Hike Franklin Mountains Loop

You can start hiking the trail either from the West side or East side. I started on the West side at the Agave Trail. The climb up the mountain is not too hard and offers good views of the mountains. There are some very interesting rock formations on the east side. You can continue the trail to the Tin Mines on the East side.

Start your hike from the west cottonwood trail parking lot and ascend through some nice desert vegetation. The trail is rather rocky and has lots of loose rocks so step carefully. You'll pass by the old copper mine and then proceeded up the steep arroyo to the spring and cottonwood trees for very good views. To get back to the trailhead, you can loop onto the Agave Loop Trail for a 1.9 mile loo...

Start your hike at the West Cottonwood trail parking lot. The ascent on the trail is not too difficult. First the trail will take you to the top of the Sneed Cory with good views of the State Park. After that, continue up the mountainside, which has with lots of sotols and agaves as well as many wildflowers in bloom in the summer. You can turn around and come back on the trail for a 2.2 mile ou...

El Paso is a sprawling city that is remarkably split by the Franklin Mountains. By driving up the Transmountain Road you can get a view of city, but stopping at Franklin State Park and climbing the North Franklin Mountain Peak you can top the city! To start, enter Franklin State Park and pay the entry fee ($5). Park at the trailhead (first right into the park). From here head up the rocky minin...

I have hiked this trail several times but only in sections since it is so long. You can start from either the south parking or the north parking lot. I'd suggest leaving a car at both if possible so you can hike point-to-point if you want a shorter, 3.5 mile hike. The trail has very good views of the surrounding areas and has many beautiful wildflowers during the summer. Be aware that bikers us...

Start your hike from the parking lot and cross an arroyo to start your ascent to the cave. The trail climbs steadily but not difficult to hike. There are benches along the way if you need to rest your legs. The caves are small but interesting and from the caves you have very good views of the state park and the Rio Grande Valley below. There are lots of wildflowers in the summer.