El Paso itinerary: 1 to 2 days
Plans for one and two days in El Paso, day by day: the Wyler Aerial Tramway and Franklin Mountains State Park first, then the Magoffin Homestead, the El Paso Zoo and the Ysleta Mission as you add a day. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 2 days
El Paso in 1 day
Day 1
Wyler Aerial Tramway
Gondola from the Franklin Mountains State Park up to Ranger Peak at 1,700 metres, with views over El Paso, Juarez and New Mexico.
Franklin Mountains State Park
Large urban state park in the Franklin Mountains with desert hiking and biking trails, scenic drives and views over the border.
El Paso in 2 days
Day 1
Wyler Aerial Tramway
Gondola from the Franklin Mountains State Park up to Ranger Peak at 1,700 metres, with views over El Paso, Juarez and New Mexico.
Franklin Mountains State Park
Large urban state park in the Franklin Mountains with desert hiking and biking trails, scenic drives and views over the border.
Day 2
Magoffin Homestead
Adobe house of 1875 built by pioneer Joseph Magoffin, now a state historic site with furnished rooms from the Territorial period.
El Paso Zoo
Zoo of 35 acres with more than 200 species of animals from Asia, Africa and the Americas, near downtown.
Ysleta Mission
Mission church dating from 1682 at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, among the oldest continuously operating parishes in Texas.
Watch: El Paso
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to El Paso
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) give the best weather, with warm days and cool evenings; summers are very hot and dry, with a short monsoon of thunderstorms from July to September. Winter days are mild but nights can be near freezing, and snow is rare. Spring brings wildflowers to the desert, and the Sun Bowl football game is in late December.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in El Paso on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in El Paso on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in El Paso on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for United States from Airalo
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Tips for El Paso
- The Wyler Aerial Tramway rises to Ranger Peak in Franklin Mountains State Park with views over El Paso, Juarez and New Mexico; it does not run in high winds and keeps limited days, so check before going.
- The Ysleta Mission, dating from 1682, lies in the Lower Valley, a long drive from the tramway and the mountains.
- The Magoffin Homestead and the El Paso Zoo keep set days and hours, so check before going.
- Downtown, the Ysleta Mission area, the zoo and the mountains are far apart, so group stops by area and plan for a car or ride share.
- The desert sun is strong and dry; carry water and a hat for hiking in Franklin Mountains State Park.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- El Paso Zoo: B575, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Franklin Mountains State Park: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
- Magoffin Homestead: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
- Wyler Aerial Tramway: B575, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ysleta Mission: YsletaMission.png : James Reyes. Original uploader was JamesReyes at en.wikipedia derivative work: Materialscientist ( talk ), CC BY 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
