El Paso County

When we started following climbing news and watching climbing videos some 10ish years ago, Hueco Tanks was huge. The Hueco Rock Rodeo took place every year and attracted many strong climbers. The area looked so good in these videos. Big roofs, red stone, desert vibes. We dreamed of this place for years, but as it is across an ocean and has quite strict access regulations, a visit never seemed around the corner.
Yet now we had planned a long trip to the USA and Hueco was a certain part of it right from the beginning. We read everything we found online to make sure we could climb there. Since 1998 the Hueco Tanks State Park is restricted to 90 visitors per day for self-guided access to North Mountain plus an additional 60 or so people on guided tours to East Mountain, East Spur, and West Mountain. We weren't able to make reservations from Germany, but managed to do that two weeks into the trip in the USA. Ultimately, it turned out we didn't really need any reservation at all in October, because climbers don't go there before November due to the heat...well it didn't hurt to have a reservation either.

We arrived at the Hueco Mountain Hut when it was already dark. Our first encounter with any living being in Hueco was with a Mojave Rattlesnake, that slowly slithered away, when we tried to occupy our campground. After that, we were alarmed, but did not see another snake during the whole next week.

Our first day in Hueco was hard. The sun was baking, we didn't yet know the area and the shady spots, and we had totally underestimated the old school grading, that is used in Hueco. In short, we got smacked in the face that first day, but we didn't give up just yet. Entering the area that first day, we overheard a ranger speaking to someone on the phone, who asked about a volunteer tour. These tours are rare in the off-season and tend to be filled up even before being publicly anounced. So we asked if there was still room for us and there was!
The tour took place on the second day. We met our tour guide CJ and the rest of the group (Pedro, Levi and Derek) at 9am. The plan was to go to East Mountain and cover a few of the famous places with moderate lines. CJ has been climbing in Hueco since the mid 90ies and lives there every year during the season, offering volunteer tours almost every day. He knows all the blocs, all the lines, all the beta and all the stories. It was awesome. We started at the Warm Up Roof, continued to Dragon Fly and finished the day at the Moonshine Roof. The landscape in the Hueco Tanks backcountry is even more beautiful than on North Mountain. It looks so wild and it is astonishing to see the oasis of the state park in contrast to the vast desert in the background. Our backcountry day was a day to remember. The atmosphere and the vibes with the group were superb, we all had lot of fun.
On our third climbing day, we were back on North Mountain and went to a sector that was recommended to us by CJ: Sign of the cross. The name giving line is surrounded by blocks creating a completely shaded triangle of walls. Inside that triangle temperatures were around 15 degree lower than outside. That's what they mean, when they're talking about Hueco Tanks micro climate. Next to Sign of the cross (THE benchmark for V3 by John Sherman himself!) is a line by Fred Nicloe called Choir Boys (V9) that I fought myself up. Great climbing but insanely hard for the grade, I think...
After three full days of steep approaches, bouldering and tremendous heat, we were up for a rest day at White Sands National Park (there will be a separate entry for that place).
Day four was full on again. I could climb another old Fred Nicole line, Power of Silence, V10, and Birte climbed Skimmer, V3.
On day four I managed to do my first V11 of the trip, Diaphanous Sea, a steep crimp line with a far throw to a sharp incut crimp-jug. After that, we walked to the Wicicala Cave, where Birte tried the name-giving roof climb, a very Hueco-esque power endurance testpiece (V5). Birte could do all the moves and linked large parts together. Before the park closed, we followed a path we saw in the guide book that was supposed to lead us to some cave paintings. The path was really exposed and involved some serious climbing, downclimbing, and even a jump over an abyss by the name of "Demon Slot". We arrived at the cave, but almost couldn't find the paintings. Just before we wanted to head back, I found a small gap between the bed rock and a large boulder. I peaked inside and saw them. Magnificent!
We took an easier way down and were the last ones to exit the park (as almost every day) just before the park closed at 6pm.
On our last day we went to the Wicicala Cave again and Birte climbed the line in two parts, but couldn't link them unfortunately. A good reason to come back 😜

We stayed most of the nights at the State Park's campground, which is a great place to sleep. It is behind the backcountry part of the park and thus away from all traffic and the lights of El Paso. In the mornings we opened the door of our van and if there was no wind, we could not hear a thing! No animal, no human, no car. Total silence 🙉
On two evenings we threw our crashpads on top of the van and lay there to watch the stars in the pitch black desert night.
Three nights we slept at the Hueco Mountain Hut, a climber's campground, owned and managed by a climber, who has been living here in the desert since 1988: Lowell Stevenson. A great guy. Every morning we went into his shop to talk to him and get ourselves the best coffee ever, Desert Piñon, a mixed roast of coffee beans and desert pine nuts. It's hard to describe in words how good that coffee was, but I would come back to Hueco just for the coffee 😋

Hueco Tanks was amazing. It truly was. Not just for bouldering, but for the whole experience and the magic of this place. We loved it here.Read more