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October 7, 2026
The Franklin Mountains are a small cluster of ridges located mainly in western Texas. The range is dominated by a prominent north-to-south running crest which begins just north of El Paso and ends just over the New Mexico border. I had half a day in the area and had a goal of completing a combo of the two highest peaks in the range: North Franklin Mountain and Anthonys Nose.
Peaks climbed
| Peak | Elevation | Topographic Prominence | Summit Coordinates (lat/lon) |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Franklin Mountain | 7,175 ft | 2,969 ft | 31.90289, -106.49360 |
| Indian Peak | 6,556 ft | 190 ft | 31.90643, -106.48512 |
| "Mundys Peak" | 6,280 ft | 277 ft | 31.92051, -106.49995 |
| Anthonys Nose | 6,915 ft | 1,025 ft | 31.95941, -106.49844 |
Total Stats
16.5 miles
5,410 ft gain/loss
North Franklin is the highest peak in the range and was the easiest peak of the day, with well trodden trails heading up both its east and west sides. I started up Mundys Gap Trail which eventually connected to North Franklin Mountain Trail. Some light jogging at the end brought me to the summit of North Franklin right at sunrise and I spent about 30 minutes up there enjoying the changing colors.
I descended back down the North Franklin Mountain Trail to a saddle west of Indian Peak. There was a sign here warning of unexplored ordinance to the east (this peak can easily be skipped). I walked over an intermediary bump and ascended the second bump which was Indian Peak. There was a small metal structure on top, riddled with bullet holes of course.
After retracing my way back to the trail, I continued north to Mundys Gap along the well defined trail. From there I left the trail and continued north on limestone ridges. These were pretty fun and checked out at class 3 to the summit of Mundys Peak, provided that one stayed directly on the crest the entire time.
From Mundys Peak, I could see the long stretch of main Franklin Crest which I would follow all the way to Anthonys Nose. This section would take almost 2 hours and was more enjoyable than tedious. I mainly stayed on the very crest, deviating slightly when obstacles presented themselves. There were a few bits of class 3 scrambling which probably could've been avoided, but it was mainly class 1-2.
I reached Anthonys Nose around 11:30am. The temperature was now climbing into the 80s, and the summit was not that relaxing with several biting flies buzzing around. I didn't linger long before turning east towards my descent route.
I descended the East Ridge of Anthonys Nose all the way to a bump at 5,742 ft, one bump west of spot elevation 5803 on the 7.5' topo. The first half of this was steep and loose with numerous class 3 downclimbs. When there wasn't steep loose rock, there were dense mazes of ocotillo and agave to get through. It was slow going.
From the bump west of 5803, I turned south and descended a subsidiary ridge into a large wash. The terrain here quite suddenly became more mellow with less ocotillo and agave. Perhaps it was due to the south-facing aspect which was hotter with less water available for those plants to grow there.
I soon hit the large wash and continued east down it for less than a quarter mile before turning south and joining up with a mountain bike trail which I had spotted earlier from above. This trail initially headed southeast, the direction I wanted to go. Eventually it joined up with a second trail in a wash which headed due east. I continued southeast off-trail, soon meeting up with the Mundys Gap Trail I had been on earlier that morning. A short jaunt down this brought me back to the cookie cutter neighborhood sometime in early afternoon.
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