One El Paso Trail Takes You To The Sight of a Plane Crash

If you're the kind of person that loves to hike, El Paso has a lot of different trails you can take; some easy & some difficult. But there's one in particular that's... certainly unique that the others in El Paso.

(But you already know that if you clicked on this article)

There IS INDEED a hiking trail that leads up to the wreckage of a plane crash that happened back in 1953. But first, here's a little background on what exactly happened:

In December 1953, A B-36 Bomber carrying 9 military airmen was flying to Fort Biggs when the plane got caught up in a freak weather storm: a blizzard mixed with a dust storm. The crew circled around the city before, tragically, crashing into the side of the Franklin Mountains.

Because of the weather conditions, no rescue crew could reach the airmen in time; as a result, all 9 men perished in the crash.  Also because of the location of the crash & how difficult it is to reach on foot, there's pieces of the plane crash on the mountain.

You can see a VERY detailed look into the accident right here from David Etzoid including a historic marker that signifies the importance of the location.

The trail is called, fittingly, the B-36 Crash Site Trail. located on the Franklin Mountains. And yes, this IS a recognized trail that people ARE allowed to go up & see the wreckage for themselves. There's even a memorial marker where people pay respects to the brave airmen who died that day.

Be warned though, the trail is fairly difficult & it takes about 2 hours to complete. People are discouraged from taking pieces of wreckage or souvenirs but they ARE encouraged to leave a sign of respect.

If you ARE curious in hiking this trail, you can find how and where on Visit El Paso's website.

R.I.P. to the 9 airmen who died on that fateful day...

Get our free mobile app