Where Franklin Hills Street meets Bear Ridge Drive, the pavement ends at a new parking area, a water fountain for people and pets, and a bicycle repair station. The City of El Paso describes the spot as "tucked along the scenic foothills of the Franklin Mountains in West El Paso." This is the improved Bear Ridge Trailhead, and the City announced the work complete on August 26, 2026.
For years, the easiest way into the mountain from Franklin Hills meant driving to someone else's entrance. We covered that pattern in our earlier look at how Franklin Hills hikes, which centered on Tom Mays and Smuggler's Pass. Bear Ridge changes that. The neighborhood now has a finished, city-built entrance on one of its own streets, and the land it opens onto is protected from development by a vote El Paso took in 2019.
What roughly $500,000 bought at one corner
The City's August 26, 2026 release puts the project at about $500,000, paid for through the voter-approved 2012 Quality of Life Bond. The bond dates from 2012, so the trailhead took well over a decade to arrive. Here is the list of what was built:
- Parking, pedestrian walkways, and ADA-compliant ramps and handrails
- A water fountain for people and pets
- A bicycle repair station
- An information kiosk for planning a route
- Rock-mulch landscaping, irrigation, and newly planted caliper trees
- A shaded picnic area with a table, benches, and a waste bin
The list leaves some things out. The release mentions no restrooms, and neither the City nor KTSM's coverage names a contractor or a final cost beyond the approximate figure. What it does describe is a staging area. The repair stand and the irrigated trees are built for people who park, get ready, and head out, then come back to sit in the shade.
The City set a free ribbon cutting and community hike for 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Frontera Land Alliance listed the event from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and said it would lead a short hike. KTSM updated its story the morning of the event, but we haven't seen any coverage published afterward.
Half a mile in, twelve miles if you keep going
On its own, the trail behind the trailhead is short. Trailforks lists Bear Ridge Trail as a gravel path about 2,726 feet long, a little over half a mile. It runs between roughly 4,363 and 4,476 feet in elevation and is open to hikers, trail runners, and mountain, gravel, and adaptive bikes in both directions. Its difficulty rating is Green, and its physical rating is Moderate. The whole segment spans about 113 vertical feet, which suits an easy evening walk with a dog.
That half mile is also the start of something much bigger. Trailforks includes Bear Ridge Trail in its Lost Dog Tech Loop, a mountain-bike route that runs far longer and climbs much more than the segment that starts at the trailhead:
| Route | Length | Climb or range | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Ridge Trail | About 0.52 mi | 4,363 to 4,476 ft range | Green, Moderate |
| Lost Dog Tech Loop | 12.4 mi | 1,779 ft of climbing | Blue |
The loop also links Lost Dog, Mayberry RFD, GI Joe, Granola Bowl, and Tin Mine Hill. Trailforks lists a Bear Ridge–Mayberry Shortcut nearby as well, but the listing doesn't show exactly where it connects.
Past that, the trails reach Franklin Mountains State Park. Frontera Land Alliance describes Lost Dog as land that "adjoins the Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) to the east and residential areas to the south and west," and calls it "well known as a place to bike and hike on trails that are connected to the FMSP trails." We haven't found a source that confirms a direct trail link from Bear Ridge to other City trails on the Westside, such as Ojo de Agua, Three Hills, Thunderbird, or Palisades. The City's trails and trailheads directory lists those as separate sites.
Why there is still open land behind the parking lot
Spending half a million dollars on an entrance makes sense when the land behind it will stay open. Lost Dog wasn't always headed that way. Frontera says plainly that "this land was slated for development." Here's how that changed:
- 2012. A City presentation to Council says 658 acres were transferred to Franklin Mountains State Park and roughly 1,000 acres remained outside it.
- May 4, 2019. Voters approved Proposition A with 89% of the vote, according to Frontera Land Alliance. The ballot language directed the City to "preserve in its natural state, for all time, the 1,107 acres" known as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve, which includes the Lost Dog Trail, and to prohibit "for all time any private development and any major public roadways" on that land.
- May 14, 2019. City Council unanimously approved the ordinance that put the vote into effect, covering about 1,106.93 acres.
- May 11, 2021. Council gave final approval to a conservation easement on Lost Dog among the City, El Paso Water, and Frontera Land Alliance, as KTSM reported.
The easement is what makes the protection hard to undo. Frontera writes that voters wanted the land "permanently protected, and overseen by a 3rd party, for natural open space and passive recreation and does not allow any construction." The City's 2019 presentation also notes the land was City-owned, held in trust, and controlled by El Paso Water.
Seen that way, the new trailhead finishes a long process. The 2019 vote settled that the land stays open, the 2021 easement put a third party in charge of keeping it that way, and the 2026 trailhead gave the public a proper way in.
Who looks after it now
According to KTSM's 2021 report, the City and El Paso Water handle maintenance, upkeep, and restoration on Lost Dog, working with Frontera Land Alliance. That report is five years old, so check with those groups for the current arrangement before relying on it.
Frontera also explains what the protection does for the land itself. The foothills hold a mix of plant and animal habitats and many arroyos, which "provide corridors for wildlife and for water flow during rains," and leaving the vegetation alone "will assist in reducing erosion and flooding." The rock-mulch landscaping and planted trees at the trailhead stop at the edge of the parking area. Past that point, the land is meant to stay as it is.
Heading out this fall
October is a good time to try the trail, and a few things are worth knowing before you go.
- Dogs. Trailforks marks Bear Ridge as dog-friendly, but its listing doesn't spell out leash rules. The City's trails page tells users to follow Franklin Mountains State Park rules.
- Water. The fountain at the trailhead covers the start and finish. For the longer loop, Trailforks advises carrying plenty of water, especially in summer.
- Weather. The City advises checking the forecast and being ready for heat, cold, wind, dust, and rain.
- Trail conditions. The most recent Bear Ridge report on Trailforks, from March 2025, called the trail "clear and nicely redone." That was more than a year and a half ago. Texas Parks and Wildlife cautions that trails can close and suggests checking with the park for current conditions.
- Bikes. The repair station at the parking area means a dropped chain or low tire doesn't have to end a ride before it starts.
If you'd like to finish with coffee or a meal, the restaurants we covered in our weekend guide to The Canyons at Cimarron are a short drive away.
Lost Dog has been protected since 2019, and since late August 2026 Franklin Hills has had a finished trailhead into it on Bear Ridge Drive. At Cornerstone Realty, our team follows changes like this street by street across the Westside. If you live in Franklin Hills and want to know how a new public amenity on your street figures into your home's value, you can request your free home valuation. You can also learn more about the area on our Franklin Hills neighborhood page.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
