How Scenic Drive became one of El Paso’s most treasured landmarks

Sept. 25, 2026, 11:18 a.m. MT

Just days before El Paso’s Scenic Drive’s 106th anniversary, the roadway atop the Franklin Mountains has been closed indefinitely after rainstorms damaged the route that has offered views of El Paso and Juárez for more than a century.

Scenic Drive is closed in both directions “until further notice,” the El Paso Police Department posted on Facebook Sept. 24.