Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site Camping
in December

Booking Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site in December

Texas state parks open reservations exactly 5 months in advance at 8 a.m. Central — so for a December trip, the booking window opens in July. Popular weekends can disappear within minutes of the window opening. If your dates are already full, check the booking system directly for cancellations, or book a cabin or vacation rental nearby.

What to Expect in December

Quiet winter camping — easy reservations and some of the year's best night skies.

Park Highlights

• ✓World-class bouldering — some of the best problems in the United States
• ✓Over 3,000 pictographs from multiple Native American cultures
• ✓Natural water basins (huecos) in the desert — an ancient oasis
• ✓Guided tours of restricted pictograph areas (North Mountain)
• ✓Stargazing in the remote Chihuahuan Desert darkness
• ✓Rare Gambel's quail, ladder-backed woodpeckers, and cave swallows

Tips

• →Daily visitor permits are limited — book camping first, day permits are separate and also limited
• →Self-guided areas are limited to East Mountain — North and West Mountains require a guided tour
• →Rock climbing requires a separate climbing permit
• →Bring significant water — the desert heat is unforgiving even in winter
• →The visitor center has an excellent museum of the pictograph history — worth the time