Mount Cristo Rey — Attraction in El Paso

The annual pilgrimage climb up Cristo Rey Mnt., mission accomplished! This 3.1 mile hike up the mountain, is both exhausting & fulfilling. With each and every year, this annual "MUST" is getting a little bit more difficult, however, I will continue to participate for as long as God lets me. I will never surrender, I will never quit.

I am one of the original, die-hard people, who still honor the original Pilgrimage date of the last Sunday in October. We were not the only ones thinking the same way, overall, less than 100 people. I must admit, I kind of like it this way. You don't have the thousands of people who gather collectively, you don't have the hustle and bustle of all the ongoings, and best of all, you don't have all that traffic. It took us about 4 hours in total (up then down) and was well worth it. This year I decided to brave the elements, and climb down the mountain barefoot, did I do it completely? Yes I did. (I'm trying the "Earthing" method.

Anyway, thank you God for letting me be healthy enough to conquer this quest once again, and I shall see you next year. For those of you who are interested in doing the climb for yourselves this year, there is still time. The climb is scheduled for Saturday, (I know) 11/23/24 with the day full of activities. If you're an El Pasoen, and you've never tried this before, this is the perfect opportunity. You must do this at least once in this lifetime, you won't regret it. The view from the top is Amazing!

I attached a screenshot of their Facebook profile, (I couldn't find a link) with a brief agenda of their scheduled activities and...

📍Mount Cristo Rey: about 50 minutes from Fort Bliss,  TX (located in Sunland Park, NM)

Here's yet another hidden gem located in El Paso, TX. This gem is located in New Mexico  which is Mount Cristo Rey...the top of the trail can be spotted as you drive along I-10 going west... the trail distance is about 4 miles total with a slight incline as you start the trail and a steep ramp at the top of the trail leading up to the top....the terrain is very developed which made it easy to walk along and pretty flat as you travel up the mountain in a zigzag fashion...in total it took about an hour to complete... when you get to the top it's so surreal because you literally are looking into two different countries (United States and Mexico) and two different states (New Mexico and Texas) at the SAME TIME..my piercing review is a 3/10 for difficulty and 7/10 for views.

Some piercing tips before you tackle this trail...

•Hydrate before! •Sunglasses! The El Paso sun is very bright and makes it more comfortable to see •Sunscreen! I say again the El Paso sun is bright and you can easily get sun burned •Camera! Definitely will want to take pictures during the hike and at the top •Tripod! This will ensure you get the best photos at the top

Visit and follow my military and civilian friendly travel page for more insight on where the hidden gems are located at a duty station near you... IG:...

Beautiful hike with plenty of scenic vistas. It's a 2 -2.5 mile hike one way. Entrance is free. The climb is steep at the beginning and then moderate to easy after the first 5 mins. The path zig zags offering beautiful views of Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua. At the top you can see 3 states or 3 cities, El Paso, Sunland & Juarez. When I went up the mountain, it was very windy but it was calm at the summit. There is a beautiful big statue of Jesus there and little shrines along the path. The mountain is known to host bandits as on the other side of the mountain leading to Juarez, Mexico there is no fence. At the bottom of the mountain on the US side, there is a sign with the phone number for the Sunland Police Dept. It is recommended to call the number before climbing. Also, it would be a good idea to not go up the mountain alone. Best way to judge it is to see how many cars are parked at the bottom. Some people also recommend carrying some kind of self defense weapon. I didn't encounter any trouble during my hike and but there were a few people already on the mountain, mostly women, a few couples and a family or two. Also saw a border patrol vehicle on a hill overlooking the parking lot, so felt...