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Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

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Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a park with mountains, canyons, desert, dunes and dark night skies. It is home to Guadalupe Peak, the highest mountain in state of Texas.

Texas

2009

About The Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a park that most people have never even heard of despite its having been designated a national park since 1972. In 2017 it ranked 48th out of the then 59 national parks with 225,000 visitors.

For me this was basically a drive-by park. I was traveling between Carlsbad Caverns National Park, heading to Big Bend National Park, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park was on the way only 40 miles south of Carlsbad Caverns. Any place designated a national park is always worth stopping to take a look.

There are no roads going into the park per se. The McKittrick Canyon visitor center was just about 4 miles off US Highway 62/180 and is the deepest incursion into the park. The other visitor center at Pine Spring, where the park headquarters are located, is just a few miles further down the road and is even closer to the road.

This is basically a hikers park. The interior of the park is only accessible by foot. From the visitor center at McKittrick Canyon what I saw was desert in front of me and a hill leading to a mountain top with McKittrick Canyon clearly defined beneath it. The sheer face of the canyon wall was very impressive. This is definitely a park that you have to hike miles to appreciate its beauty and, unfortunately, I didn’t have the time on this trip.

Heading south on Route 62/180 toward Pine Springs there’s the Frijole Ranch History Museum and is right alongside the road so it is easy to visit. The building dates to 1876.

Another mile down the road, near Pine Springs, there’s The Pinery which is reached directly off US 62/180. It is the ruins of the Butterfield Overland Stage Station which operated from 1858 to 1861 carrying passengers and mail. There’s a paved wheelchair accessible 0.7 mile round-trip trail to it.

As you travel south along Highway 62/180 you’ll be impressed by the sight of El Capitan. While Guadalupe Peak is higher, El Capitan is a dominating monolith that can’t fail to impress as you stop at some of the pullouts to take in its beauty and snap a few photos.

Dog Canyon is one of the more popular venues in the park for hiking but it is on the other side of the park from the visitor centers and about a 2½ hour drive from them. From Carlsbad it is 62 miles to Dog Canyon so if hiking Dog Canyon is your interest then don’t plan on going to the visitor centers that day.

Dog Canyon is in the high country. Here there are dense forests of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and aspen. If you’re going to hike in the summer this is likely to be more pleasant than hikes in the area of the visitor centers at Pine Springs and McKittrick Canyon off US Highway 62/180.

The trails in the high country can be steep and rough and may ascend as much as 3,000 feet (914m) but will have more respite from the sun if you are hiking in the summer heat.

Despite the desert-like appearance that you get from the visitor centers, the weather in the Guadalupe Mountains are hot summers, mild autumn weather, cool to cold weather in the winter as well as snowstorms, sleet storms, freezing rain and fog. Spring and fall are the best times to visit.
 

Wildlife

The mammals that inhabit the national park include elk, javelinas, gray fox, American black bears, coyote, bobcat, skunk, badger, mule deer and cougar. Among the birds are the great horned owl, woodpeckers, turkey vultures, road runners, hummingbirds, peregrine falcons and golden eagles. The park is also home to the usual assortment of snakes and lizards.

Lodging

There is no lodging in the park other than camping which is on a first-come, first-served basis - no reservations are taken. Otherwise, the closest lodging can be found in White City, New Mexico which is right outside of Carlsbad Caverns.

Hiking

McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail

This is a moderate-rated nature trail outside of the McKittrick Canyon visitor center. The round trip is 0.9 miles.

McKittrick Canyon Trail

This trail head is at the McKittrick Canyon visitor center and is about a 5 mile round trip. Much of the canyon is open desert so lots of water is mandatory. Rattlesnakes are often encountered in the canyon but are not considered, by the NPS, to be a danger.

Hiking Trails on the National Parks Service website

Guadalupe Mountains National Park Photo Gallery

Other Resources

Guadalupe Mountains National Park - NPS.gov

Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Wikipedia

Guadalupe Mountains National Park - National Geographic

Other National Parks Within a Day’s Drive

Carlsbad Caverns National Park America’s most spectacular cavern is only about 35 miles to the north. It is a short, easy 1 hour drive that can leave you with enough time to tour the cavern.

White Sands National Park has miles of pure white gypsum sand dunes and is to the east and about a 4 hour, 205 mile drive.

Big Bend National Park with the Chisos Mountains and Chihuahuan desert is about 270 miles to the southeast. Big Bend is a terrific park and well worth the trip.
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