Frijole Horse Corral Campground

Overview

• This site is designed for stock use. If your party does not need access to a horse campsite, please consider selecting a campsite at the Pine Springs Campground located one mile west of Frijole Horse Corral Campground.

• Frijole Horse Corral Campground is located one mile east of Pine Springs Visitor Center, just off U.S. 62/180 and at an elevation of 5,400 feet.

• This campground has a large gravel parking area that is used as trailhead parking to access the Foothills and Frijole trails. It provides additional parking for horse trailers.

• The Frijole Horse Corral campground is located 1 mile from the Pine Springs area and Visitor Center. It is 100 miles or a 2 hour drive from the Dog Canyon horse corrals by road.

• The campground is open year-round and is busiest, March-May and September-November.

• High winds with over 50 mph gusts are common , especially during winter and spring

• The Frijole Horse Corral Campsite is approximately 100 yards from the very busy U.S. 62/180 highway, expect traffic noise, including large trucks, 24 hours a day.

Recreation

Stock users may access trails in the Pine Springs area after obtaining a free stock use permit at the Pine Springs Visitor Center (8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) the day of their trip or up to 24 hours in advance. Trails that allow stock use are indicated on the park map and on maps for sale at the park bookstore.

Riders must start their trip from the Frijole corral using the Foothills trail or Frijole trail.

The use of horses or pack animals is allowed on the following trails, routes or areas:

Trails designated for stock use are as follows:

• El Capitan Trail, Salt Basin Overlook Trail, Foothills Trail, Frijole Trail, Tejas Trail, Bush Mountain Trail from Tejas Junction at Pine Top to hitching racks at Bush Mountain, Bush Mountain Trail from Dog Canyon to Marcus Junction and the Marcus Trail, Blue Ridge Trail from Marcus Junction to Tejas Trail, McKittrick Canyon Trail from Tejas Trail to McKittrick Ridge Campground hitching racks

Roads designated for stock use are as follows:

• Dog Canyon Road & designated old roads in the west side escarpment area. Note that not all the old roads within the park are open for stock use.

• These roads are open to stock use to allow access to designated trails and because there are no alternative trails or routes.

Hikers will find many opportunities as well:

• The nearby Pine Springs Trailhead includes access to many different types of hikes. Hikes to Guadalupe Peak or the Bowl are strenuous, 8-9 miles, and have 2500-3000 feet of elevation gain. Another strenuous hike is the Devil’s Hall Trail (4.2 miles round-trip, 500 feet elevation gain, ½ of the trail in a rocky, uneven wash which includes route-finding and boldering skills). For a more moderate hike consider the the Frijole/Foothills Trail. The El Capitan Trail is a strenuous trail that offers excellent open views of the surrounding desert and close approaches to the cliff face of El Capitan. Because of its distance, lack of shade, some primitive route travel, and numerous elevation changes, this trail is best saved for cooler times of year and for people with experience in route-finding.

• The ruins of a Butterfield stage station, called the Pinery are next to the highway, and a short, paved nature trail connects the visitor center and the historic site.

• The Frijole Ranch & History Museum is .25 miles away. The grounds are always open, but the museum is staffed intermittently.

• Six miles to the east on Hwy 62/180 is McKittrick Canyon. This area offers three trails, the McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail (0.9 miles loop), McKittrick Canyon Trail (4.8 miles round-trip to Pratt Cabin or 6.8 miles round-trip to the Grotto) and the Permian Reef Trail (8.4 miles round-trip, for serious geology buffs).

Facilities

• No open fires (this includes portable propane fire rings and charcoal) are permitted anywhere in the park. Only cooking stoves or lanterns using containerized fuel are permitted.

• This site has the following amenities to accommodate for stock users: (4 corrals, hitching posts, extra trailer parking (not level), water troughs, stock watering tanks). Please be aware that recreating near horse campgrounds can provide a different experience to non-stock users. Please be courteous and select non-horse sites at Pine Springs Campground.

• This area may be shared with other stock users for day use purpose. Reserving the campsite does not guarantee you will have the area to yourself.

• Frijole Horse Corral Campsite has a large gravel parking area that is used for trailhead parking to access the Foothills and Frijole trails. It provides additional parking for horse trailers. The area is not level.

• Campsite occupancy allows 1 – 12 persons.

• The site has two tent pads (one is raised for accessibility) and two RV parking spaces (one site is paved for accessibility).

• This…

Managed by a US federal agency. Data source: ridb.recreation.gov.