Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a great place to experience the extreme differences in Texas landscapes. There are entrances to two distinct areas of the park off US 62/180: Pine Springs and McKittrick Canyon.

You'll find the park's Visitor Center, and a campground, at the Pine Springs entrance. Also, you can access the Guadalupe Peak, Foothills, Frijole, and Devil's Hall Trails here. Continue on to the McKittrick Canyon entrance (the gate is locked every evening, but open during the day) to access the popular McKittrick Canyon trail, which takes hikers through a lush canyon, rich with fall colors in autumn. There's a third entrance too, at Dog Canyon on the New Mexico border. You'll have to drive almost to Carlsbad, then make a long loop back to the park's northern side to access the trails here.

El Capitan, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Before you reach either entrance, you'll climb a steep hill and round a wide curve. El Capitan is right in front of you. Pull off at the picnic area and snap a picture or two.

After you've navigated a few more curves, you reach the first park entrance, at Pine Springs. Here you'll find the Visitor Center, and the trailhead for three popular hikes. The Guadalupe Peak Trail is 8.4 miles round-trip, and requires a dramatic elevation gain (translation: you'll huff and you'll puff before you reach the top).

Devil's Hall Trail, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Texas

I chose a trail that's half that length--the Devil's Hall Trail. However, since I arrived late (thanks Southwest Airlines, for adding that extra stop in Lubbock!), and since the sky was overcast, I didn't have time to hike all the way to the actual Devil's Staircase at the end.

Devil's Hall Trail, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Texas

Despite the gloomy skies, this was still a beautiful trail (even if you don't have time to reach the end). It requires a bit of uphill and downhill hiking, and the trail is occasionally rough and rocky.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park Texas

The trail runs along the edge of a wash, then drops down and joins the dry creekbed. Cliffs tower above you on both sides.

Roots along Devil's Hall Trail

Stone and leaf

Although my visit was in late March, I still found plenty of colorful leaves scattered on the ground, and an interesting variety of plant life scattered in with the ever-present cactus.

dry wash, devil's hall trail, guadalupe mountains

As you hike through the wash, you'll have to climb over some large rocks and small boulders in several places.

After hiking a short distance in the wash, I had to turn around. I'm not certain, but I believe the Staircase was only about 1/2 mile further, but with the sun setting, and the occasional drizzle, I wasn't able to go any further.

butterfield stage ruins, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

One more quick stop worth making is near the Pine Springs Visitor's Center. Here you'll find the crumbling remains of the Pinery Butterfield Stage Station. The old route of the Butterfield Stage Coach line cuts around El Capitan, then through the western side of the park.

Windmill at sunset, west Texas
A Windmill at Sunset, along US 62/180

Once finished at Guadalupe Mountains, continue heading east (and north) to Carlsbad.

For the night, I stayed in the Best Western Stevens Inn (request a room in the "new section"--it will cost more but will ensure you receive one of the few decent rooms in Carlsbad). There are also two Best Western Motels at White's City (much closer to the caverns than the actual town of Carlsbad). Since all of the hotels/motels in this area are a bit "iffy", you may want to check the latest reviews on TripAdvisor.com.

<< Previous | Texas Hotels | Texas Attractions Map | Next >>

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Trinity Atomic Bomb Test Site

Pecos Flume - River Crosses Itself

Day 1
<< Previous | Next >>



	El Paso Fabens Carlsbad, NM Whites City, NM ----All Cities---- Abilene Addison Alamo Alice Allen Alpine Alvin Amarillo Angleton Anthony Aransas Pass Arlington Athens Atlanta Austin Avinger Bastrop Bay City Baytown Beaumont Bedford Beeville Belton Benbrook Big Spring Bishop Boerne Borger Bowie Brady Brenham Bridgeport Brownfield Brownsville Brownwood Bryan Buda Buffalo Burleson Burnet Canton Canyon Carrollton Carthage Cedar Hill Cedar Park Center Centerville Channelview Childress Cisco Clarendon Cleburne Cleveland Clifton Clute Coleman College Station Colorado City Columbus Commerce Conroe Copperas Cove Corpus Christi Corsicana Crockett Dalhart Dallas Dayton De Soto Decatur Deer Park Del Rio Del Valle Denison Denton Diboll Dickinson Donna Dumas Duncanville Eagle Pass Early Eastland Edinburg El Campo El Paso Elgin Elmendorf Ennis Euless Fabens Fairfield Falfurrias Farmers Branch Floresville Forest Hill Forney Fort Stockton Fort Worth Fredericksburg Freeport Freer Frisco Fulton Gainesville Galveston Garland Gatesville George West Georgetown Giddings Glen Rose Gonzales Graham Granbury Grand Prairie Grapevine Greenville Groves Gun Barrel City Hallettsville Harlingen Hearne Hempstead Henderson Hereford Hillboro Hillsboro Hondo Horseshoe Bay Houston Humble Huntsville Hurst Ingleside Irving Jacksonville Jasper Jefferson Johnson City Junction Katy Kaufman Kemah Kenedy Kerrville Kilgore Killeen Kingsville Kingwood Kountze La Feria La Grange La Marque La Porte Lago Vista Lajitas Lake Jackson Lake Worth Lampasas Lancaster Laredo League City Lewisville Liberty Lindale Livingston Llano Longview Lubbock Lufkin Lytle Madisonville Manor Mansfield Marble Falls Marshall Mcallen Mckinney Memphis Mesquite Midland Midlothian Mineral Wells Mission Montgomery Mount Pleasant Mount Vernon Nacogdoches Navasota New Boston New Braunfels North Richland Hills Odem Odessa Orange Ozona Palestine Pampa Paris Pasadena Pearland Pecos Pharr Plainview Plano Pleasanton Port Aransas Port Arthur Port Isabel Port Lavaca Portland Post Quanah Rancho Viejo Raymondville Red Oak Richardson Rio Grande City Roanoke Robstown Rockdale Rockport Rockwall Rosenberg Round Rock Rowlett Salado San Angelo San Antonio San Benito San Juan San Marcos Schertz Seabrook Seagoville Sealy Seguin Shamrock Shenandoah Sherman Sinton Snyder Somerville Sonora South Padre Island Stafford Stamford Stephenville Sugar Land Sulphur Springs Sunset Valley Surfside Beach Sweetwater Taylor Temple Terrell Texarkana Texas City The Colony The Woodlands Three Rivers Tomball Tyler Universal City Uvalde Van Horn Vega Vernon Victoria Waco Waxahachie Weatherford Webster Weslaco West Columbia Westlake Wharton White Settlement Wichita Falls Willis Willow Park Willowbrook Winnie Winnsboro Woodway Zapata

View this website's best photos in the Gallery

Recommended Road Trip Reading

Leave your mark on the map! Sign the Guest Book.

Texas Travel
Photography Tours
Family Vacations
Hiking & Trekking Pkgs.

View this website's best photos in the Gallery

Recommended Road Trip Reading

Leave your mark on the map! Sign the Guest Book.