Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas and Guadalupe Mountains National Park has some pretty tough hikes if you want to do some climbing. We were there in the fall and it was surprisingly crowded. We had to park Eddie at a distant lot and unload Ruby to get around. The weather was working against us and the winds made getting around a bit challenging.
We visited Guadalupe Mountains in November 2019
Getting There
It’s pretty much at the tip of Texas, not far from El Paso or Las Cruces. It’s definitely out in the country, but not far from Carlsbad Caverns and it would be efficient to group it with Big Bend and White Sands too. We were racing an incoming storm, so we only spent one day in the park and only did one hike.
Top of Texas
Guadalupe Peak. The main peak is very scenic and, at 8751 ft of elevation, is a strenuous 8+ mile hike with 3000 feet of elevation gain. It wasn’t terribly hot when we were there, but we bypassed hiking the peak. After hitting the Visitor Center, we took the scooter to Frijole Ranch and walked around that area. It’s all pretty desolate, but we did find something were were hoping to see ever since we visited Big Bend. We had never heard of a javelina and after a ranger explained what they were, we were hopeful. Basically, they’re a type of wild pig. I wouldn’t call them cute, but they did make us smile. Walking around the ranch, we saw a family of four foraging under a tree. We got a few pictures and some video and checked the javelina off our list. Next, we headed toward McKittrick Canyon, hoping that we’d find some parking and be able to hike to some of the renowned fall foliage.
McKittrick
Canyon
The canyon is more like a dried riverbed that meanders below the mountain peaks, but it does stay a bit cooler and offer some shade. In the fall, the trees throughout the canyon create a surprising blaze of color, not what you’d expect in Texas. It’s an easy, flat hike to get to where you can see the colorful displays. There were lots of people on their way out as we started the afternoon hike, so we dodged some of the larger crowds. We hiked for maybe 3 miles roundtrip and the trails continued further into the canyon and up to McKittrick Ridge. We easily could have gone further, but there was no indication that we’d see anything dramatically different than the first mile+ and we did need to get to Carlsbad Canyons before the snow hit there. Regardless, hiking McKittrick Canyon is a must if you visit this park.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of the least visited parks. But locals rave about the hikes and it’s interesting that it’s all part of a giant fossil reef from an ancient shallow sea. We enjoyed McKittrick Canyon’s colors in the fall and it was convenient to visit on our way to Carlsbad. Maybe 20 years ago, we would’ve conquered the “Top of Texas,” but no longer. Enjoy!