Getting into the park

The first thing I should tell you is that there is almost ALWAYS a way to get into the park. Yes, there are some restrictions and a few rules governing the numbers allowed, but that does not mean that getting into the park is difficult. Sure there have been a few closures. Most recently and notably is 'Mushroom Boulder'. However, the closed areas represent such a tiny fraction of the amount of climbing it is nearly impossible to calculate that fraction. Recently, I received an email from someone considering their first trip to Hueco and they had heard about access issues. In the email they asked if there was 'still enough bouldering to allow for 3 or 4 weeks of climbing?' I replied that there is still enough bouldering to last someone three or four hundred weeks of climbing. In fact, new problems are being put up almost daily.

I have put together this paper regarding reservations and 'how do I get in' issues at Hueco Tanks. Please see if the question you have is already answered. If not, do not hesitate to either shoot me an email or call.

Reservations? When someone asks about reservations they might be talking about any one or several of the below listed items.

  • North Mountain
  • Volunteer tour
  • Commercial tours
  • Room rental
  • HRR camping
  • Hueco Tanks SHS (park) campground

North Mountain reservations are made by calling the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin, Texas at (512) 389-8900. Camping in the state park is organized through the Headquarters at Hueco Tanks (915) 857-1135, this is also the number to call if you want to arrange a volunteer tour. Hueco Rock Ranch accepts reservations for room rental as well as the commercial tours we conduct. Currently, you do not need reservations for camping here at our campground. Considering you are reading this on our website, I suspect you can find the phone number and email under the 'contact' tab, but here it is anyway 915-855-0142 and info@huecorockranch.com.

Where can I climb? The park can be divided into 4 distinct areas, North Mountain, East Mountain, West Mountain and the East Spur. Of these four areas, let's look at them in two categories: North Mountain and the 'Back Country' (the other three).

North Mountain

North Mountain is open to the public for self-guided climbing. The number of people allowed on North at any given point is 70. The park takes reservations in advance for 60 people and also has 10 'walk-up' spots. Once these are taken, if additional people want to get on North, there is usually a waiting list. At this point they will allow other people in on a 'one in - one out' basis. People who have made reservations in advance have until 10:00 am to either claim their reservation or notify the park if they will be running late. At 10:00 am the park staff will consider the unclaimed reservations 'no-shows' and begin giving them to people who are in waiting.

Granted there is no guarantee that there will be any 'no-shows' and there is also no guarantee that you will be one of the first 10 there to get a walk-up spot. Here at the Hueco Rock Ranch we have several reservations for North on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for most of the season. We get these in anticipation of the park being full and they are an additional incentive to stay here with us. They are offered on a first come, first served basis at no cost, with the following stipulation: Roped climbing tours that require North Mountain access get allotted first, house guests second, campers third. If any of our reservations are not used, we notify the park that they are available for whoever is next in line.

Someone is always taking a rest day. Considering the fact that bouldering is physically difficult, and it is easy to wear yourself out, people are taking rest days that they did not necessarily plan for. Several times they will have North reservations for that day and they are just not going to use them. One of the best things about the climbing community is their willingness to help out. Regardless if you are a total stranger or friends for years, people are usually willing to help if possible. By simply asking around the campfire or in the barn, it is not difficult to stumble across spare North reservations. Just remember to say things like please and thanks.

Back Country (West, East, East Spur)

Volunteer tours are a great way to get into the back country to go climbing; however they do have a couple of drawbacks. 1) The park will take the reservation request for the tour and subsequently attempt to find a guide for the day. There have been occasions where there is a miscommunication in scheduling between the park and the guide. If the tour does not have a guide then there is no tour. 2) Considering that the guides are also climbers, and a primary motivation for being at Hueco is to go climbing, some guides are reluctant to take volunteer tours out. The rules governing a volunteer tour restrict the guide from climbing, spotting, or giving beta. The reason for this is the park does not want their personnel (the guide is acting as a representative of the park) involved in anything that could expose them to liability.

Commercial tours offer the most certainty for access. During the season there are usually around 6 - 12 guides that are on our schedule for commercial tours. This means that we can take you out climbing just about whenever you want. Our tours, which you can make a reservation for (recommended), are limited to a maximum of 10 clients per tour. Even if the tour does not have 10 people on it, we still go out. Additionally, if you did not make reservations for our commercial tour, don't worry; you can join an existing tour that is already scheduled if there is room. If there is not enough room for you and/or your group, we will simply round up a guide and get you in to climb on your own tour. Our cost for tours is $25.00 per person per day if you are not staying at the Ranch, if you are staying at the Ranch (camp or house guest) we discount the price to $20.00 per person per day. And lastly, the commercial guides get to be an active participant, climb, spot, give beta...

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, if I have missed or forgotten anything, just ask.

Thanks,
Hueco Rock Ranch