West Texas

Major City:

El Paso, TX

The country of Mexico is located to the south of El Paso. Juarez is the city in Mexico that is across the border from El Paso. The border is the dividing line between Mexico and the United States. The Rio Grande River separates these two countries. People can cross the bridge over the border by vehicle or on foot. People like to shop and eat in Juarez.

You can see the Franklin Mountains from El Paso. The Franklin Mountain State Park is the largest urban park in the nation lying completely within city limits of El Paso.

Find out more about this unique park by viewing the video on this website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/videos/state_park/big_bend_country/franklin_mountains.phtml

The Franklin Mountain State Park offers a variety of activities including hiking, camping, rock climbing, biking and picnicking.

The Wyler Aerial Tramway takes visitors to the top of the mountains and offers a view of two countries and two US states from the 5,632-foot elevation at the southern edge of the Franklin Mountains. Can you name the countries and US states?

South and east of El Paso there is another mountain range. The Big Bend National Park is the only National park to have a complete mountain range; the Chisos Mountains. The Chihuahua Desert is also a part of the park.

Park visitors can enjoy mountain, desert and river environments.

A beautiful Texas sunset

Monahans Sandhills State ParkNorth of Big Bend National Park there is a very unique state park called the Monahans Sandhills State Park. This park is a desert filled with sand dunes that constantly changes with the wind.

Among the sand dunes are shallow fresh water ponds where you can observe wildlife such as mule deer, gray fox, coyote, bobcat, opossum, wild hog, porcupine, skunk, ground squirrel, jack rabbit, and cottontail.

Experience the Monahans State Park by viewing this short video on the park website. You will be amazed!

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/monahans_sandhills/

A natural resource in West Texas is oil. All throughout this region of the state you will see working oil wells like this one.

Sheep are grazing on a West Texas ranch. Ranchers will sheer their sheep in the spring and sell the wool to make clothing, rugs,

carpet, blankets and other items.

Most of the land of West Texas looks like this: dry with short trees and long grass.

Tumbleweeds blow with the west Texas winds!

Texas Tumbleweeds

This tumbleweed is covered in snow. Look at those sharp thorns!

This is what the tumbleweed plant looks like as it is growing. When is dries out, the winds will

break the stem and the tumbleweed will roll.

Tumbleweeds have flowers too--very small ones thick along the stems. They bloom in late October.

Tumbling Tumbleweed!

A tumbleweed snowman

Adios, y’all!