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East Mountain 
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Hueco Tanks 


Photos: Recent | Best | Popular
Lat, Long: 31.9169, -106.0429 Map
Page Views: 385,210. Good page? (3 likes)   
Administrators: Matt Richardson, LeeAB, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: Aimee Rose on Mar 30, 2006

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What's New
Guidebooks (1)
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Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
Partly Cloudy
97° | 70°
Chance of a Thunderstorm
97° | 72°
Partly Cloudy
95° | 70°
Clear
95° | 68°
Clear
93° | 72°
Some areas require a guide.


Before

Description 

The best bouldering in the world, Hueco is amazing, but you gotta play the game to get in. Must call Texas State Parks (512)389-8900 to make reservations for North Mountain (be sure to write down your confirmation #s as they tend to lose them) or call the Hueco Rock Ranch (915)855-0142 for tours (required) of the other areas and camping.

Best time of year to visit is November through March. It gets windy through the end of March and beginning of April. After mid-April, it's hot as sin. The rock is amazing, bullet hard and sharp on the digits.

Matt Wilder's Hueco Tanks guidebook from Wolverine Publishing is the best resource for routes. It is very extensive, has great directions and pictures.

This online guide will focus on North Mountain, since in the other areas you'll have a guide and other people who can point out the problems.


Getting There 

Get to El Paso then take HWY 62/180 (aka Montana Rd) east until you pass all the junk yards. When you see the ufo shaped white building turn left and go to the end of the road.


Hueco Rock Ranch 

The Hueco Rock Ranch offers climbers a friendly place to stay while spending time at Hueco Tanks. Camp or rent a room/bunk. Showers, communal hang out area, and good company around the fire are included. Easy access to climbing and no hassle. Join the American Alpine Club and save 30%. Open November–April.

Book Reservations


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Hueco Tanks:
The Maiden   V0     Boulder, 35 feet   East Mountain : Maiden Gully
The Melon Patch   V0     Boulder   North Mountain : Scary Boulder
Nobody Here Gets Out Alive   V2     Boulder   North Mountain : The Grenade
Ghetto Simulator   V2     Boulder   North Mountain : Ghetto Simulator
Sign of the Cross   V3     Boulder   North Mountain : Sign of the Cross
T-Bone Shuffle   V4     Boulder   North Mountain : The Morgue
Moonshine Roof (center)   V4     Boulder, 25 feet   East Mountain : Moonshine Roof
Dragon Fly, AKA: Dogmatics   V5     Boulder, 15 feet   East Mountain : Dragon's Den
Lobsterclaw, AKA:Mr. Negative   V5     Boulder   North Mountain : The New Meadow
Center El Murray   V6     Boulder   North Mountain : Mushroom Boulder
See Spot Run   V6 PG13     Boulder, 25 feet   North Mountain : The Big Time
Martini Roof short aka Baby Martini   V6     Boulder, 25 feet   North Mountain : Martini Roof area
Baby Face   V7     Boulder   North Mountain : Trac II
Mushroom Roof   V8     Boulder, 15 feet   North Mountain : Mushroom Boulder
The Egg   V9     Boulder, 15 feet   East Spur : Back of the Maze
Full Service   V10     Boulder   East Mountain : Dragon's Den
Esperanza   V14     Boulder   North Mountain : Martini Roof area
Indecent Exposure   5.9+     Trad, 2 pitches, 300 feet   North Mountain : Indecent Exposure Buttress
Sea of Holes   5.10 R     Sport, 2 pitches, 350 feet   North Mountain : Central Wall
Window Pain   5.10     Sport, 1 pitch, 150 feet   North Mountain : Central Wall
Browse More Classics in Hueco Tanks

Featured Route For Hueco Tanks
Trevor Turmelle on Fearless Driving Rain

Fearless Driving Rain V6 R  TX : Hueco Tanks : ... : First Love
A tall V6 with excellent moves on excellent rock. The crux is low, but the top keeps you paying attention....[more]   Browse More Classics in TX


Photos of Hueco Tanks Slideshow Add Photo
and after

and after

End of the Rainbow

End of the Rainbow

EW... back in the day when HT was just a little bit more free.

