Marathon Motel and RV Park – Marathon TX

RATING: ♦♦♦♦
  • Length of stay: 7 days
  • Cost per night: $20/night
  • Discount: Weekly Rate (2 nights free)
  • Hook ups: 50 amp electric, water, and sewer. Also has cable TV.
  • Site number/quality: #4. Level, gravel pad. Picnic area with table. Small shade tree toward rear. Roomy sites. Once again, we have an unobstructed view of the Davis Mountains which surround the area, offering wonderful sunrises and sunsets.
  • Park Quality: This is a combination motel and RV park on US-90. The main line of the old Southern Pacific railroad runs parallel to the highway. It’s still in heavy use, and provided plenty of train noises day and night. The motel is also the location of the Marathon Sky Park, which is one of the best locations in the country to view the night sky without light pollution. Astronomers and astro-photographers come from around the world to this little piece of dark sky. A friendly professor lives onsite, and offers visitors a mini course in astronomy along with the use of his big telescope. We spent about three hours with him one night when the sky was especially clear, looking at the planets and stars. Awesome!
  • Access: The campground is in the tiny town of Marathon (pop 470) on US-90. Just 40 miles south is the entrance to the spectacular Big Bend National Park. There is a small general store in town, a couple of nice restaurants, and some artsy shops. In the center of town is the locally famous Gage Hotel, which was built in the 1920s and is surprisingly elegant. The nearest city is Alpine (pop 5,988), about 30 miles to the west.
  • Connectivity: Verizon weak, AT&T OK, and T-Mobile good.
  • Return yes/no?: Yes, if back in the area.
  • Notes: We found a small RV repair shop in Alpine that could fix our broken slideout motor. They said they could order the part, but wouldn’t have it for 2-3 weeks. I found one on Amazon for $200 dollars less and it arrived in three days. We’re having it installed after we leave Marathon.
  • Website: Marathon Motel and RV Park