 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 45 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (45) Reached from Pine Springs Visitor Center by way of the Tejas or Bear Canyon trails, the Bowl is a high forested ... bowl. The Bowl is 2500 feet above the desert floor. Douglas Fir is not a tree commonly found in Texas but you can find it up here along with pine.
The picture shows the edge of the Bowl at the right, high above the Pine Springs Canyon. Leave a Comment Address: GMNP, HC 60 Box 400, Salt Flat, TX 79847-9400Phone: (915) 828-3251Directions: Trails to the Bowl go up from Pine Springs Visitor Center: Tejas trail or Bear Canyon trailWebsite: http://www.nps.gov/gumo/gumo/trails.html
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This is the highest spot in the largest state in the lower 48 States - 8749 feet/2667 meters. A small monument is placed atop the peak, sitting somewhat incongruously. You can read or sign the summit register or simply gaze off into the far distance as the Texas landscape flattens out quickly into dessicated plains. Leave a Comment Address: GMNP, HC 60 Box 400, Salt Flat, TX 79847-9400Phone: (915) 828-3251Directions: End of the Guadalupe Peak trail, 3000 feet above the Pine Springs Visitor Center.Website: http://www.nps.gov/gumo/gumo/dayhike.html
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From the Pine Springs Visitor Center, one of the Park's busiest trails takes off to the top of Texas - 8749 ft/2667 m Guadalupe Peak. There is no water en route so fill up before moving out. The roundtrip is 9.3 miles and you gain 3000 feet. For the first part of the trail, there is no shade and not even that much up higher even when passing through an fairly open forest up near the top. As you go up from the Visitor Center, the views across the plains to the east become evermore expansive until you edge around a corner, high above Pine Spring Canyon. The trail twists and turns higher and higher reaching a backcountry campsite about 2/3rds of the way up. To the north, you look across Pine Spring Canyon and make out the mountainous country lyin northwards; the Tejas trail winds its way up the opposite side of the canyon; the Bowl is off on the right skyline. Keep an eye out for wildlife. Besides the odd lizard or two, we watched a six-foot western diamondback rattlesnake lazily cross the trail in the woods high up near the peak on the day we hiked. Leave a Comment Address: GMNP, HC 60 Box 400, Salt Flat, TX 79847-9400Phone: (915) 828-3251Directions: The trail takes off from the Pine Springs Visitor Center. Headquarters Visitor Center at Pine Springs can be accessed via U.S. highway 62/180 between Carlsbad, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.Website: http://www.nps.gov/gumo/gumo/trails.html
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The most dramatic view from atop Guadalupe Peak is that tothe south of the last bastion, the last gasp of the range, El Capitan, a bold piece of ancient reef slightly separated from the main range. It is very evident from up here or down below on the road and is symbollic for the Park, as a whole. Leave a Comment Address: GMNP, HC 60 Box 400, Salt Flat, TX 79847-9400Phone: (915) 828-3251Directions: Headquarters Visitor Center at Pine Springs can be accessed via U.S. highway 62/180 between Carlsbad, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. 110 miles east of El Paso.Website: http://www.nps.gov/gumo/
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The Guadalupe Peak trail rises over 2,500 feet from the Pine Springs Visitor Center to the highest spot in Texas. On cloudy days the peak will be shrouded, and ordinarily it will be impossible to gauge your progress. When the sun is shining, you necessarily rise above all other plateaus, but the surrounding mountains often look higher than the crest of your trail and with good reason. Some of the neighbors are just short of claiming the highest spot themselves. Leave a Comment
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When out of the fall season, the Canyon is a dry, arid bowl with meandering valleys until you reach its terminus. This uttermost reach is the exact area where in the fall the colors are their brightest, but outside this small timeframe, the conditions are much less photogenic. You can judge for yourself from the photo. Leave a Comment
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In 1958, American Airlines erected this pyramid on Guadalupe Peak to commemorate 100 years of transcontinental delivery service. Strange. Instead of boasting that this spot is the highest point in Texas or giving the elevation, the runes merely say 'US POST OFFICE.' In any event the scene from here commands a view of the entire desert for dozens of miles, and though the surrounding peaks feel higher than your position, the pyramid marks the spot.
El Capitan looms in the background beneath a cloud. Leave a Comment
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Before venturing into any national park, it is highly recommended to visit the Visitor Center first. Here, one can get all the information needed pertaining to a wonderful time & a safe return. The Visitor Center in Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of the biggest in the vicinity. Judging by its size, we concluded that there must be quite a few hikers who explore this area every year! Leave a Comment
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The hike continues through the trees and Texas' highest campground until you reach a series of naked cliffs. Horses are allowed on parts of this trail and you will see markers that prohibit stock animals, though signs on the trail seem to show that certain trains have ignored the prohibitions. Leave a Comment
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The hike follows a winding canyon over tedious scree between an endless array of naked slopes. The fall colors will not show on the valley floor unless the desert plants are in bloom, or unless you count the color of the occasional trout. Otherwise the initial stage has few landmarks of any note. Leave a Comment
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on November 8, 2003
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