The El Paso area may be the world’s largest border metroplex, but it has plenty of opportunities to get away from the hustle of the city. The region’s open spaces have a rich human and natural history well worth exploring.
There is El Paso’s beloved Franklin Mountains State Park. Here, mountain bikers rave about its fast, technical single track; hikers marvel in this 37-mile-square oasis surrounded by the city; rock climbers rope up to challenging routes; photographers wait for the beautiful glow; and families enjoy time outdoors together picnicking.
The park has two hiking trails, beginning at Loop 375 and Trans-Mountain Road. More trails are being developed, to ultimately create more than 100 miles of trails to explore. Rock climbing was recently permitted in McKelligon Canyon. In the Tom Mays Unit, a few primitive tent sites welcome those who’d like to sleep under bright Texas stars. Five RV sites have also been added. To learn more about the park’s history, ranger-led tours run on the first and third weekend of every month. Call (915) 566-6441 for camping information and tour reservations.
Rise above it all, taking the Wyler Aerial Tramway to the top of 5,632-foot Ranger Peak in the Franklins. During the four-minute trip, the tram operator describes the native wildlife and geology. Bring your camera. The view from the top inspires with its beauty.
Hueco Tanks State Historic Site is 32 miles northeast of El Paso, and 12,000 years in the past. Spear points from the Folsom People have been found here that date to the ice age. Later, in about the 13th century, the Jornado Mogollon people lived here. This site, with its life-giving huecos, or depressions that hold rainwater in this arid climate, has attracted people and animals for millennia. Native Americans left pictographs, or rock paintings, that are thought to mark this place as spiritual and important in nature. Visits are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. To make reservations, call (512) 389-8900. Call the park at (915) 857-1135 for camping and ranger-led tours of pictographs. Astronomy, birdwatching, and other organized activities are offered in the 860-acre park.
About 110 miles east of El Paso on U.S. 62, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a hiker’s paradise (www.nps.gov/gumo). This area is the world’s finest example of a fossilized reef and West Texas’ only designated wilderness area. It also contains Texas’ highest elevation, the 8,749-foot Guadalupe Peak. More than 80 miles of trails wind through woodland canyons and rugged mountainsides. Fossils from the Permian Age abound, remnants of the area’s ocean past. Pictographs left by Native Americans and the ruins of Old West stagecoach stops speak of the human history.
Only 56 miles northeast of the Guadalupe Mountain National Park is Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico (www.nps.gov/cave). With geology similar to the once-ocean Guadalupe Mountains, sulfuric acid has dissolved away limestone at Carlsbad for eons, creating one of the largest cave systems in the world. Take a self-guided tour of the main cavern, or sign up for a claustrophobia-inducing ranger-lead tour for a truly wild experience. Camping and backcountry hiking in the Chihuahuan desert are also available.
Whatever your desired level of adventure, El Paso and the surrounding area has an outing for you.
