North Franklin Mountain

North Franklin Mountain
North Franklin Mountain, looking northeast from South Franklin Mountain
Highest point
Elevation	7,192 ft (2,192 m)
Prominence	2,981 ft (909 m)[1]
Coordinates	31°54′10″N 106°29′36″W / 31.90278°N 106.49333°W / 31.90278; -106.49333
Geography
Location	El Paso County, Texas, U.S.
Parent range	Franklin Mountains
Topo map	USGS North Franklin Mountain
Climbing
Easiest route	Mundy's Gap Trail + North Franklin Peak Trail

North Franklin Mountain (or North Franklin Peak) is a mountain in the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, Texas, located in the Southwestern United States. North Franklin, at 7,192 feet (2,192 m), is the highest point in El Paso, and the 27th-highest mountain in the state of Texas.^[2] Surrounded by a state park and with a maintained trail leading to its summit, the mountain is a popular hiking destination. The eastern slope extends into Castner Range National Monument.

North Franklin is located entirely within the city of El Paso, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of the Texas–New Mexico border and 15 miles (24 km) north of the U.S.–Mexico border. The mountain is the highest of the Franklins, clipping nearby Anthony's Nose by just over 200 feet (61 m) and neighboring South Franklin by nearly 300 feet (91 m). North Franklin rises 3,300 feet (1,000 m) above both its western base in the Mesilla Valley and its eastern base in the Hueco Bolson. In spite of its name, North Franklin is actually in the central Franklins, being the northernmost of the range's two key peaks (South Franklin, of course, is the other). To the south of these, the South Franklins include the peaks Mount Franklin and Ranger Peak^[3] (all of the television broadcast towers for El Paso are in the Southern Franklins).

Like most of the Franklins, North Franklin Mountain is visible from many miles away. When observed from the east or west, North Franklin is shaped like a scalene triangle, with its long side facing its dome-shaped sister peak South Franklin Mountain. This quality makes it a valuable navigation point when traversing the desert areas around El Paso.