Things to Do Alone in El Paso

El Paso is a desert city with a mountain range running through it, so the best solo plans start outdoors and end indoors. The museums fill the gaps. This guide pairs a free art museum with the parks and memorials where being alone is the default.

Last checked 2026-11-01.

Start with the mountain and the memorial

Franklin Mountains State Park, Tom Mays Unit. The park lists over 100 miles of trails and ranger programs. Adults pay $5 per day, and children 12 and under are free. The gate is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the office 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park advises wearing good shoes, dressing for the weather and traveling with a partner, and it warns to watch for cacti. The page also shows active alerts, so check it on the day (TPWD). For a first visit alone, take a short trail near the entrance and keep to marked routes.

Chamizal National Memorial. A National Park Service site that marks the settlement of a 100-year boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico. It hosts theater performances and the Franklin G. Smith Gallery of borderland art, and no entrance pass is required. Entry is through gates on San Marcial Street and Delta Drive, and the Cultural Center has its own hours (NPS, fees, hours). Visit El Paso describes a 1.5-mile loop trail around the memorial that takes about half an hour (Visit El Paso).

Museum of Archaeology and Wilderness Park. At 4301 Transmountain Road, with 15 acres of nature trails, outdoor exhibits and a desert garden of native plants. Trails lead toward the canyons of the east Franklin Mountains (Visit El Paso). A short 0.6-mile loop near the museum is listed as an easy Chihuahuan Desert nature hike (Visit El Paso). Check the hours before you go.

Indoors: art, history and a theatre

El Paso Museum of Art. At One Arts Festival Plaza downtown. Admission is free, always. Open Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Monday, Tuesday and major holidays. Its calendar lists talks and events. A free museum is the lowest-risk solo outing here: you can stay ten minutes or two hours.

El Paso Museum of History. At 510 N. Santa Fe Street, with six galleries on the history of El Paso del Norte, the Pass of the North (Visit El Paso). The listing gives no hours, so confirm them first.

The Plaza Theatre. At 125 W Mills Avenue. It dates to the late 1920s and reopened in 2002, and it hosts the Broadway in El Paso season (Visit El Paso). A show is a standard solo ticket.

For general tips on museum days, see how to visit a museum alone.

The day trip: Hueco Tanks

Hueco Tanks State Park has hiking, rock climbing, bird watching and rock imagery, with an interpretive center in a historic ranch house. Access is restricted to protect the site. Guided tours must be booked at least a week ahead by calling (915) 857-1135. Self-guided access to the North Mountain area is limited to 70 people a day, with permits reservable up to three months ahead on (512) 389-8911. Everyone visiting the self-guided area watches an orientation video first (TPWD). For a first-timer, the guided tour is the easiest way in, because the guide handles the route and you only need to show up.

Two notes on status

The Wyler Aerial Tramway is closed. Texas Parks and Wildlife says the grounds are open only for guided programs, so check the events page if you want to go (TPWD).

The Historic Mission Trail connects the mission churches of Ysleta and Socorro, described as the oldest working missions in the region, and the San Elizario chapel (Visit El Paso). Confirm church visiting hours before you set out.

Getting around

Sun Metro lists a standard fare of $1.50, a free transfer and a daily pass at $3.50, with passes valid on fixed routes and Brio (Sun Metro). The parks are spread out, so plan one area per day.

First solo outings

1. Easy: The Museum of Art on a Wednesday to Saturday morning.
2. Medium: A morning loop at Chamizal, then the gallery.
3. Bold: A booked guided tour at Hueco Tanks, or a short Franklin Mountains trail on a marked route.

If you are planning a Texas trip, San Antonio and Fort Worth are the other guides in this set, and Austin is a second option. The full list is things to do alone in cities, and if you are new to this, read things to do alone in a new city.

Solo Era for iPhone

Take a late-night drive alone.

Solo Era has a travel mission at level 4: "Take a late-night drive alone." If you are licensed, rested and comfortable at night, choose your route before leaving, for example the drive home after an evening at the Plaza Theatre. Postpone if you feel tired. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)

• El Paso Museum of Art
• Franklin Mountains State Park, TPWD
• Hueco Tanks State Park, TPWD
• Wyler Aerial Tramway, TPWD
• Chamizal National Memorial
• Chamizal fees
• Chamizal hours
• Visit El Paso: attractions
• Visit El Paso: outdoors
• Sun Metro fares

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.