It's a nice spot to go on a walk or jog.There are picnic tables with shade and some nice walls you can use as balance beams near them.leads to a nice little hole in the mountain with a nice view of the way you walked.The worse thing about Mckelligon is the bath rooms they must be 50+years old with minimal maintenance;you can just pee around a rock or building though. read more

I absolutely love McKelligon Canyon! Especially since COVID! So the canyon is technically a city park. It's a two lane paved road, that leads up to an amphitheater! Normally, the amphitheater has shows, but of course that's all cancelled temporarily. At the top of the road, there are many covered picnic tables that persons like chilling out at. Also, the very top has entrances to Franklin Mountains, which is a state park, and has many hiking trails. This road, due to covid, is closed to all motorized traffic. That is amazing right now, because you can walk up and down and exercise without worrying about vehicle traffic. And honestly, that's what everyone uses it for. From Soldiers hiking up with their rucksacks, to joggers running, families pushing strollers, and dog owners (like me), taking there dogs out for a walk. You can (and we all do), still use this route for exercise even when it is open to vehicle traffic, but of course with it closed, it's much more enjoyable and safer. The road is a dead end of sorts. At the very top, it splits off and loops itself back around. So there is only one way up and one way down. If you walk the top loop twice, the entire trip will be 5.2 miles. If you walk the top loop once, the trip is 4.8 miles. From the start to the top, you climb 800ft in elevation. It's almost exactly 2.5 miles to the top at the loop, so that's 2.5 miles, 800ft elevation increase, dang near going straight up lol. Whether you're walking or jogging, it's definitely a workout. My dogs and I do this trek 1x every single week. It's open from 0630 - 2200 every day. Many Soldiers flood this area and conduct fitness training in the early early mornings during the week. And on the weekends, many fitness seeming persons flood this area as well. It's dog friendly, and they have doggie bags at the entrance. However, there are only about 3 trash cans along the route. Keep that in mind. And please pick up after your dogs read more

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We attended El Paso's 'Cool Canyon Nights' free concert evening. The Soul Sacrifice Soul local band of El Paso played and we really enjoyed their 'Santana' music I highly encourage all to support these Free events which will be ongoing weekly (each Thursday) until 2 Sept ( from what I understand). There's Food Trucks, Beer, Drinks and Good music! read more

McKelligon Canyon - The band put on a great show, playing Santana music. - Parks Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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McKelligon Canyon is in the Franklin Mountains. It's a good place to hike, and there's a pretty cool theatre there where you can see both movies and concerts. This is a lovely place to enjoy the natural beauty in this area; it's almost magical after a rain. If you're lucky enough to visit after a rain, make a point of looking at the mountains and notice how they seem to change color :-) read more

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McKelligon Canyon is definitely my favorite hike/running place in El Paso. They open at 0600 and if you are ready to run exactly at 0600 its PERFECT!!! I love the challenge and distance. The whole time all I think about is making it all the way up and once I do I turn around and it is mega satisfying. On the way up your cabs will burn and it will be harder to breathe. You will experience approximately starting at 3 and end at 5 thousand feet up in elevation. Some people hike it, ruck it, some run it, jug it, and on and off, some people bring strollers, and dogs. Whatever physical condition you are in its a great place to get an amazing workout. No official parking so you end up parking on the side of the road close to the entrance. If you have a jeep or a truck that would be best due to some rough terrain but not necessary. If it is very busy you do end up needing to park some blocks down. Restrooms are available near the gift shoo approximately 1.5 miles up. Picnic tables available on top. read more

For four miles and some more, you can escape the business of the city. Wether you walk or run from the entrance or just drive up for a picnic or a hike, it's definitely something to enjoy. The area is pet friendly, the roads are well paved with trash cans along the way. There are a few gazebos at the top that offer some shade. There is also a main building/office where they have bathrooms. Then there's the amphitheater, where they offer free movies. Not sure if they still have the dance show. Definitively something else to try in the area. read more

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This is a great path for a beginner hiker or for some family time! The beginning of the path is pretty inclined making you think it will be like that the whole way up. Fear not! The path dips often giving your legs a little rest. There is a lot of traffic here on foot and by bike. It makes it feel like a safer option if you are wanting to get out on your own as well! read more

Safe and interesting place to walk/bike/run on a 5ish mile out and back road that's pretty close to downtown El Paso. read more

McKelligon Canyon - Parks Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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McKelligon Canyon and I are in a love-hate relationship. We've been in this sort of limbo for ten years now and every time I think I've been to harsh and MKC is just doing what's best for me, best for us, it does something evil like put a hill with a thousand foot incline in my way. Love-hate. We're working on it. This is a competitive runners dream course because it's ridiculously difficult. Lot's of hills and inclines, absolutely no shade, low traffic, and beautiful views. If you run this route daily, you'll be ready for anything. But that's not all MKC is good for. People like to come up here to picnic, but be warned there is no grass or shade from trees. There are a couple of metal coverings that look outdated and rusted, but they'll do if you're just trying to grill up some eats before a run or hike. And hiking. Yeah, there's hiking. These trails are a little more traveled than what you find up at the Tom Mays Unit so you might find things like graffiti, but it's still a cool hike. And technically you can hike from MKC to the Tom Mays Unit... if you're crazy. But what I live for is the amphitheater! Free movies in the canyon! I love going to this in the summer-fall months. They have two or three different movies on the weekend and you guessed it, they're FREE! And they play good movies, some older, but most new ones that just came out on DVD. They do sell stuff at the concession stands which are just fine. MKC is great for the whole family. They're pet friendly. They host events and runs. There's usually always food available in some form (or you can bring your own). Oh and, once and a while the Humane Society or the Animal Rescue League (I'm not sure which) comes out there with dogs that you can both adopt or just take for a run. Those pooches need exercise too! read more

Nice, challenging hike that rewards you with amazing views. I will say, this hike is not for the faint-of-heart or weak-of-knee, as it is STEEP. My fiancé and I started off wearing light polar fleece layers, since we went on one of those cooler mornings a couple weeks ago; regardless, though, we ended up stripping down to just t-shirts and tank-tops because we were sweating when we got to the top! The summit provides a pretty cool look of a large section of the city, so the view definitely did not disappoint. There's even a long road leading up to the actual hike, if you're feeling really adventurous. My fiancé is in the Army, and they "like" to run this road sometimes. I put "like" in quotes, because, honestly, who actually likes running up a 2 or 3 mile hill?! But whether you decide to run, hike, or both, McKelligon is a great start to your Saturday morning! read more

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Beautiful place, excellent hiking trails. Always a great workout when we come here. I love the calm feeling you get in the evening when not a lot of people are there. read more

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Fantastic location of desert beauty and mountains! There are several great hikes up to the ridges that offer scenic views of the city. Not to mention that the scenic drive has become quite the hot spot for runners, offering steep and curvy hills for nearly 2.25mile up and another 2.25 (easier) miles down. This run is not for the faint of heart. The wind can really whip down the road, making it colder than one would expect; in the summer, it's highly recommended to carry water with you. Cell phone service may drop out for a lot of people. So please ensure you let someone know where you'll be, dress accordingly, wear reflective material and stay hydrated! read more

We were a little confused, because we thought the visitor center would be open, but it was locked up. We paid the $5 per person at the box. The envelope to put $$ in wanted a name, but no pen available. We found a trail and started hiking. It was a moderate climb up, but fun going down. Great views! read more

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Too hot for me to attempt any of the trails. Will come back when the weather cools off some. Amphitheatre also looked like a cool venue to attend an event at. read more

El Paso has many great places to hike. But what makes McKelligon Canyon unique to any other hiking destination is that there is something for pretty much everyone. Aside from the main hiking trail that connects McKelligon Canyon to the Transmountain Pass many people like to frequent the canyon for a quick jog. ( 2.5 miles up hill, 5 miles round trip). A top of the hill there are plenty of covered park benches which also offers a amazing view of Juarez due south. The one downside to the picnic area is the lack of facilities. The nearest restroom is located 3 miles down the road at the 7-11. McKelligon I also frequented by cyclists, mountain climbers, and nature enthusiasts. The Canyon also offers performances on occasion in the amphitheater but the facility is run down and is in need of some improvements. Whatever your activity is McKelligon Canyon has a lot to offer and is located in the center of town! read more

Great place to go for a weekend morning walk or jog. Very challenging pushing my double stroller up to through canyon. Right now it's nice and green from all the rain we've been having. read more

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This is an excellent trail for walking or running. I've done both and think it's a great workout. So I highly recommend this to try something different in your normal workout routine. read more

Great challenging walk and if you still need more after hiking up 2.5 miles there is a lengthy trail through the actual Franklin Mountains that you can hike up. read more

if you are looking for a run that is going to make you sweat and kick your booty well you are in luck because you have found it here! Mckilligan canyon is awesome and will put your body through the ringer but hey if you are at a canyon that is probably what you want right McCallion Canyon is a little over 5 miles when done from top to bottom typically when I go I run up it very slow but come back down fast for obviously because coming up is an iincline and coming down is a decline honestly Mckilligan canyon is really neat but it's sad to say it much like most anything else in El Paso there isn't very much to look at except well wishes and dirt but it's pretty cool to see the top of mountains that you typically probably would see when you're driving on the freeway but nonetheless it's a great place to go to get a good workout and take the family I'm pretty sure my daughter might be able to make it about 2 miles or so read more

McKelligon Canyon - Sunset on the way back down the hill - Parks Near Me - El Paso, Texas

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I haven't actually been hiking around here but I love it here! It's so beautiful. You have great views without even leaving the car. It's always populated with walkers/runners down the road. There are lots of pull offs to have picnics and relax. The amphitheater has movies during the weekends, which is great. It's a nice place in El Paso. read more

Beautiful canyon run. Hurts on the way up. Feels good on the way down. If you are stationed at Fort Bliss you will inevitably run the canyon. PT good for me. PT good for you. Oh and btw , FB Reg 27-5 prohibits Soldiers from conducting PT off-post in Army uniforms; thereby requiring civilian ware when running/biking McKelligon. Something to keep in mind so an angry SGM or 1SG doesn't feel the urge to educate! read more

Such a fun trek! I really enjoyed hiking this with my husband. Once we got on top of the mountain, we got a bit confused as to where the trail head was. We ended up walking back down, or crawling really. Make sure you wear decent hiking shoes, and I wouldn't do this in shorts because on the way down, we were spider crawling because of the steepness. There are a lot of loose rocks. Make sure you bring plenty of water! It's totally worth it! read more

I must say, I ached for days but enjoyed every moment of the walk up and back down. Nice views.