EW... back in the day when HT was just a little bi...

Fun Downclimbs!

Fun Downclimbs!

No one gets out of here alive.

No one gets out of here alive.

Remember pinkpointing and tights? <br />Both were legit at one time. <br />Plastic Fantastic, I think.

Remember pinkpointing and tights?
Both were legit ...


Hiking back from West Mountain at the end of the day.

Hiking back from West Mountain at the end of the d...

Bob Horan bouldering at Hueco on Obscured By Clouds.

Bob Horan bouldering at Hueco on Obscured By Cloud...

Fred Nicole floating around at Hueco Tanks, photo: Bob Horan.

Fred Nicole floating around at Hueco Tanks, photo:...

The second bolt on Desperado (5.10+) broke under body weight according to a sign in the ranger station.   <br /> <br />This photo shows the air pollution in Juarez immediately after a huge rain, so this is a good day.  After observing a  possible relationship between polluted rain from Denver and weaker bolts, I'm hypothesizing that air pollution increases the rate of bolt corrosion at Hueco.      <br />

BETA PHOTO: The second bolt on Desperado (5.10+) broke under b...

Oryx at the entrance gate to the Park.

Oryx at the entrance gate to the Park.

Don't mess with Texas! Or so the saying goes. <br />  <br />No wonder the custodians of Hueco Tanks are so protective.  This is just 15 minutes from the park!

Don't mess with Texas! Or so the saying goes.

No...


Beautiful Hueco Tanks, Texas.

Beautiful Hueco Tanks, Texas.

This was taken outside of Fort Bliss in El Paso recently, but not by me. Watch out!

This was taken outside of Fort Bliss in El Paso re...

BH highballing on FA of Distorted History V5 @ Hueco Tanks.

BH highballing on FA of Distorted History V5 @ Hue...

Earl Wiggins hb @ Hueco Tanks: photo Bob Horan

Earl Wiggins hb @ Hueco Tanks: photo Bob Horan

Shane Rymer on 2nd ascent of Moonlight Drive Traverse V? @ Hueco Tanks circa 1984: photo Bob Horan.

Shane Rymer on 2nd ascent of Moonlight Drive Trave...

BH sends the 45 Degree Wall.

BH sends the 45 Degree Wall.

Horan on repeat ascent of Mother of the Future V7, circa 1985.

Horan on repeat ascent of Mother of the Future V7,...

Hueco Tanks

Hueco Tanks

Even though jumping through the hoops to climb here is a pain, it is hard to beat the sunsets.

Even though jumping through the hoops to climb her...

Working the No body @Hueco Tanks

Working the No body @Hueco Tanks

Hueco in the 80s

Hueco in the 80s

Sunset at Hueco

Sunset at Hueco

The newly renovated AAC Rock Ranch

The newly renovated AAC Rock Ranch


Comments on Hueco Tanks Add Comment
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Comments displayed oldest to newestSkip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Oct 2, 2012
By Russ Walling
From: www.FishProducts.com
Oct 17, 2007

Here is a small selection of videos shot at Hueco in the early 90's..... yeah it's dated... but it's FREE! Check them out and you can laugh at my JRat clothes!

fishproducts.com/home_movies/home_movies.html

By Monomaniac
Administrator
From: Morrison, CO
Feb 12, 2008

The Geographic Coordinates provided above are incorrect. Here are some better coordinates, in case someone with Admin privileges wants to update things:

Hueco Tanks: -106.0429 x 31.9169

North Mountain: -106.0445 x 31.9225
East mountain: -106.0391 x 31.9171
East Spur: -106.0372 x 31.9108
West Mountain: -106.0456 x 31.9129

Some N Mtn areas:

