Franklin Mountains State Park

We had so much fun. When you get in there, you have to stop at the main building. They were super nice, they gave us a map, gave us directions, and answered questions we had. We set up a National Parks account. We had to use the bathrooms there, they were so clean, I was impressed. We took our 3 year old on the trail to the Aztec Caves, a little less than 2 miles. So beautiful. The trail gets a little narrow and steep. Very steep at the cave entrance. And there's loose rocks, so definitely wear shoes that have grip on the bottom. But my three year old completed the hike. It was awesome, so beautiful. We will be back.

This park is a great hiking destination. The perfect place to go and clear your head. It has the most breathtaking, relaxing views and the hike paths are clearly marked and clean. Well worth the trip and the 5 bux to get in!

We had a memorable time camping in the Franklin Mountains State Park this weekend. The scenery is unmatched if you're looking to reconnect with nature, and even though there are other campers nearby, it still feels pretty isolated compared to other places we have camped, which is awesome. The trails are never-ending and it is such a peaceful overall camping experience. Watch for rattlesnakes, and enjoy other wildlife sightings as well. There are trails for all levels of hiking experience. Just make sure to bring plenty of water. We chose to hike early morning and early evening to avoid the scorching sun and it made all the difference in the world. We camped with our little Casita, a generator, and our two dogs though there were plenty of people roughing it in tents around us. The campsites are pretty nomadic (no hookups, no street lights at night, etc) but there is an outhouse for doing your business. If you are looking for a phenomenal camping experience that truly puts you in the center of nature's majesty, this is the place you have been searching for. If you're looking to be lined up beside other campers in neat little rows, have no privacy, but have slightly more amenities, this is not it. The only suggestion I would notation for the park to improve upon is the gate for after hours coming/going. We were given a code for gate access if we needed to go anywhere outside of the parks normal operating hours of 8-5. The code is for an actual padlock and you have to manually swing open the gate, drive through, and then get out and close it behind you. While this is a pretty straightforward process and we are not lazy individuals, the issue arose when we were bombarded by other patrons trying to gain access to the park at 6:30 AM on a Saturday morning. People showing us receipts where they had paid for access online, people trying to follow our vehicle through the gate, etc. This put us in a very uncomfortable position since we are not supposed to let anyone in. With an automatic gate that requires keypad code entry and operates on a timer to only let 1 vehicle through at a time, this issue could be remedied. The office/facilities seem new/updated so my only suggestion for improvement would be to update the gate/ how campers and patrons are able to enter the park. Overall, best camping experience we have ever had, even with the gate issues.

So we had some family in town recently who had never seen the Franklin Mountains State Park. We took everyone on a weekend adventure trip here. Everyone loved it even the children! Great place for a family outing and to get away from technology and things like that for those who are connected with technology.

Pretty place to connect with the nature. I love it, it's a huge place with different areas, if you go to the park offices the place it's more " kid friendly" more easy for newbies on hike like us Also have picnic areas, to rest and eat, restroom, you must have bring your own food and water. Great experience just for $5 dollars per person older than 12

Went hiking and had alot of fun trekking up jusy one of the trails (Aztec Caves Trail) at the Franklin Mountains State Park near El Paso, TX. Good trail for most, wear good shoes, and have fun!

Beautiful park. Definitely take the trail to the Aztec Caves. It's challenging but I saw kids make it up to the caves. Be sure to go around to the left of the first cave to see the second one. There may be more but I was hot, tired and a little more than sunburned after spending the previous day at Hueco Tanks. Bring a lot of water and sunscreen if you go in the summer.

Family fun outside, enjoying nature, a hike (50 minutes climb/hike to Aztec cavws) only 5bux to park. We'll go again soon! Sooo pretty!