Copyright: Texas State Parks & Historical Sites East Mountain Area

Description - Hueco Tanks State Historical Park, is located 32 miles northeast of El Paso in El Paso County. It was obtained from the county by special deed on June 12, 1969, and by purchase of 121 additional acres on August 10, 1970. This site was opened to the public in 1969. This 860.3-acre park is named for the large natural rock basins or "huecos" that have furnished a supply of trapped rain water to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for millennia.

A unique legacy of lively and fantastic rock paintings greets the visitor at the "tanks." From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. Hueco Tanks was the site of the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, Comanches, and earlier Indian groups camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route

The park is normally open 7 days a week year-round with the busy season being winter and holiday weekends.

For the protection of natural and cultural resources at the park, visitation is limited. Special reservation and entry restrictions are required at this park. Please contact the park or park information (1-800-792-1112-Option 3) for details.

Attractions - In addition to the fascinating and diverse plants and animals of this section of the Chihuahuan Desert, of unusual interest in the rock basins are seasonal explosions of tiny, translucent freshwater shrimps that attract gray foxes, bobcats, prairie falcons, golden eagles, lizards, and other predators.

On regularly scheduled pictographs tours, guides will lead visitors to various areas of the park (primarily East Mountain, East Spur and West Mountain) showcasing examples of paintings representing the three distinct cultures. Guides will provide data on the geology, common flora, fauna, and history of the site.

Facilities include campsites with water and/or electricity; walk-in picnic sites; restrooms with and without showers; hiking trails;interpretive center; and an amphitheater. There are no playgrounds.

Nearby attractions are the Franklin Mountains State Park, Magoffin Home State Historical Park, the City of El Paso, and Fort Bliss.

The entrance fee is $4 per person; children 12 and under have no charge. Texas Conservation Passport honored on a per-person basis; Parklands Passport honored.

Recreation - The park includes an old ranch house that serves as the park's interpretive center, and ruins of a stagecoach station. Activities include picnicking, camping, hiking, rock climbing, nature study, historical pictographs on rocks in the park, stargazing, slide shows, and guided tours.

Climate - Hueco Tanks State Historical Park is located at elevations ranging from 4500 to 4800 feet. Temperatures within the park range from an average January 44.4 degrees to a July average of 82.5 degrees. The first/last freeze is usually November 13/March 21. Current weather conditions can vary from day to day. For more details, call the park or Park Information at 1-800-792-1112.

Location - The park can be reached by traveling 32 miles northeast of El Paso on US Highway 62/180, then turning north on Ranch Road 2775.

LAT: 31.9178851
LONG: -106.0444211