Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is home to the highest peak in Texas, Guadalupe Peak. As a former resident of Colorado, I was underwhelmed at its elevation of 8,751 feet. The park offers amazing mountain views and a chance to explore the undeveloped Chihuahuan desert. And its elevation gives you a chance to experience leaves changing during the fall in a place that doesn’t have a lot of trees.

Address and Location

You’ll find Guadalupe Mountains National Park at 400 Pine Canyon in Salt Flat, Texas. The Pine Springs Visitor’s Center is on the north side of US Highway 62 / 180. It’s hard to miss as there is nothing else out there. Keep in mind that the park itself is in Mountain Time, even if your phone or GPS update to Central Time. The park is about an hour and forty minutes from El Paso and an hour and a half from Carlsbad, New Mexico. Fill up your tank and pack snacks before you hit the road.

Cost

Admission for those 16 and older costs $10 and is good for up to seven days. You can also purchase an annual pass for $35. As always, America the Beautiful pass holders get in free.

What to Do

You can hike, camp, and climb mountains at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Be sure to pack sunscreen, sturdy shoes, and lots of water. The park is very upfront about the ability access needed to hike each trail, so you can check out what best fits your needs before you go. We opted to hike the Pinery Trail behind the Visitor’s Center. This particular trail is pretty flat, wide, and groomed.

From there, we headed out to the Devil’s Hall Trail. Overall, this trail was moderate, though you did have to climb large steps at certain points. We saw the most fall color as we got further into the canyon.

Finally, we headed down to the highway to the McKittrick Canyon trailhead. Here, we headed up (and I do mean up) the Nature Trail. It’s a challenging vertical climb, and the trail portion is narrow.

Texas National Park Service sites: