Hueco Tanks State Park in West Texas is one of the most famous bouldering spots out there, drawing climbers from all over the world. With over 2,000 boulder problems ranging from V0 to V15, there’s something for everyone—whether you’re just getting started or chasing that next big send.

The name “Hueco” comes from the natural rock basins that collect rainwater, making this desert area surprisingly full of life. The rock here is syenite, a climber’s dream because it’s super grippy, durable, and has tons of pockets and features to work with.

The park is divided into four main climbing areas: North Mountain (the only self-guided section), East Mountain, East Spur, and West Mountain (you’ll need a guide for the last three). You’ll find everything from beginner-friendly routes to iconic problems like “Power of Silence” that’ll test even the strongest climbers. The boulders here are known for being technical and physically demanding, so it’s a great place to level up your climbing.

Especially if you’re traveling to Texas to climb, there are a lot of logistics. So many questions like “when should I book my flights?” to “do I need a pass?” to “do I need a car?”. My recommendation, getting your park pass is the milestone and the point in which I divided up my planning. All your planning pretty much depends on if you actually get a park pass. I suggest breaking up your planning into three stages: pre-pass planning, post-pass planning, then the trip. Find a full checklist of the trip to-dos specific for Hueco at the bottom of this post.

Because of the passes, here are some suggestions on how to plan:

1. Choose the dates you want to climb in North Mountain – you can pick up to three consecutive days
2. Figure out the exact date you will need to call – it is more difficult to get passes during peak season, so I recommend calling exactly 90 days before.
3. Once you know the date you’re calling, designate the specific callers, and who they will be reserving passes for
4. Ensure that everyone in your party has an account on the park website. Ensure that the callers know the phone number and email for the individuals they are reserving passes for.

The best times to generally is between November to March, in which temperatures are generally lower. Even if you don’t have your passes yet, I suggest making alerts for flight prices in Google Flights, just to get a sense of prices.

Yay! You now have your passes for North Mountain, but what about the other areas of the park? These other areas require guides. You will now want to reach out to some companies for their availability. An FYI, most groups will have a cap at 10 individuals.

Once you’ve determined the length of time you will be staying in Hueco (make sure there is a rest day), then book your stays and flights! We suggest booking your accommodations immediately (we stayed in El Paso), and generally monitoring flight prices until they are at a price you are comfortable with.

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There are so many problems to choose from – below is a list of some classics in Hueco. Below are also a couple problems I sent with some videos

1. Choose the dates you want to climb in North Mountain – you can pick up to three consecutive days
2. Figure out the exact date you will need to call – it is more difficult to get passes during peak season, so I recommend calling exactly 90 days before.
3. Once you know the date you’re calling, designate the specific callers, and who they will be reserving passes for
4. Ensure that everyone in your party has an account on the park website. Ensure that the callers know the phone number and email for the individuals they are reserving passes for.
5. Optional: Set Google flight alerts for climbing dates

1. Book your accommodations or reserve a spot for camping
2. Book Guided tours for East and West Mountain
3. Reserve pads
4. Book Flights
5. Reserve car rentals