With contributions by Chez Chesak
When I first learned that El Paso was the site of the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s 2024 conference, I was pretty excited. My excitement was driven mainly, I admit, because Cormack McCarthy—author of one of the greatest and most devastating post-apocalyptic stories of all time, IMO—lived there for decades. In fact, it was a trip to El Paso with his son that inspired the writer to pen his Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, “The Road.”
But this initial literary infatuation has grown and transformed into pure excitement, as I dig in and uncover all the journalistic possibilities and experiences the Sun City, or, El Chuco, has to offer. Looking for a little conference inspiration? Here are just a few things to get your wheels spinning (and possibly even salivating) for OWAA 2024, Sept. 20–24, 2024.
1. Diverse (and beautiful) array of outdoors story leads
If you know anything about the American Southwest, then you’ll understand why “stunning” and “breathtaking” are words often used to describe the outdoor experience—with opportunities to cover unique and fascinating sites around every corner. Treasured sites like Hueco Tanks State Park, about 40 minutes away, and White Sands National Park, less than two hours away, for example, demonstrate the incredible and truly majestic diversity of the area.
For more ideas on what’s editorially hot in the Sun City, check out OWAA’s El Paso coverage, including “Five Outdoor Places to Visit” and “10 Story Leads for Outdoor Media.”
Fun fact: Franklin Mountains State Park—about 15 minutes from El Paso by automobile—has 100 miles of hiking trails spread across 27,000 acres!
2. A chance to meet editors from around the US
A popular session at conference is our “Meet the Editors” panel session, and #TeamOWAA is working hard to make this year’s panel top-notch! We’re pleased to have confirmations from Field & Stream, Texas Monthly and Texas Parks & Wildlife, and we’re in talks with a variety of other renowned publications and outlets as well from around the nation. We can’t wait—and we’ll continue to update the conference website as new participants confirm.
Photo courtesy of Travel Texas
3. Five distinctive National Parks for exploration and adventure
Speaking of national parks: El Paso has five national parks (FIVE!) either close to the city or slightly further afield, all of which are geographically distinctive. These include New Mexico’s White Sands National Park (as previously mentioned) with its wondrous gypsum sand dunes; the otherworldly Carlsbad Caverns about 2.5 hours away; Texas’ Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which has the highest point in the state, and the famed and fabled Big Bend, about 5 hours southeast; and Arizona’s Saguaro National Park, which is located about 4.5 hours west of El Paso and boasts beautiful cacti landscapes.
Further, the Wall Street Journal just declared that Big Bend and Guadalupe National Parks are the fourth and ninth best national parks (respectively) in the nation!
Note: After this year, it will be more difficult to visit Big Bend for a while, as the National Park Service embarks (in early 2025) on a two-year project to replace the only lodging and restaurant within the park at Chisos Basin. All the visitor facilities, including the group campsite, will be closed to the public until the project is finished. Individual campsites and the trail system will remain open, but driving access will be much more limited.
4. Before and after: OWAA pre- and post-tour lineup
OWAA 2024 offers a range of opportunities to experience an incredible array of parks and outdoor meccas—in three states (including Mexico’s state of Chihuahua)—before and after the conference via the pre- and post-tour lineup. There are day trips or overnights at four different national parks; Texas sites such as the Heuco Tanks Valley and Balmorhea State Park (with the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool); and Chihuahua’s expansive Copper Canyon and Casas Grandes, an archeological wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site, respectively.
Note: Be sure to bring your passport!
5. The Food. Oh My — the Food.
Being near the border of another state and another country, El Paso conference eating will include some variety—with two dinners taking place in El Paso and one in New Mexico—in Las Cruces, to be exact. (And big bonus—a special Thursday-night trip for all available attendees to nosh in Juarez, Mexico!) El Paso’s Mexican food scene is unrivaled, even in Texas. Think enchilada platters smothered in red and maroon sauces, bracing margaritas, tantalizing elotes, chile rellenos, tampiquena steak, tortilla soup and perhaps sopapillas or homemade flan to top it all off. And then there is the barbeque and the local beers, whiskeys and tequilas.
Fun Fact: If you like spirits, be sure to try Sotol, which is native to Chihuahua—and which we’ll get to sample during their dinner.
6. Bhutan on the border (University of Texas at El Paso)
Kathleen L. Worrell was the inspiration for the notable architectural design that the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), situated in the Franklin Mountains, is known for today. Worrell—wife of the first Dean of the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, now UTEP—was moved by the images of the Kingdom of Bhutan she saw in a 1914 issue of National Geographic. And it was this inspiration that would guide the rebuilding of the school’s main building after a fire in 1916. Today, nearly all of the school’s 97 buildings take on a classic Bhutanese design, according to the UTEP website.
Honorable Mentions
There is so much to see and do in El Paso that we couldn’t put it all in one blog. Here are a few quick, additional takeaways and factoids for the road!
1. El Paso is the cowboy boot-making capital of the world.
2. It is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the United States.
3. The city’s economy is more closely tied to the Mexican city of Juarez than anywhere else, with locals from Juarez frequent patrons of El Paso’s local malls, restaurants, shops and other businesses.
4. The entire size of the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss military installation in El Paso is about 1,700 square miles, larger than the entire state of Rhode Island!
5. El Paso is the only part of Texas in Mountain Time.
6. Driving to San Diego from El Paso is a shorter drive than to Houston.
7. New Mexico is home to some of the oldest wine-growing regions in the United States.
8. While testing German V-2 rockets in White Sands Missile Range after World War II, one missile went astray, and the United States accidentally ‘bombed’ Mexico with it. Luckily there was no warhead, and no one was hurt!!!
9. The number of bats in Carlsbad Caverns National Park varies by season but ranges from 200,000 to more than a million. The bat population is largest in the summer but can increase during spring and fall migrations.
10. It’s worth saying again: the Wall Street Journal just declared that Big Bend and Guadalupe National Parks are the fourth and ninth best national parks (respectively) in the nation!