Skip to main content

El Paso's Scenic Overlooks

Image
By


El Paso's scenery is a unique combination of desert and rugged mountains.  The city is located within the Chihuahuan Desert, features the peaks of the Franklin Mountains, and shares a border along the Rio Grande.  It is in this setting that over 700 thousand people live.  

Sunset in El Paso

Just north of Downtown, the Franklin Mountains begin to rise.  Along both Rim Road and Scenic Drive, there are many overlooks of the city, Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, and the Chihuahuan Desert.


The most popular vantage point is the Murchison Park Overlook on Scenic Drive.  The idea of a sightseeing route along the base of the Franklin Mountains dates to 1881.  Nearly 40 years later, the 1.82-mile roadway opened to the general public.  During the 1930s, two projects paved the road and added drainage culverts.

Nightfall in El Paso and Juarez.

The scenic two-lane roadway winds to a point 500 feet above the city and the Rio Grande.  The drive offers breathtaking views of the El Paso Skyline, Juarez, and nearby areas.  Murchison Overlook is very popular for locals and visitors alike.  Weekend evenings can be busy, and gates on both the east and west ends of Scenic Drive can control traffic.  


The overlook is popular for couples young and old, marriage proposals, senior pictures, and more.  Murchison Park incorporates the rocky terrain of the Franklin Mountains that allow for many great vantage points.

Scenic Drive and Murchinson Park is not the only location to take in great views of El Paso and the Chihuahuan Desert.  Tom Lea Park, located on 900 Rim Road, offers amazing views from a slightly lower altitude.

Downtown El Paso from Tom Lea Park

Known as the "Upper Park," the park sits above El Paso High School and allows for closer views of the city.  It is a more level park with grassy areas that make it more kid and pet-friendly.  It's easy to have a picnic here or relax and enjoy the surroundings.  

The Red 'X', La Equis, is in Juarez's Plaza de la Mexicanidad.

The views here make the park a great alternative to Scenic Drive or a stop on your way to or from the Murchinson Overlook.  

Both locations offer amazing views of El Paso and its surroundings.  They are both must-stops when I visit - and even if you are passing through on Interstate 10 - it's worth the 30-45 minute trip off the highway.

All photos taken by post author.

How To Get There:

Sources & Links:

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 180 in Centerville

By
Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854.  The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road.  The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934.  By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park.  For the majority of the life of California State Route 180 in Centerville, it has not strayed far from Kings Canyon Road.  This changed in 2020 when California State Route 180 was relocated onto the Kings Canyon Expressway.  This blog serves as an overview of the history of California State Route 180 and general evolution of highways in Centerville.  California State Route 180 can be seen passing through Centerville and Minkler below on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno Count...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

By
The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles.  The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57.  California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10.  Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10.  The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargea...
Post a Comment
Read more