Saturday, February 6, 2010

Hueco Tanks - Camping

Unfortunately the Hueco Rock Ranch is more of a looker at night.

The drive out to Hueco was much shorter than I thought but much wetter too. As soon as I left Tucson I was driving in rain all the way there. Fortunately after I grabbed a tasty Ribeye Steak Sandwich for lunch at the The Great American Land & Cattle Company the rain cleared up and gave me enough time to drive to the Hueco Rock Ranch just west of Hueco Tanks State Park and set up my tent.
The Hueco Rock Ranch is the most convenient place to stay when visiting Hueco Tanks. There are few camping spots at the park itself but you need reservations in advance and they lock the gates at 6pm meaning once it hits 6pm you can't drive out of the park.
At the Hueco Rock Ranch all you need to do is drive up and find an empty spot and set up your tent. If the "Shop" inside the barn is open you can purchase a camping spot for $5 per person per night. If they aren't open you can go by in the morning to buy the camping spot. For your $5 you get access to a camping site and access to the following amenities. 3 porta potties, a cooking area, a "barn" that contains 1 sink with running water, 1 shower with hot water, a general hangout room with a ping pong table and a foosball table. The barn does have electrical outlets you can use. I believe there is wifi in the campgrounds but I was told the wifi does not really work inside the barn. Since my laptop batteries last less than 30 minutes outside I am taking advantage of my rest day to update my blog from a cafe that has wifi.
The schedules might change but during my stay Thursday night was a movie night and Sat. was a themed party night. Everything at the Ranch is a bit down and dirty. As one of my fellow campers called the place ideal for "dirt bagging", living cheap so you can just focus on bouldering. If you want a more refined living situation you can stay in the house for $30 a night.
During my stay in early Feb. The days were a very comfortable temperatures but I will recommend you bring a jacket for the climbing spots in the shade. At night it does get pretty cold so I would recommend you gear up accordingly. There is a big communal campfire every night at the ranch to warm you up.

Hueco Rock Ranch 
17498 Bettina Avenue
El Paso, TX 79938-8721
(915) 855-0142


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