Social distancing a top priority as El Paso parks and trails open back up

EL PASO, Texas -- As many popular parks and trails open back up around El Paso, the state has put a plan in place to help rangers handle the high demand from people anxious to get back outdoors and stretch their legs.

“We have a capacity limit of 300 per day so that is all the system will sell," said Franklin Mountains State Park Superintendent Cesar Mendez. "If people do not have a permit, they can't go into the park.”

Each visitor is individually checked out before entering the park and their passes are checked.

“We tried to come out earlier and got told to register so we went home and went on the website and it was easy on the site," said Ryan Swedlow, who enjoyed the day out in the Tom Mays Unit of Franklin Mountains State Park.

Also, park police are nearby and if someone is seen violating social distancing rules, they can be asked to leave - although that hasn’t happened yet.

“We will probably go from 300 to 400 and then we will continue to increase it depending on how we are able to manage those numbers with the parks stuff that we have," said Mendez.

Other parks in El Paso that are back open include Lost Dog Round House, Lazy Cow, Thousand Steps and the Palisades Lomas del Sol.