A new gateway into the Franklin Mountains foothills is set to open in West El Paso, with the City of El Paso inviting residents to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and free evening hike at the completed Bear Ridge Trailhead next Thursday at 6 p.m. The $500,000 facility, located along Franklin Hills and Bear Ridge Drive, gives hikers, cyclists, and other outdoor enthusiasts an upgraded entry point into the foothills, complete with paved pedestrian walkways, ADA-compliant ramps and handrails, and convenient parking.
The celebration was announced by the City of El Paso Veteran and Military Affairs on Facebook, which detailed the trailhead's finished amenities: a shaded picnic area with a table, benches, and a waste bin; newly planted caliper trees; rock-mulch landscaping; irrigation; a water fountain for visitors and pets; a bicycle repair station; and an information kiosk for hikers heading into the mountains. District 1 City Representative Alejandra Chávez, who represents the West El Paso area and took office in January 2025, is co-hosting the opening alongside the municipal wellness initiative Live Active El Paso, according to Ballotpedia.
A Free Guided Hike Kicks Off the Trail's New Chapter
Local land trust The Frontera Land Alliance will lead the inaugural public hike following the ribbon-cutting. The nonprofit has protected more than 120 acres of open space in El Paso County, including conservation easements at Resler Canyon and Thunder Canyon that safeguard natural arroyos along the Franklin Mountains, per the organization's own account of its work.
Live Active El Paso, the city's co-host for the event, was created by the City of El Paso as a free community wellness program offering outdoor activities, fitness classes, and nutrition resources aimed at reducing chronic disease risks like diabetes and hypertension, according to the City of El Paso Department of Public Health. The program collaborates with city recreation centers and local health partners, making a guided evening hike a natural fit for the trailhead's debut.
A Decade in the Making, Funded by a 2012 Bond
Bear Ridge Trailhead's roots stretch back nearly a decade. The El Paso City Council formally added the Bear Ridge, also known as Franklin Ridge, Trailhead to its citywide priority list for capital improvements on August 9, 2016, following recommendations from the Open Space Advisory Board and Parks and Recreation Board, according to city records. During four community input meetings held before construction, residents specifically recommended amenities such as solar-powered lighting, native shade trees, and portable restroom enclosures for city trailheads.
The roughly $500,000 project was financed through El Paso's $473.2 million Quality of Life Bond, which voters approved by a 75 percent margin in November 2012. That bond allocated $195 million specifically for citywide parks, recreation, and open space projects, per the City of El Paso Internal Audit Office. Progress on remaining 2012 bond capital projects is tracked by the city's Bond Advisory Oversight Committee, which is authorized to operate until it sunsets on January 1, 2028, according to the Citizen Portal.
Utility Easements Required Multi-Agency Cooperation
Getting a public trailhead built on land bordering a state park wasn't simply a matter of pouring concrete. Establishing entries like Bear Ridge required formal agreements between the El Paso City Council, the Open Space Advisory Board, and El Paso Water's Public Service Board to grant public right-of-entry across municipal utility easements, since El Paso Water manages key arroyos and drainage rights-of-way around the mountain range, per city records.
A Small Trailhead, a Big Wilderness Beyond
Once open, Bear Ridge Trailhead will serve as an entry point to the foothills of Franklin Mountains State Park, a roughly 28,000-acre preserve with more than 120 miles of trails that ranks among the largest urban wilderness parks in the country, as Hoodline previously reported. The trailhead adds to a string of voter-driven conservation wins in West El Paso's foothills, including the Lost Dog Nature Preserve, which was permanently protected from residential construction after 89 percent of voters approved Proposition A in May 2019, creating an open-space corridor linked to Franklin Mountains trails, according to The Frontera Land Alliance.
Bear Ridge's opening also lands amid a broader wave of projects wrapping up under the 2012 Quality of Life Bond, which has funded everything from parks to cultural facilities across the city. As the Bond Advisory Oversight Committee works toward its 2028 sunset, remaining open-space and trailhead allocations will likely draw continued scrutiny from residents watching how the city closes out more than a decade of voter-approved investment in West El Paso's mountain trails.
