Franklin Mountains State Park Primitive Campground

Pros:
Amazing panoramic mountain views, small “rv” campground area (like cul-de-sac size)
Close proximity to Whole Foods, chipotle, downtown El Paso
Great price!
Camp store (although haven’t visited yet)
Lots of hiking and places to explore
Picnic tables and fire pits
Friendly park personnel!

Cons? Or moreso just things to be aware of:
The office closes at 4pm, so you aren’t able to get a walk-in site if you arrive later than that.
The gate closes at 5pm for entry - I’m not sure if you get a code to leave later if you want to go into town to get dinner. Something to ask.
If you’re allergic to ant bites/stings just be aware that there are a lot here hiding underground and they are aggressive
No water or electricity
Close proximity to neighbors - not much privacy - especially in sites 4&5 (but those two are the most level and good for bigger rigs)

I would definitely stay here again!
1-2 bars of Verizon - ok enough service to browse social media and send texts
Rated lower for quality just because a lot of the sites aren’t level, there are underground ant hills with aggressive ants, and lots of brush (so if you’re freaked out about critters and snakes - lots of good hiding places) but if creepy crawlies don’t bother you, it’s great!

Stayed here mid January 2022. the park has many hiking options and some great views of the surrounding mountains. Dogs on leash are allowed on all trails. We stayed at the 5 available RV sites which are set-up as 3 back-in sites (RV1 thru RV3) and 2 "parking lot" sites (RV4 & RV5). The parking lot sites are designed to have the RV park on the pavement and there is an adjoining picnic table in the parking lot island. We saw a Class A, Class B and large van use these sites. Site RV1 seems to be the largest and our 26' Airstream fit okay. Site RV2 is the next largest with RV3 the smallest. The sites are not level and we needed to raise the driver side of the rig up 3" and the tongue of the trailer was raised 15" off of the hitch. I talked to someone who had a larger 5th wheel in this site, so it's doable but be aware. There are no hook-ups and no water or dump available. There are no obstructions so solar potential is great. Our phones had 1-2 bars of AT&T but our Pepwave and cellular antenna with AT&T had 4-5 bars. The nights were very quiet, close proximity to El Paso for needed items and all the hiking available within the park make this a great visit.

We decided on trying to Stay in Franklin Mountains State Park at the last minute when heading through Texas. We got a little behind getting to the park gate after stopping for our favorite chicken at Don Carbon! And I'll admit...I think I read the time on the website wrong and when we arrived at 5, the gate was already locked. Trying to decide our next plan, I looked and saw a ranger opening the gate. I ran to him and asked where we could go?? Park ranger Cesar Mendez was kind enough to let us in for the evening. The park is surrounded by small mountains and close to El Paso. It was a pleasant and quiet stay. The next morning we were able to get a short hike on the Aztec Cave trail. We would definitely return to the park for another stay!
*Thanks again for letting us in Mr. Mendez and we did stop by the park office to pay:) PS...we did not see any fires to put out during our awesome stay (we were the ones in the converted freightliner fire ambulance)
**As mentioned in previous reviews. They have completed the construction on the trans mountain road, but watch carefully for the left hand turn off of the highway into the park entrance, it sneaks up on you and if you pass it, its quite a bit up the road to make a safe U-turn. And arrive before 5 pm to enter!

We arrived at Franklin Mountains State Park after having spent 8 hours on the road. We drove to the address listed for the park only to a find the gate closed and locked. We then realized the address is actually for the park office which is closed and gate locked at 5PM. We then “searched” for another park entrance which we found was on the opposite side of the mountains. We drove there only to find it gated and locked. Evidently the entire park is secured at 5PM. This information would have been nice to know. We ended up spending the night at the luxurious Walmart Super Center: nothing like commercial peace and quiet after a long day.

The camping area for RVs was ok; 3 regular sites(RV01-RV03)and 2 in the middle of the parking lot(RV04 & RV05). The sites are all uneven. The night sky was great. Was very windy and hot every day I was there(5/13-5/21). A 20 minute drive to most of El Paso. There is a long steep hill coming in from the east that was under construction. The ranger station has air conditioned bathrooms but no potable water. The vault toilets were not close enough to the sites to be useable.

Enjoyed our stay. Close to El Paso. Be alerted the trans mountain highway is under construction. You have to negotiate orange barrels to get into the park. If coming from the west you have to go up to the top of the mountain snd make a u-turn Our problem was we dumped all our fresh water because of the weight affecting our trailer. So upon arrival we were going to fill up. That can’t be done. No I mean no water to be found in the park Dry camping at its best. Good we carry just in case 2 1/2 gal container. But the views and the different cactus made our lack of water so bearable.

Small quiet area in beautiful setting - as mentioned better for smaller equipment. Surrounded by hiking and views. Bathroom is a bit of a hike too. The drive up is hilly but not true mountain driving. Construction at entrance is a bit tricky - sharp turn. We arrived after 5 and code to lock worked fine. Service limited but we walked across the lot and picked up service if needed in a pinch.

As others have noted, the RV sites are fairly unlevel. Our site has a 3º slope from back to front along with about 1.5º side to side. A motorhome might have difficulty getting level with limited stabilizer travel, but we were able to do it with our fifth wheel and some blocks. (See photos.)

The sites are also shorter than average and quite narrow; we were just able to squeeze our 42' (including bike rack on the back) trailer in. And the circle drive in the RV campground is tight for big rigs, but manageable.

But all that said, this is a beautiful spot for a night or two stopover. There is plenty of scenic hiking in the area, plus great views of the mountains out the windows. And it is quiet and peaceful, just what we look for in a state park.

As long as you're fairly skilled backing up a trailer, you should have no problem getting in here with one our size or smaller.

One other note: Loop 303 at Tom Mays Park Access Road is currently under construction, with a very tight right turn immediately followed by a tight U-turn, both lined with plastic barrels, from 303 to the park road. Again, doable but a bit of a challenge.

Both Verizon and AT&T worked, although we needed to use our cell booster for AT&T. 3.5 mbps download on Verizon.

Price of $20/night includes $10 camping fee plus $5 per adult per day park entrance fee.

A beautiful, well maintained state park just outside of El Paso. No hookups but the Flying J gas station down the road has water and propane. Lots of hiking and climbing opportunities in the park. Also, the gate into the park is closed so no one can drive in after 5pm, which provides added safety. People staying at the park are provided a combination to the gate lock.