Hueco Tanks (El Paso, Texas) - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

"Born of molten rock from the earth’s interior more than 30 million years ago and stripped bare by the ebb and flow of subsequent weathering and erosion, the three massive granitic hills [known as] Hueco Tanks rise like an island more than 400 feet above the Chihuahuan Desert floor in far West Texas.

You can see and feel the evidence of the primal creative forces in Hueco Tanks’ labyrinthine chambers, secluded alcoves, rocky overhangs, and natural basins and cisterns, all rendered gloomy and a little spooky by the formation’s darkened stone. It seems frozen in time, now rendered almost impervious to wind and water by a varnish-like coating called “patina.”

Over the millennia, Hueco Tanks has drawn desert plant and wildlife communities and prehistoric and historic man into its folds primarily because its huecos (a Spanish word for “hollows”) – especially the deep ones that lie beneath sheltering rock ceilings – trap and hold drinkable water, that most valuable desert commodity.

Hueco Tanks’ extraordinary natural history, pre-history and history have led to a swelling of potential visitors and inevitable acts of vandalism, forcing the Texas Parks & Wildlife to assert stringent regulations to protect the site. By making prior arrangements, however, you can secure a permit to explore the northernmost hill on your own, and you can join guided hiking, birding, rock climbing and rock art tours throughout Hueco Tanks. You can also get reservations for the limited camping and picnic facilities.

If hills and mountains stimulate your passions, you likely already know that Hueco Tanks ranks among the top rock climbing, or bouldering, sites in the world. [...] In climbing independently on the northern hill or with guided tours on the other two hills, you will find, say climbers, a rock type ideally suited to the sport, with unparalleled concentrations of climbing “problems.” You may find yourself climbing next to enthusiasts from Europe, Asia or Australia."

Source: Desert USA website

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/19/2016 Raven visited it