From Gumby to Dirtbag – The Ultimate Guide to Bouldering in Hueco Tanks

This guide is everything you need to know for your first time bouldering in Hueco Tanks. I wrote it because getting into Hueco Tanks State Park and where you can actually climb can be hard to understand … so I’ve laid it all out for you here.

I’ve been to Hueco Tanks twice: I made reservations the first time, which is the part that confuses first-time visitors the most (been there myself), while I didn’t make any reservations on my second trip.

I’m going to answer a lot of questions you might have – they’re the questions I had to ask and then had answered for me by people and my own experience.

Without further ado… this is a beginner’s guide to bouldering in Hueco Tanks.

Should you make reservations?

The short answer is yes so that everything goes more smoothly once you’re there.

You see, only 70 people can be inside the park at a time every day.

This is how getting into Hueco Tanks every day works:

• During climbing season, the park opens every day at 8 a.m.
• If you have a reservation, you just show up at the gate anytime between 8 and 10 a.m. and they’ll let you in.
• People without reservations have to line up in their cars on the right side of the road right before the Hueco Tanks State Park entrance.
• Right at 8 a.m. every day, the first 10 people waiting in line with no reservations get to enter the park immediately. More people can get in if not all the spots are filled with people who have made reservations.
• From 8-10 a.m., people in line can get in as people call to cancel their reservations.
• At 10 a.m. all reservations that haven’t shown up are automatically cancelled and that exact number of people (however many reservations were just cancelled) get to enter Hueco Tanks State Park. So show up on time!

Bad luck if you don’t make it in by then! It means the park’s 70 spots are full, and you would have to wait for people to start exiting the park to get in. A lot of people do leave the park early because they’re just hiking and seeing the petroglyphs, but it can be a long while.

How to Make Reservations to Boulder in Hueco Tanks

Having a reservation helps a lot, and this is how you make reservations for Hueco Tanks:

1. 3 months before your visit, make an account for yourself on Reserve America.
2. Then, call (512) 389-8911. Tell them the date you’re looking to reserve for yourself or your group. You can make reservations for multiple people – they all have to have accounts on Reserve America.
3. That’s it! When that day comes, you’ll be let into Hueco Tanks to boulder between 8 and 10 a.m.

These reservations are especially nice if you’re visiting Hueco from far away and need to take advantage of every single minute you’re there.

Not having reservations can really throw your schedule off, which isn’t ideal unless you’re staying in Hueco for a longer time.

Bouldering in Hueco Tanks without Reservations

On our first trip, we had a lot of flexibility because we had days we could boulder in Hueco Tanks for sure (with reservations) and learned how to get in without reservations.

It was actually no problem at all, especially during the week. Some days, we were able to arrive at noon and get right in; other days, we waited in line for 2 hours. One day we did NOT get in (it was a Saturday).

Because of our success, we didn’t make reservations the second time we went bouldering in Hueco Tanks. Whenever we wanted to climb, we arrived at 7 a.m., waited and got in by 8:15 or so (they stagger the first 10 people so that the front desk doesn’t get too busy).

On the weekends, we had to get there at about 6:20 to get in at 8. Any later and we were no longer among the first 10, and who knew how long it would take to get in?

It’s not ideal, but it works.

So, my recommendation is to plan out your schedule and make reservations 3 months in advance (if you can plan that far ahead, you’ll thank yourself for it). Try to stick to the schedule, but don’t worry if it changes – you can always get into Hueco Tanks if you get up early enough!

That being said, if you have a reservation and choose not to boulder on that day, CANCEL IT so that someone in line can get in quicker!

The Season to Boulder in Hueco Tanks

The best season to boulder in Hueco Tanks is pretty much when everywhere else is too cold to climb! The bouldering season goes from beginning of November to end of March.

By early March, a lot of people will say it’s too hot and the Rock Ranch (the famous climbers’ lodge) closes. But warm-blooded Colombians like Lala and I are just now thawing from winter, ready to boulder in the life-giving sun.

The problem in March is the insanely strong wind.

I wrote this guide from a library in El Paso, hiding from 40 mph winds in the desert.

Hueco Tanks Camping Beta

• The Rock Ranch: We car camped for $10 per person, and it was worth it. You have a communal area with furniture, a cooking area, a ping pong table and lots of cool people to meet. If you choose the rooms, they cost $25 for the bunks and $45 for a private room, per person per night. They have their own nicer communal area.
• Gleatherland: This camping location is known for being quiet and peaceful (people say it’s for retirees but I say 30+). It’s first-come first-served for camping, at $5 per person per night. If you’re in an RV, it costs $25 per night and you need a reservation. It gets cheaper the longer you stay, and Gleatherland is open from November to April.
• The Mud Hut: This location is where the party’s at. You’ll be able to meet a lot of climbers, and it’s the closest to the entrance to Hueco Tanks. It costs $5 per night per person.
• El Paso: This puts you about 20-30 minutes away from Hueco Tanks, but getting a hotel or Airbnb is always an option and will give you the comfort you need. Lodging in El Paso is surprisingly affordable!
• Inside of Hueco Tanks State Park: They have some campsites with water and others with electricity. Staying here puts you a bit far away from civilization. If you have the Texas State Park Pass, it can be a good option in terms of price, but it’s a bit limiting.

If you’re planning any sort of trip in the Southwest, I actually made a free map with 70+ free car camping spots I found and vetted during my 2 years on the road. It’s my go-to resource whenever I’m planning where to sleep for the night.

👉 Grab the map for free below – I’ll email it to you right away!

My Favorite Climbs at Hueco Tanks

This is very subjective, obviously, but my favorite climbs were: Girls of Juarez, Stegosaur, Mop Boys, Baby Martini and Big Nose Milley.

Lala’s favorite boulders were: Baby Martini, Lobster Claw, Stegosaur, and Denizen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some fun challenges

We met some friends at the Hueco Rock Ranch who had been climbing at Hueco Tanks State Park so long that they were making up games… and man, they had the right idea. Here’s two super fun challenges!

• The Tour d’ Fours: Climb these ten V4’s in a day at Hueco Tanks, in this order (this day of bouldering has been one of my favorites) – Dab, T-bone Shuffle, Lithologic, Squirm, B-Flat, Denizen, Pudgy Pussack, Double Vision, Girls of Juarez, and Bloody Flapper. The end will haunt you. A classically sand-bagged Hueco Tanks V4.
• Nobody Runs Out of Here Alive: Start at the pond parking and run up to Nobody Here Gets Out Alive (V2). Climb it and run all the way back down to where you started. Current record (about 6:30) and rules are in a binder in the barn at the Hueco Rock Ranch.

Here’s a video of us trying all of Hueco Tanks’ best V4 boulders. Spoiler: no one was able to do all of them.

Amazing Places Close to Hueco Tanks

This is a list of places you can visit before or after your bouldering trip to Hueco Tanks. Some of them are even close enough to El Paso to visit during a rest day:

• Last Chance Canyon for wonderful sport climbing in steep caves in the middle of nowhere. Put that Hueco power to good use!
• An amazing road trip from Texas to California, stopping by 5 national parks and 3 awesome cities on the way.
• White Sands National Park is only an hour and a half from El Paso and its one of the most unique national parks in America.
• Visit 2 national parks less than 2.5 hours from El Paso by driving to Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks.
• The road trip from El Paso to visit White Sands National Park, cross Lincoln National Forest, and explore the Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains is an epic loop you can do in a few days!

I hope this short guide to bouldering in Hueco Tanks, Texas has been useful! I know Mountain Project exists and has everything you need, but sometimes it’s nice to get a little more personal beta… and this is mine!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to answer!