The Pass keeps its stories close. They'll tell you the name is literal — this really is the pass, the one gap where the river leaves the mountains. They'll point up at the star on the Franklins and out at the Mission Trail, where Ysleta has held services since the 1680s. They'll tell you El Paso runs on Mountain time while the rest of Texas runs on Central, because the Pass has always kept its own clock. And they'll tell you about the sun — that this is the Sun City, where the sky is clear almost every day of the year.
Today El Paso is the Sun City still — a borderland metropolis of mountains, missions, and desert light, proud of four centuries at the Pass and home to a large military community at the edge of the Franklins. Its story runs from the Pueblo and Tigua peoples of the river, through the 1598 naming of the Pass and the oldest mission in Texas, to a modern bicultural crossroads. Our El Paso designs gather that identity into wearable form — the Pass of the North, the Sun City, the star on the mountain. El Paso del Norte — the Pass of the North, a crossing for four hundred years.
Why People Visit El Paso Texas
- Hike Franklin Mountains State Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, with desert trails and overlooks above the city.
- Drive the Scenic Drive Overlook for the classic view of the valley, the mountains, and the lights of two countries at night.
- Follow the El Paso Mission Trail to Ysleta, the oldest mission in Texas, plus Socorro and the San Elizario chapel.
- Rest at San Jacinto Plaza, the historic downtown square with its sculpted alligators.
- Explore Hueco Tanks State Park for desert rock formations and world-class bouldering.
- Visit the El Paso Museum of Art downtown for regional collections and rotating exhibitions.
