Forget the 12 Days Of Christmas, (for now – the holidays will be here soo enough), let’s look at ways to have fun near El Paso for the 12 weekends of summer.

I know, I know … summer in El Paso lasts about 10.5 – 11 months but, officially, summer is only June 21st – September 22nd. That’s 3 months which, averaging 4 weekends per month, is 12 weekends.

If you want to hit the road for any or all of those weekends; here are some easy day trips from El Paso. They could be day trips, overnighters or long weekends; either way they’re close and super easy to get back and forth from El Paso to.

Cornudas, Texas

About 60 miles east of El Paso, in the legit, middle of nowhere, is a true oasis. Cornudas, Texas. Take a nice drive, enjoy some great food and a beer or two and then scoot back to El Paso in just a few hours. If you want to spend the night … or several … they have lodging and RV/trailer hookups. Learn more here.

Fort Davis, Texas

About 3 hours from El Paso, Fort Davis sits up in the Davis Mountains and is home to the world famous McDonald Observatory. You can also visit Fort Davis … a genuine, old west military fort … and enjoy all kinds of other sites and experiences. If you want to make it an overnighter or stay a few days; you’ll find plenty of lodging, campsites and RV parks. Learn more here.

Near Fort Davis, you’ll also find Marfa, Texas. Very cool, very quirky, very artsy towns with lots to see and do. Among other things, you can visit the historic, (and haunted AF), Paisano Hotel in Marfa, visit the Prada mini store and maybe catch a glimpse of the Marfa Mystery Lights.

Alpine, Texas

Nearby Alpine, Texas also has lots to do including a vibrant arts community, a world … yes, world … renowned blues bar and easy access to Marfa, Fort Davis and Big Bend National Park.

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Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

Also just a couple of hours east of El Chuco, Carlsbad Caverns are legendary in their own right. There are also other things to do and see around Carlsbad you don’t have to go underground for.

The best part is you can easily get back and forth to these places, (easily), in a day and they have plenty of accommodations if you want to stay longer.

Those are just easy day trips east of El Paso. We’ll get to what’s north and west of El Chuco in parts 2 and 3. Stay tuned …

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Gallery Credit: Dubba G

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