A Castolon Historic District guidebook is available for $1.00 at the visitor center, or from the La Harmonia Store.

Entrance to the La Harmonia store
What to do in Castolon
Highlights of the Castolon area.
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Hike into Santa Elena Canyon
Take a Dayhike on the West side
Take a hike on the west side of the park!
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Visitor and Resource Protection rangers, 2005  

Did You Know?
In Big Bend's first year of operation as a national park (1944), the operating budget of the park totalled $15,000. Over sixty years later, as park infrastructure and staffing has grown, so too has the budget; the operating budget for fiscal year 2005 totaled $5,492,000.
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Last Updated: August 16, 2006 at 11:46 EST