Franklin Mountains State Park

About

Franklin Mountains State Park is the largest urban wilderness park in the nation, encompassing the entire Franklin Mountain range within El Paso city limits. The Tom Mays Unit serves as the primary camping area, offering primitive RV sites and walk-in tent campsites nestled in the rugged Chihuahuan Desert landscape. Campers enjoy dramatic desert scenery, dark skies, and easy access to over 100 miles of trails. This is strictly primitive camping. Sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and outdoor grills, but there are no water hookups, electricity, showers, or dump stations. Campers must bring all drinking water and be fully self-contained. Several walk-in tent sites (C1, C2, C3, C5) require a high-clearance vehicle to access. The park is extremely popular and frequently reaches capacity, so reservations through Texas State Parks are strongly recommended. Beyond camping, the park offers world-class hiking on trails like Ron Coleman and Aztec Caves, technical rock climbing, and mountain biking. The Wyler Aerial Tramway provides panoramic views of the region. Wildlife includes mule deer, golden eagles, and various reptiles typical of the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.

Directions

From El Paso, take Trans-Mountain Road (Loop 375) to Tom Mays Access Road. The Tom Mays Unit Headquarters is located at 2900 Tom Mays Access Rd., El Paso, TX 79911.