Sights in West Texas
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The Pinery
An easy and wheelchair-accessible 0.75 mile round-trip trail leads from the Pine Springs visitor center to the ruins of a Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach stop known as the Pinery. Despite its remote location, the Pinery is the only remaining Butterfield station ruin standing close to a major highway. The ruins are fragile and climbing on them is forbidden.
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Scenic Drive
Popular at night for viewing city lights, Scenic Dr offers great views of El Paso, Juárez and the surrounding mountains. To get there, take N Mesa St to Kerbey Ave (across from the University), head east til Kerbey becomes Rim Road, then turn right on Scenic Dr. En route, keep an eye out for little Murchison Park – at 4222ft, a fine spot for sunrises.
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Mission Trail
Ready for some local history? This 9-mile trail links two mission churches and a presidio chapel, all of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Privately owned by the Catholic Diocese, they're not always as visitor-friendly as you might like, but you can arrange a tour or get more information from the El Paso Mission Trail Association.
The best known of the three is Mission Ysleta, Texas' oldest continually active parish. Although the original structure from 1682 is long gone, the current church built from adobe bricks, clay and straw dates back to 1851, and a beautiful, silver-domed bell tower was added in the 1880s.
The surrounding community of Ysleta del…
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Castolon Historic District
Dwarfed by the looming Sierra Ponce, the clustering of buildings that make up the Castolon Compound were built in 1920. A half-mile historic stroll offers a brief look at life on the frontier in the Castolon Historic District. Start at the famous La Harmonia Store, which is a mainstay for locals on both sides of the river as well as an ice-cream vending oasis for tourists. A pamphlet ($1) sold in the store serves as a guide.
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Fort Bliss
As the largest air defense training center in the Western world, Fort Bliss consumes much of the desert northeast of El Paso, and trains troops from all the NATO-allied nations. The Fort Bliss Museum is housed in a reconstruction of the fort's 1854–68 location. It depicts life at the post in 1857, right down to the 31-star flag hanging outside.
One block south, the US Army Air Defense Artillery Museum is the only one of its kind in the US. Its exhibits focus on the history of air defense artillery since 1917, including an outdoor weapons park.
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Bug Ranch
- West Texas, USA
- Sights › Other
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