110 Proof Roof: -106.0436 x 31.9222
The Grenade: -106.0438 x 31.9221
Indecent Exposure Buttress: -106.0483 x 31.9215
Martini Roof Area (Upper Lost Boulders): -106.0425 x 31.9217
Mushroom Boulder: -106.0487 x 31.9219
The New Meadow: -106.0437 x 31.9232
Sign of the Cross: -106.0433 x 31.9246
Small Potatoes: -106.0433 x 31.9224
Trac II: -106.0456 x 31.9217
Warm Up Boulder: -106.0449 x 31.9260

By Ken Trout
From: Golden, CO
Feb 7, 2009

The book: "Hueco Tanks, a climber's and boulderer's guide", by John Sherman, Mike Head, James Crump, and Dave Head, gives this for first ascent information:

"The history of lead climbing at Hueco Tanks can be summed up in one name - Mike Head. Mike ascended over two thirds of the lead climbs in this guide, usually in very bold style. Imagine leading Window Pain or Head Fox with only two bolts apiece as Mike first did. Or free soloing the first ascent of Sea of Holes, before the loose rock had been cleaned off.

Mike placed the majority of retrobolts (sic)in Hueco Tanks, changing his routes from sporty climbs to sportclimbs (sic)."

The history of climbing bolt legalization at Hueco Tanks is found in an article titled: "Retrobolting At Hueco" by Laurel Lacher (Rock & Ice Magazine, #36, March/April 1990).

By Russ Walling
From: www.FishProducts.com
Feb 11, 2009

Thanks Ken.

Does anyone know the official bolt replacement policy at Hueco these days? Or do you just wait for a "drillers moon" and make it happen?

By Ken Trout
From: Golden, CO
Feb 11, 2009

Russ, thanks for all the great Hueco beta and photos (and the mussy hooks in the Owens too)!

I did ask a park staff member if I could help replace old bolts. The answer was that "Austin is working on it still." It being some kind of policy.

I had thoughts of the old Drilling Moon methods too, but it might get climbing banned. The scope of what really needs doing is too huge.

Sorry to all for hogging up so much page space with a lengthy condition report. Looking forward to a day in the future the conditions are simply "Phat new bolts on one of America's best crags."

By Russ Walling
From: www.FishProducts.com
Feb 11, 2009

"Austin is working on it" uh-oh. That is kinda scary.

Here is slide show from our trip in '07. You can see some of the old bolts in the show. It is a fairly large QT Movie, so be patient and let it load. There is like 100 images. You can do a mouseover on the little "i" in the upper right hand corner for captions on each photo. If you put your mouse over the bottom middle, forward, reverse and pause will show up.

here is the link: fishproducts.com/movies/hueco_10_07.mov

By joshf
From: missoula, mt
Nov 16, 2009

there is a small mexican grocery on the right of the main road a couple miles out heading out from el paso towards hueco...best tortillas in the world. we subsisted off the damn things for almost a week and bought as many as we could before we headed home...dirt cheap and damn good for a tight budget.

By Nate Moore
From: On the road
Apr 2, 2010

I need to get to Hueco from Springfield, MO on the weekend of the 10th of April. I can meet you somewhere other than Springfield if i need to and my dates can change a little as well.

Nate

By gabriel hamilton
Sep 9, 2012

hey guys,

I have a quick question...

It is my FIRST trip to Hueco, FINALLY!

unfortunately, the only time we have allotted for now, is october 24-28...

Can we still find awesome climbing with the temperature during this time???

Basically, is it still worth it to make the trip??

Thanks,

-G

By Andre
From: Manitou Springs, CO
Sep 16, 2012

Am heading to EP for work a few days and would like to check out Heuco. I heard that the park gate closes at 6 pm. Are there any areas one can still access for climbing or bouldering after 6 pm without issues, if one were to park outside the gate?

By bsear945
Oct 2, 2012

Does anyone have any experience with dogs at Hueco Tanks. Options of where to keep them due to them not being allowed on North Mountain or the Rock Ranch.

Thanks