Best Dog-Friendly Camping near El Paso, TX

Beautiful area with a history site close from El Paso, TX

I tent camped at Gap Tank again in January 2025. Awesome time again. It was actually cold then. The sky was dark at night and we couldn’t see any electric lights. Kind of cool so close yet so far from El Paso. No border problems. No javelinas this time, just a jackrabbit. Gap Tank was dry but nearby Mesquite Tank had water and even a little ice on the edges.

So the road in is at the 151 Mesquite Exit off IH 10. First 2 miles were blacktop, then 2 miles of 2.5 vehicle wide gravel road then 2 miles of single vehicle gravel road. Several turnouts for camp sites with many having rock fire rings.

Lots of dove and some quail. 

A few cows in the area.

Lots to see if you get out and walk the area. Several hiking trails into the Mountain range.

Light noise to the south from El Paso/IH 10 to the West but not much to the East looking into the canyon or North. Saw many stars and satellites.

Would stay again.

Light traffic during sunlight by hikers.

Quite otherwise.

Sites are not level so be prepared

This place was great for an overnight stay. The sites are level dirt, asphalt drives and FHU sites. The price point is excellent (<$50/night for FHU pull-thru). The campground does offer weekly and monthly rates. We just don't like being packed in like sardines being only 3ft from your neighbor on either side. But, they have everything you could need, bathhouses, 24hr laundry, Campground Store, areas to walk the dog. We'd stay here again if passing through El Paso for sure!

My son and I camped in the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park over Labor Day weekend 2013. We hiked up to Aztec Cave and then scrambled above it for a beautiful view of west El Paso and beyond. Lots of other trails. There were plenty of sites and I wondered why there weren’t more campers in a county with 830,000 people, not including Juarez. We were new to El Paso then and I don’t remember a lot of heat and sun. It seemed pleasant enough though I might be scared of the heat nowadays at that time of year. Good times.

A small RV park located in a perfect place on the West side of El Paso. Located just down the street is an excellent Mexican restaurant that has outstanding food.

Stumbled upon this Texas State Historic Park looking for something around El Paso. Called and captured the last site available for our desired timeframe. What an awesome camping area with a bonus of being able to explore the pictographs on both a self-guided and guided tour. Definitely worth a visit. Just come prepared to stay on site for a few days. They close the gate at 6pm come hell or high water!

just off trans mountain so can be pretty busy. be sure to bring cash to pay for your visit.. and bring lots of water! it’s hot in El Paso and easy to get dehydrated.

mammoth rock hike has great views of The Valley below.

also great to take photos at!

This is a very clean and organized KOA. One of the best I’ve stayed at. Nice showers and dog park. Located up on the hill so you have nice views.

Franklin Mountain state park is a beautiful painted scene in El Paso Tx. some of the camp sites are drive in, but most are hike in (they aren’t very far either .2-.5 mi). The summers are extremely hot. during monsoon season the trails can be sketchy with all the water running down. The spring has poppies covering the mountain.

We arrived after dark to the Las Cruces KOA.  The park was about 1/2 full and the sites were spacious, clean and had both gravel and cement area for parking.  The skies at night were clear and the location of the camp, set on a hilltop, was perfect for seeing stars and the distant city lights.  During the daytime, the park has beautiful views of the mountains nearby.  Some of the sites are considered premium and they had the best mountain views and a patio area and outdoor fitpit.  

The dog run area was exceptionally clean, nice and spacious for our two dog.  The dog area has a patch of grass in the middle and then surrounded by decompressed granite.  I preferred this to the dog parks that are all grass.  It was very clean and had climbing structures for the pups.  The restroom near the dog park was sparkling clean with marble floors.  I popped into the gift shop/welcome desk and there were a lot of items for sale, crafts, food items, etc.  I can see spending a longer visit here and exploring the town of Las Cruces and the nearby Medilla area wineries.  The location is convenient if you are traveling on I-10 and feels very safe and secure.

My son and I tent camped on the Ft. Bliss range’s south training zones circa 2014 at a place called Kerby Tank (see google maps) on the east edge of the range. It was a great adventure. Very empty and quiet with a great view of distant, northeast El Paso and the Franklin Mountains at sunset. It was free but we needed two sets of permissions. First you need an annual range permit at the Buffalo Soldiers Gate. Then you need to call Range Control and ask to camp. Watch out for UXO (unexploded ordnance)!

Had our own water, no electric sites. But El Paso, AKA The Sun City, provides plenty of sun for solar ;) Could use some more bathrooms, LOTS of tent spaces, some hike-in. Well developed trails, but LOTS of scree, so can be slippery going up, definitely slippery hiking down- - take hiking poles. Not sure what mtn bike trails are like, so check specific reviews for them. Visitor center has very cool 3d map of area. Gates locked from 1700-0800. They give you the padlock combo for entry/exit but took a couple minutes to figure out how the gate latch worked particularly at night (needed flash light). Hiked to Aztec Cave. Have done Cottonwood Springs hike….~55 yrs ago!       -->Beautiful weather December (76°).

This is an amazing park. So many pictographs to find. This is a busy area for climbing/bouldering in the cooler months. Since this is a historical, archaeological, sacred area there are some extra rules to follow. Everyone must watch an informative video on the park and some areas are restricted. Campsites are relatively small but most have a picnic area, tent pads, and a driveway. Some sites are water and electric and some water only. Lots of wildlife in the park. About 15-20 minutes to major stores and restaurants. Lots to do in El Paso area. About 2 hours to Carlsbad or White sands. Negative note bathrooms are older and basic. Basically no shade at campsites. Cell service not great in camp area but rest of park was good for Verizon.