The expansion pushes the West Texas park’s footprint to roughly 28,000 acres, or about 43 square miles, further cementing its status as one of the largest urban parks in the country. Located just 15 minutes from downtown El Paso in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, the park is known for its rugged mountain landscape, rock climbing, hiking and more than 120 miles of trails.
“I am excited about this acquisition,” Superintendent Cesar Mendez said, “which extends the buffer zone all the way to Martin Luther King Boulevard, adding some lower elevation and flatter land to Franklin Mountains State Park and securing access points (trailheads).”
The newly acquired land opens access to the park’s northeastern side, including existing trailheads connected to popular mountain biking routes. Wildlife officials said the deal also helps slow urban encroachment around the park by creating a new buffer between development and the mountains.
The added land is expected to preserve unobstructed views of the Franklin Mountains from the northeast while also helping protect habitat used by desert bighorn sheep in the main mountain range.
TPWD originally acquired land for Franklin Mountains State Park in 1981 before opening the park to the public in 1987.
Now that the sale is finalized, the agency said staff will begin conducting natural and cultural resource surveys on the property. Those studies will help shape long-term management plans, visitor access and future interpretive exhibits.
Park planners and resource specialists will also develop a public use plan to determine how the new acreage will eventually be opened to visitors. TPWD said that the process could take several months before a timeline for public access is announced.
The Franklin Mountains expansion comes just weeks after TPWD announced another major park acquisition in Texas. In late April, the agency revealed Lockhart State Park had added 188 acres through the purchase of two neighboring properties, nearly doubling the size of the Central Texas park to about 453 acres.