franklin mountains state park

Franklin Mountains State Park occupies the mountain range that divides east and west El Paso. The mountains contain numerous impressive rock and cliff formations as well as a variety of desert flora. Anytime other than the summer months are ideal for a short hike or a strenuous trek along and over the ridgeline.

Can be real challenging. Never hike alone. Give you plans to someone, just in case you don't return as planned !

Very pretty mountains! If you are hiking, take water! Easy trails & intermediate trails! Dry, so NO SMOKING or FIRES! The mountains are awesome & the view of El Paso & Mexico is something to behold!

As a walker, it is easy to be seduced by this park. I felt up close and personal with wild Texas and alone but never fearful. I watched a soaring hawk--from above!--and saw a snake that skedattled from me faster than I did from him. On the Upper Sunset trail there is an old Indian grind hole where they prepared meal. Humping up and down these hills allows me for the first time to say two words together--scenic vistas. But be forewarned: the "easy" trails are not a stroll down a sidewalk. The staff is courteous and helpful but not always sitting in the booth. It is handy to have five bucks per person in your pocket.

Nice drive to the Murcheson overlook. The views are amazing. Be sure to read the plaques; informative and fascinating.

Not for the disabled. Many routes for both the new and experienced climbers. Or as we did - just stayed on the resting places and enjoyed the mountain, flora and fauna.

Amazing. Stunning. Beautiful. A true hikers/ trail runners dream!!!! The trails are not busy here- which is odd, but nice! We did schaffers shuffle, since weather wasn't pleasant for hiking up to the peak. We did 6 miles, and are going for more tomorrow. We were told lots of snakes during summer and very windy in spring. No potable water there- so BRING LOTS! Simple toilets.

We have been here a couple times and enjoyed it. One area has just hiking trails and the other has covered picnic tables and hiking and a few camping spots. Beautiful scenery! Some trails are pretty difficult! Some are nice and easy. Well maintained and helpful, friendly personnel! There is an entrance fee.

We enjoyed a great hike, slightly over 1 mile up a rocky path to a small cave (really a hole in the rocks) on a cold day in December. We were well dressed with hiking boots and winter clothing so it was a blast. Beautiful views looking up and down the canyon. We did pass a few people coming and going; this was the day after Christmas so probably more crowded than usual but, then again, the cold may have kept some away.

There is a very short drive into the Mountains with some scenery. However after the short drive you have to hike in order to see the rest of what beauty the mountains hold. If you really like hiking and are in good to excellent shape maybe this park is for you.

Recently moved to El Paso and am an avid hiker. My husband, son and I headed out a bit late on a Sunday in October to check out Franklin Mountains State Park, Tom Mays Unit off the Trans Mountain Highway. Upon reaching the entrance kiosk we discovered we only had two hours before closing so chose the Agave Caves trail, 1.2 miles round trip, for a quick hike. It was a gorgeous day with the Fall wildflowers in full bloom. We saw a collared lizard along the way. It is a short, distance, to the caves but steep and rocky. The view gets better and better the higher you go. We were the only ones on the trail so had the cave to ourselves. If this is a sample of the beauty of the Franklins, I can't wait to see more!

For a break from the city, can't do better than taking the Woodrow Bean through the Franklin Mountains. Scenic vistas!

There were empty beer can and alcohol bottles everywhere. Broken glass, bottle tops, etc. it was pretty sad.

I started on the west side went to the top and trail it back to the west side. Some like to cross and go west to east or east to west. If you do it in the summer take plenty of water for 2 hours or so. Part of the trail has a lot of sharp rock so don't wear shoes with thin soles. There is bike some bike riders so be careful on corners.

I normally set out for day hikes at a reasonable time so that I will be back at my vehicle before it gets dark. Sometimes that is impossible to do. There will be times when you find yourself still far away from comfort and night rapidly is falling. For whatever reason, this happens to many hikers despite research, trip planning and good intentions. So when a friend of mine recently suggested a hike in the Franklin Mountains late in the afternoon I figured it would be a good idea to bring at least three sources of light in case we were out after dark. So, I brought my trusty Petzl Tikka headlamp, a small tactical flashlight, and my flint and steel. I had also just purchased a new pair of lightweight hiking shoes made by Scarpa called the Crux Canvas. These are ‘approach’ shoes, designed to get climbers to climbing spots, but they would work just fine for my purposes, namely, hiking in mountainous terrain. I was a little nervous about breaking in shoes the first day I got them by hiking in the mountains; some professionals will no doubt shake their heads in wonder since I broke a cardinal rule of hiking: always break your shoes in first on easy trails for a while before attempting hardcore hikes. Oh well. I have thick hiking socks, I trim my nails, I lace them up tight, and I always have moleskin just in case. These tactics mitigate my rule breaking. Technically, hiking in the mountains at night at all is generally unwise since it is far easier to fall and injure yourself…but what is life without risk? We set out from Smugglers Pass about 5pm and headed north towards North Franklin Peak, skirting Castner Range, which is off limits to civilians since there is still unexploded ordinance in that area of Fort Bliss. Please pay the $5 fee to Texas Parks and Wildlife to hike in the Franklins, people. These fees pay to keep the park trails maintained, wildlife studied, and many other crucial tasks beyond count. Without those fees, the park would close and no one would be able to hike there. Also, whenever there is economic hardship in Texas, or lawmakers look for items to cut in the budget, the state parks feel the pinch first. So please pay the fee. Ascending the upper bajada was quite a challenge, loose scree comprised of red granite makes it difficult to know where to place your feet without causing a rockslide. We startled one rattlesnake; we both made walking sticks to poke around in areas with thick stands of sotol and agave before traversing further, however, we never heard any others. We never quite made it to North Franklin Peak, as we decided to limit our night hiking to the return journey only. After photographing the sunset, we scoped out some promising future campsites and started back. This time we used a nearby arroyo to get down to the road. This was actually a bit easier because there was less vegetation. We encountered a ‘vinegaroon’ (Mastigoproctus giganteus) which I had never seen before. This nocturnal creature, which looks like a cross between a crab and a scorpion, is harmless. It can spray an acidic mist that is 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar, hence the common name, vinegaroon. Also, the heavy pinching mouthparts can inflict a painful bite, so don’t try to handle one. It feeds on insects, other arthropods, and probably small vertebrates like lizards. Very cool! We also saw several tarantulas. Most critters here in the desert are nocturnal, so night hikes are a great time to view wildlife. The headlamp was critical to hiking in the mountains at night, mainly because I could keep my hands free to steady myself during the descent. The headband on my Tikka is old and worn out, and the case has a crack in it. The next headlamp I am going to purchase will be the Black Diamond Spot. 90 lumens, 90 grams, with several settings including strobe and a lock to prevent it coming on in your backpack and draining the battery. --Logan Ralph