"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 that we now call 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. Indeed, as Robert Miles and Ron Ralph said in an article in The Handbook of Texas Online, Hueco Tanks held virtually the only dependable source of water between the Pecos River, roughly 120 miles to the east, and El Paso, some 30 miles to the west.
Around Hueco Tanks’ margins and in its canyons and arroyos, you will find plants that don’t grow in the surrounding intermontane basin. You will see mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and even aquatic life that almost seem to vanish into rocky hideaways. You will see the fingerprints of man’s passage in imagery, artifacts, carbon-stained soils, fire-cracked rocks and crumbling rock walls.
Saved from development in the 1960’s, Hueco Tanks evolved from a county park to a state park to the present 860-acre state historic site, which is administered and protected by Texas Parks & Wildlife. It bears a 1936 Texas Centennial marker. It holds a place on the National Register of Historic Places (1971). It beckons now to enthusiasts for native plants and wildlife, rock climbing, prehistory and history.
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.
In exploring the northern hill, you will – depending on the route you choose – have to negotiate loose rock, moderately steep slopes and several crevices. Along the foot of the hill and in the canyons and washes, you will find the mix of Chihuahuan Desert and Ice Age remnant plants, the various communities of wildlife, and sites with Archaic or Jornada Mogollon rock art. With good luck, a few days after a decent rain, you may find shrimp in water-filled huecos, which range from a couple of feet to perhaps 15 feet or so in diameter. Near the top of the north hill, you can visit Kiva Cave, a prehistoric spiritual grotto with a gallery of haunting images of Jornada Mogollon ceremonial masks.
If you join a guided hiking tour, you can choose between lower or upper-level trails, which will lead you to different rock formations, plant and wildlife, rock art and desert vistas. You will have the benefit of a knowledgeable guide, who can take you directly to the most rewarding locations.
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