Hueco Tanks Junior Ranger Program

Hueco Tanks State Park is best known for attracting climbers who love bouldering and they come to the park from all over the world; Australia, Germany, California and beyond. Recently, a very short and young set visited the park, mostly from the El Paso region, expressly on a mission to become Junior Rangers and do their own version of bouldering.

More than 25 people (predominantly 5-13 years old) signed up for the Junior Ranger program offered, the first of its kind and totally free. The Junior Ranger program demanded that attendees follow Ranger Jane around Hueco Tanks for two hours, periodically stopping to fill out a field guide describing plants, trail etiquette and how to spot and respect rock art. At the end of the two hours, if the field guides are filled out completely and correctly, the young visitors become official stewards of Hueco Tanks as graduates of the Junior Ranger program. (Luckily for the chaperones, everyone passed the test during our program!)

As a mother of two young boys full of energy and the drive to run to the top of any mountain trail, this program was perfect for my family. And by the general mood after the two hours, everyone was very pleased with the program.

The visit began in the field center with a video introduction to Hueco Tanks. From Wikipedia; Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the boulders and rock faces throughout the region. In centuries past, the region was inhabited by various peoples, from the Paleo-Indians who used Folsom points to hunt the Megafauna of North America, to the people of the 'Jornada Mogollon' (pronounced mo-goi-YONE). This site was once a Jornada Mogollon village, according to an archaeological dig of the ground between North Mountain and West Mountain. By about 700 years ago, the population of the village could no longer be sustained by the small agricultural area surrounding Hueco Tanks. At this point, a population shift occurred and settlements were formed on the nearby playas to the south, west, and northwest. There, they flourished until about 1450 A.D. when the area suffered from a series of severe droughts.[8] Although it took time, by about 1600 A.D. the region was inhabited by the Apache people, who moved in from Canada (see the Athabascans).

The rocks hold a yearbook of pictographs with ceremonial faces and masks. Although vandalism as old as signatures from 1864, the park is kept incredibly pristine with a daily limit of 75 visitors, which allows for solitary hiking but tricky reservations in that you sometimes wait for months to gain access to the park.

When visiting the park, check the ranger station for the availability of a private guide ($1 per person) as the rock art can be hard to find on your own. The best time of year to visit is late fall or early spring to avoid the extreme heat or cold. To make a reservation visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/hueco_tanks/

The Junior Ranger program is an ideal way to see the park and fantastic training for young hikers who will gain a sense of ownership and respect for the park. This Junior Ranger program will be offered periodically throughout the year and if you can secure Ranger Jane as your guide, you’ll be thrilled with her ability to captivate your child’s mind while you soak in the beauty and awe of this spectacular West Texas park.