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With the fresh start to the new year, it’s time to create a healthier, happier, and more natural way of life by taking time to focus energy on healthy living and wellness. After the past few years, many of us found ourselves cooped up inside of the house, lacking in socialization, losing our fitness routines, being out of touch with nature, and experiencing a wide range of other unhealthy habits. But not for long!
These 7 serene outdoor attractions in El Paso will help you gain a better perspective through nature. Spring is the time of new beginnings, and a new you is in full bloom.
1. Franklin Mountains State Park
A favorite hiking and mountain biking spot for locals, Franklin Mountains State Park covers 125 miles of multi-use trails and rugged terrain in a vast desert oasis. Head out early for a scenic drive as the sunrises, illuminating the peaks and valleys of the mountains. Make a day of it with places to picnic for breakfast and lunch. Even pitch a tent or park your RV for overnight camping at one of the campsites in the Tom Mays Unit.
Rock climbers can find their footing at the designated areas in McKelligon Canyon and in Sneed’s Cory. Special tours are also available with reservations. Open spaces equal open minds, recharge in a rustic wilderness to clear your mind and to get in some good exercise.
2. Hueco Tanks
Hueco Tanks is both a world-renowned bouldering site and a rock climbers retreat. But that’s not all. Aside from its use as a stagecoach stop along the old Butterfield Trail, and as a skillfully footed recreation course, it is one of the most historic sites in Texas. Beaming with pictographs, Hueco Tanks has over 3,000 of them.
Pictographs are rock paintings created by early indigenous tribes. Many of the Hueco Tanks pictographs include Mescalero Apache and Plains Indian designs. Explore shelter-like dwellings, caves, and hidden niches sprawled throughout the area on your trip. These were important destinations for Native American ceremonial purposes.
Choose from a selection of outdoor tours, including climbing, hiking, rock art, and bird watching. You also have the option of hiring guides from Rock Ranch. Get in touch with the land and its ancestral keepers to reconnect with nature for a clear and insightful perspective.
3. Rio Bosque Wetlands Park
Spacious and serene, the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is a bird watchers paradise. With over 200 species of birds spread across 372-acres, its combination of wetlands and riverside forest makes the ideal home for our feathered friends.
There are plenty of trails ranging in skill level for hikers and nature walkers. Take in the idyllic sights and feast your eyes on the dazzling Texas spring wildflowers budding in April and the sunny yellow blooming Forb Bittersweets every spring season. Flowers bring us the beauty of nature, and birds bring us the song of nature, and you’ll find both in Rio Bosque Wetlands Park for a total wellness reset.
4. El Paso Municipal Rose Garden
The sweet floral aromas and fanciful assortment of roses in the El Paso Municipal Rose Garden delight the senses with each step taken. Stroll along the walking paths experiencing over 1,900 rosebushes and 500 varieties of roses, including the musty and robust Lincoln Rose and the daringly unique Painted Rose.
Tranquil and alluring, find your zen amongst the raised flowerbeds, waterfalls, and koi pond surrounded by nature’s perfect gift.
5. Segundo Barrio Murals
Enrich your experience by exploring the Segundo Barrio Murals sprinkled throughout El Paso. The deep blending of American, Mexican, and Indigenous cultures is masterfully expressed through mural artistry. Each neighborhood illustrates its talented essence in vibrant and lively paintings smoothed over the surfaces of buildings and walls throughout the city.
Feel the comfort and warmth of the strong Chicano influences and the embracing openness of the American West. Conveniently make your way to each mural by downloading the Official Visit El Paso App for a guided walking tour of the Segundo Barrio murals. Uplift your inspired heart and enrich your experience by appreciating meaningful artwork.
6. Historic Mission Trail
You don’t have to be religious to find serenity along the Historic Mission Trail. With over 400 years of history, this scenic walking trail offers the oldest working missions in the region and oldest churches in the state of Texas. The churches of Ysleta and Socorro, and the chapel of San Elizario are perfect retreat rest stops during your journey.
Covering 9 miles in El Paso County’s Mission Valley, trip-goers have the chance to hit museums, state and national landmarks, art galleries, and award-winning restaurants along the way. With a rich history encapsulated in cultural homogeny and religious belief, the Historic Mission Trail is a satisfying experience for the mind, body, and spirit.
7. Day Trips
For day quickies only a few hours outside of El Paso, there are 3 remarkable natural outdoor hotspots you will love to see during your stay. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is home to more than 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave, the nation’s deepest limestone cave.
White Sands is exactly as its name describes! Brightly embedded in the Chihuahuan Desert, this vast patch of white sand is impossible to miss amidst its surrounding taupe landscape. A sight to behold, you can simply gaze at its majestic beauty, or you can bring a sled and snowboard to slide down its creamy hills.
Lastly, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, described as “one of America’s best kept secrets,” features a world-renowned example of preserved Permian-era geology. Its 400-mile long, Capitan Reef, is the world’s largest exposed fossil reef. For those who truly want to say they’ve “been to the mountaintop” can venture to the highest point in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, towering sky high at more than 8,500-feet tall. With the largest wilderness area in the state of Texas, there is more than enough trails, peaks, and forestry to explore as you reconnect with nature and find your inner peace.
Healthy living is within reach once you visit El Paso, Texas. Travelers can easily find their way from El Paso International Airport, a popular location launch pad for visitors from near and far. Revive, reset, and recharge in the new year as you bask in the natural wonders and sensational beauty of this serene Texas town.