Lots of wildflowers after the rains and many birds. Ghandalf The Grey Spammer said: One Spam To Rule Them All. If you want to take on the highest trail in this region, then you will want to check out North Mount Franklin, the highest peak in the Franklin range. Little did I know that it actually was not. Depending on who you ask, some would describe this hike as either easy or moderate. In order to access the park after hours, call ahead to request the gate code. There are five rv sites, with no water or electricity, for $8 nightly. Visitors can enjoy rock climbing, hiking, and guided tours. A club to connect the climbers of Las Cruces, NM and surrounding areas. Sign me up for the newsletter! All campsites are reservable over the phone. Entrance fees into Hueco Tanks State Park are $7 a person. East and West Mountains are also exceptional, but require guides. Bonus: As you traverse the boulders of Hueco Tanks, you will also have the chance to witness rock art left behind by early inhabitants. CAMP GATES OPEN 8am to 8pm. Easy access to climbing and no hassle. Nice easy hike not too far of a drive. CLIMBING GEAR & RENTAL SHOP. Borderland Mountain Bike Association. This ascent can be rough going at times, and involves hoisting and jumping from boulder to boulder. For detailed information on all of El Paso’s mountain biking trails, Hueco Tanks State Park is a great option for those looking for secluded camping near El Paso! 10. You can walk that at a leisurely pace. With the exception of a few huecos & the picnic areas, there isn't much shade so plan accordingly. I would live to hike there as well as there is just nobody around. (Latitude, Longitude): 31.92605, -106.04211 31°55'34"N, 106°2'32"W From El Paso: Take Hwy 62/180 (Carlsbad Hwy, Montana Ave) East for 24 miles. Permits are issued for up to 70 people daily into Hueco Tanks State Park’s self guided areas. It is important to bring your own climbing equipment, including climbing shoes. Where it is 2. ... Backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, boating, hiking, nature watching, camping, and you-name-it—if it can be done outdoors, it can be done in Big Bend. Trail leading to the Aztec Caves in the background. Hueco Tanks in West Texas offers a variety of outdoor activities, most notably camping and rock climbing. There were a few places where we had to scramble a little, but nothing was very difficult. 1,469 likes. A truly amazing park with spectacular scenery and great bouldering. I lean more towards moderate, due to the 1,000 feet increase in elevation experienced primarily during the second half of this hike. Visit our Activities page to learn more.Stop by our interpretive center, in a historic ranch house, to learn about the park and its history. There are 16 sites with water and electric for $16 nightly, and 4 sites that are water only at $12 nightly. Hueco Tanks is actually an area that has many low mountains and is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains and the Hueco Mountains. Come prepared with a personal supply of water. ... Hueco Tanks also has a place in the history of rock climbing as the birthplace of modern bouldering. Franklin Mountain Loop 25.2 mi 40.5 km • 3,282' Up 1000.36 m Up • 3,263' Down 994.43 m Down. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Prairie Branch Campground. Very challenging but rewarding. Rock basins, called huecos, provide water for wildlife ranging from white-tailed deer to fairy shrimp. Franklin Mountains State Park contains some of the best mountain biking trails in the area. The day can easily be spent exploring all the various huecos & caves or just rock climbing. We could have entered the waiting line of cars, but there was no telling how long the wait would be. It is interesting and another “one of a kind” type of hiking in El Paso, plus the views over the city and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert are breathtaking! Hueco Tank Self-guided visit: There are only permits for 70 people to access the North Mountain area each day. For detailed information on all of El Paso’s mountain biking trails, read more here. Insider Tip: This is another trail that, while located in the Franklin Mountains, the trailhead is actually located outside the state park boundaries in a residential neighborhood in El Paso. We showed up at 6 am and were the second car there. It is ideal to visit it with the family. Campers must check in at least an hour before closing. amzn_assoc_asins = "B00G7H9CAY,B06WVHGYLS,B078RCB999,B07B7D4B14,B007RFG0NM,B01G7SQDO0,B00F5IADN6,B00B4FY8YO"; Filed Under: Active Travel Destinations, State Parks, Texas, United States Tagged With: el paso, state parks, texas. Closer to V10? Trust me, I ran the Franklin Mountains Trail Run, and I can’t wait to do it again! There are five rv sites, with no water or electricity, for $8 nightly. Hueco Tanks is a beautiful "desert sanctuary" as they call it. With over 80 plus trails throughout the region, the possibilities are endless: case in point are some of these best hikes in El Paso that I discovered: This hike, though short, is somewhat steep, and terminates in a grouping of caves that can be explored with flashlights. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan like me, you will understand the giddiness of walking underground through “the mines”. Sotol ... El Paso Biking. Surrounded on three sides by mountain range views of the Franklins, and one side spilling out over El Paso in the distance, the views here are spectacular, especially as the sun peaks above the mountains in the morning and at dusk. Length: ~1 mile on marked trail, several tenths of a mile uphill on an unmarked trail, Rating: Easy on marked trail, difficult on unmarked ascent. The Hueco Rock Ranch offers climbers a friendly place to stay while spending time at Hueco Tanks. in Active Travel Destinations· State Parks· Texas· United States. Visitors can take guided and self-guided tours to view rock imagery. It takes approximately thirty minutes to reach the wreckage, so be sure that you are up for this type of climb before starting. There is an overlook of the plane wreckage on the Thousand Steps Trail, but to actually reach the plane wreckage up close requires going off trail, hopping boulders up a mountainside. 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