A mountain day, sunrise to sunset
An urban range with 27,000 acres in it. Here is how to spend a full day on it without cooking yourself.
The Franklin Mountains run right through the middle of El Paso, which means you can hike a real desert ridgeline and be back for lunch downtown. It also means people underestimate it. This range has no water, no shade, and full sun exposure. Treat it like a mountain.
The route
Sunrise
Tom Mays Unit
Enter off Transmountain Road. Start early — the first two hours are the best light and the safest temperature.
Mid-morning
Pick your distance
Short loops near the trailhead, or the long push toward North Franklin Peak if you are fit and started early.
Noon
Off the mountain, into the air conditioning
A long lunch on the West Side. Get more water than you think you need for the afternoon.
Afternoon
Transmountain pull-offs
Drive Loop 375 and stop at the overlooks. Zero effort, enormous views.
Golden hour
Scenic Drive or McKelligon Canyon
Murchison Park for the city-and-Juárez view, or the canyon if there is a show at the amphitheater.
Dark
Look for the Star
The Star on the Mountain has been lit above the city since 1940. You can see it from most of the East Side.
Swaps and variations
- Climbers: swap the whole day for Hueco Tanks — but reserve well in advance, access is capped.
- Fall: drive two hours east to McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupes for the only real fall color in the region.