I have known it is true for years. Meanwhile, many El Pasoans have known it long before me. Yet, this is the first time I am taking a close look at why El Paso’s beach is Puerto Peñasco. Let me explain.
Personally, I like El Paso, Texas, and it began because of my working for ABC News. After the U.S. POWs in the Iraq War were rescued, I was there at Fort Bliss for their homecoming. Then when the Walmart mass shooting tragedy occurred, I will never forget the outpouring of love and togetherness the El Paso community showed at those times.
Since then, I have had nothing but more wonderful experiences with people whose idea of El Paso’s beach headquarters is staying at the Sonoran Sun Resort in Rocky Point Mexico.
El Paso Beach Options
Discovering the nearest beach to El Paso offers a great way to show just how big Texas is. El Paso’s beach of choice is not even in the Lone Star State. And in case you didn’t know, Texas does indeed have beachfront land. Lots of it on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
El Pasoans driving to Corpus Christi is roughly 700 miles heading southeast through Texas passing between San Antonio and Austin. Google has the trip exactly at 696 miles and says it should be a drive of 9 hours, 49 minutes.
Meantime, El Paso beachgoers have a slightly longer trip if they stay in state to visit Galveston, Texas. That destination is 101 miles more because they are traveling farther east along the gulf. GPS shows it would take a total of 11 hours and 25 minutes to complete the drive if this were El Paso’s beach.
Puerto Peñasco – Closest Beach to El Paso
That’s right, El Pasoans must do more than leave Texas to hit the closest beach. They must leave the country, too because Puerto Peñasco – Rocky Point Mexico is the nearest beach to El Paso. It is a mere 537 miles southwest according to Google.
I’ve done the drive from El Paso to my home in Chandler, Arizona a couple of times. I dare not complain about it ever again because El Paso’s beach drive to Rocky Point is even greater than that.
Summer 2024 Rocky Points
The Summer 2024 season will link Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, with El Paso, Texas for quite some time. Sadly, in June, tragedy struck a newly married couple vacationing at the Sonoran Sea Resort (not related to the Sonoran Sun).
News of the death of 43-year-old Jorge Guillen spread beyond El Pasoans and Rocky Pointers. The tragedy seemed to travel around the world after he was somehow electrocuted while in a jacuzzi or hot tub. His wife, Lizette Zambrano, 35, survived her own critical injuries from the incident. She has filed a lawsuit while she tries to go on. I think about them often.
On a brighter note, I’m grateful Summer 2024 season has brought some wonderful families to the Sonoran Sun. Hosting them as they rented condos has been more than a pleasure. Getting to know some of them is really the inspiration for writing here about El Paso’s beach.