Its a LONG trek to get from Houston to West Texas, where Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located. The 10 hour drive is worth it for some of the best hiking in Texas. Plus, the highest peaks in Texas are located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. This park is one of the least visited National Parks, along with its neighbor to the north, Carlsbad Caverns.
Camping
My dad, sister and I planned to camp Saturday night thru Tuesday at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We made one mistake in planning… You can not reserve camps sites at the park and our trip coincided with the week of Spring Break for over half of Texas schools. By the time we got to the park, all the campsites at both campgrounds were occupied. Lucky for us, a gentleman named Jon was nice enough to share a campsite with us at the Pine Springs Campground. He also shared his experiences from his ongoing trip, biking all the way from Key West Florida to his home in Oregon.
The first night of camping was rough, to say the least. Winds were upwards of 30 MPH throughout the evening and night. To say we struggled to get the tent set up is an understatement. AND as the sun set, the temperature dropped. Instead of getting to experience to enjoyable parts of camping, like card games and hanging out outside, we were huddled in our tent to stay out of the wind and cold.
For cooking, we had to get creative to even use the cook stove. And if you are thinking of enjoying a campfire, think again. No campfires or charcoal fires are permitted in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
We decided one night of camping was enough, saving my sister (really all of us) from the predicted thunderstorms on the second and third nights. We spent Sunday hiking and enjoying the park and then drove back toward civilization.
Hiking
With 80 miles of hiking trails throughout Guadalupe Mountains National Park, your options are endless. The trails start at a few different locations, including near the Pine Spring Campground, McKittrick Canyon Day-use Area, and Dog Canyon Campground. There are also thru hikes in the back-country. We took advantage of our one and half days in the park, hiking two different trails.
Devil’s Hall
After we set up our campsite, my sister and I headed out for a shorter, 4.2 mile hike to Devil’s Hall. About half of this hike is along a trail, and the other half you are scrambling over boulders in the gully. Sturdy shoes are a must for this hike! The destination, Devil’s Hall, and the views of the mountains along the way are well worth the moderately difficult hike. We even managed to see a few mule deer along the way.
Guadalupe Peak
This is the hike the park is most well known for, and also the tallest peak in Texas! Over the 8.4 miles you gain nearly 3,000 feet in elevation, but the views from the top are amazing! The National Park Service recommends 6 to 8 hours to finish the entire hike, though I saw people finishing it faster. We started the hike around 10 AM, and finished around 4:30 PM.
The hike starts out difficult, and doesn’t really get any easier. You are hiking up the mountain the entire time, and as you gain elevation the air gets thinner. When you get “Around the Bend” the scenery changes from desert to pine forest. If there is an easy part of the hike, this would be it.
The most difficult part of the hike is the last mile or so, after passing the Guadalupe Peak Campground. Coming around the corner from the campground you cross a bridge and can (FINALLY!) see Guadalupe Peak. What you can also see is the 1 mile of steep switchbacks leading to it. This was the most mentally daunting portion of the hike for me.
I have to give credit to my dad and sister, they kicked my butt and got to the top about 10 minutes before me. Once there, we took that infamous picture with the monument at the top, enjoyed the views, and headed back down the mountain. We stopped near the Guadalupe Peak Campground to enjoy lunch on the way down the mountain, and got SNOWED on before we got back to the Pine Springs Campground. Crazy to think about snow in the middle of no-where west texas desert. But little did we know that it does actually snow pretty frequently, especially at the elevation we were at. Plus it was early in the season, so it still got pretty chilly up higher.
Before you Go
Be sure to bring cash to pay for camping and day use in the park, which is all self pay. Effective March 2019 all National Parks have increased day use and camping fees!
Remote Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is very remotely located in West Texas. The nearest hotel, gas station, grocery store, etc. is about an hour drive in any direction you go. Make sure you pack everything you need, and don’t show up to the park with an empty gas tank.
Camping
Guadalupe Mountains National Park has VERY LIMITED campsite options. There are only 29 first come, first serve individual campsites between two campgrounds for the entire 6,000 acre park. Pine Springs campground is the larger of the two, while Dog Canyon is smaller and more remote (2.5 hours from Pine Springs by car!). All of the camping is self pay at the information station for each campground! They do have additional camping in the back-country, which requires a permit. For more details about camping, check their website here.
Hiking
There are over 80 miles of hiking trails throughout the park. When my sister, dad, and I went we only explored around 13 miles of these. In addition to Guadalupe Peak, McKittrick Canyon Trail offers elevation hiking and gorgeous views. The National Park Service volunteers I met while at Guadalupe Mountains National Park said the McKittrick Canyon hikes are their favorite. This area is for day use only! For details on all the hiking trail options in the park, check the NPS website, here.
Weather
The weather is a huge factor in planning your visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park! It can be unpredictable and change quickly. Check the most recent predictions and follow recommendations from park staff and volunteers when planning hikes for the day. Always be prepared for it to be colder at higher elevations, and for high winds.
Leave No Trace
This is so important when camping, not only for the environment, but also to prevent wildlife from coming into campsites for food. It is really important to clean up effectively after every meal, and never leave food or trash out overnight. Using a refillable and reusable water bottle or bladder instead of using a plastic bottle from the convenience store is a must.
Check out more hiking and camping posts on the outdoors page!
Wow great pics and article……we all achieved our goal to make it to the TOP OF TEJAS…
Big Bend next?
Big Bend would be fun!
[…] nearby. So if you make the trip to one, you might as well do both of them! Check out what we did in Guadalupe National Park a few years ago, it was one of the first blog posts on 4 Seasons of […]
[…] Emily had to convince me via phone to even do this hike! I had hiked the highest point in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, so why should I not tackle the second highest, Emory Peak. This day started out early, the hike to […]
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