Guadalupe Peak Trail – Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Location: Guadalupe Mountains NP (Texas)

Nearest City: Carlsbad, NM (55 miles)

Hike Type: Point to Point

Distance: 8.4 miles (round trip)

Net Elevation Gain: 3,000 feet

Date of Hike: June 29, 2010

Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas at an elevation of 8,749 feet.  Guadalupe Mountains National Park which is in far west Texas just south of the New Mexico border and is approximately 100 miles east of El Paso, 500 miles west of Dallas; Austin; or San Antonio, 700 miles west of Houston, and 250 miles north of Big Bend National Park by car.


View Guadalupe Peak Trail in a larger map

The hour long drive from our hotel in Carlsbad at 6 in the morning to GMNP was filled with anxiousness.  This was my first real proper hike in the mountains and I couldn’t have been more excited.  My eyes had never seen anything from 3000 feet in the sky let alone iconic rugged west Texas landscape from that vantage point.

The Ken Burns National Park documentary series got me interested in the very unique gift that is our national park system.  The more I researched and the more pictures I looked at the more excited I got.  This trail and my national park experience accomplished a rare feat...it actually lived up to those high expectations I set in my head.  The only disappointment was I really wish I had gotten into hiking and national parks 10 years earlier because I feel like there will never be enough time to see all I want to see.  But enough about me...the trail beckons or its description at least.

Despite being late June in the blistering summers of Texas it was a crisp 55 degrees or so at 7:00am when my brother Aaron and I arrived at the park.  Even in the heat of the afternoon it never got above 80 degrees.  It was overcast most of the trip which was cause by the outer bands of a tropical storm that has hit the coast of Texas some 500+ miles away a few days earlier.  Even starting at an elevation roughly the equivalent of Denver (mile-high), I don’t think you should count on mild temperatures in the summer.  So, it’s best to get as early a start as possible.  There are two reasons for this: 1) to avoid the heat obviously and 2) to avoid afternoon thunder storms are a common occurrence in the summer in mountainous terrain.

There was a little confusion finding the trail, but we eventually figured it out and made it to the trailhead about 8:30am. The trail is a pretty steady uphill ascent most of the way.  The switchbacks start almost from the beginning but within an hour’s time it surprising to see you how far you will rise above the cars in the parking lot.  There are numerous lookouts across the valley to the north and the desert to the east and eventually to the south as you get higher.  The trail eventually enters a forested area and the views disappear for a little while, but you do cross the highest bridge in Texas just as you start the exit the forest.

The ascent starts early and rarely relents.  This angle does make it look a little steeper than it actually is.

About 1/4th the way up.  If you squint you can see the parking lot.  My brother Aaron is looking to the north across the valley

This is at a similar point in the trail looking to the southeast.

Highest bridge in Texas.

Before long you come you will pass over a ridge and come around the backside of a mountain.  At this point the views open to the south for the first time.   After crossing over the ridge, I was stunned to see the backside of El Capitan.  I had seen many pictures of El Capitan’s bald front side from the highway but in all my research I had never came across a picture of the backside and for all intents and purposes I didn’t really even know it existed (although clearly it had to).  This was the highlight of the trek for me because it was completely unexpected but at the same time instantly recognizable.  Unlike the orange bald-face of the park’s quintessential landmark, El Capitan’s backside is painted green with grass and trees and contrasted with the white of loose rock and boulders.  The view is all the more stunning because you get your first glimpses of the uninterrupted desert vistas to the south.  On clear days I’ve read you can see for 100 miles or longer (maybe even to Mexico).  Once El Capitan is in your sight you’re within 30 minutes or so of the top. 

This photo looks back to the north.  Just over the ridge in center of the photo is when the view to the south become unobstructed and El Capitan comes into view.

El Capitan from behind.  This is the point on a clear day (sadly not today) where you  can see for a 100 miles of so.

El Capitan from the highway.  Highly recommended as well.  This view is about a 7 mile drive from the park entrance.

The top is very rocky, but comfortable enough to sit and enjoy the view.  On top you’ll find a peak register in a green box, which I didn’t realize was there until I read about it months after this trip (I guess that just the excuse I need to do this hike again).  The peak is marked by a pyramid-shaped monument marker installed by American Airlines in the 1940s or so, I think.  That’s about it.

This is me at the peak.  The altitude and ascent got to my brother and he had to stop about 3/4s of the way up...next time he'll make it.  Unfortunately the clouds are masking the open desert landscape. 

Take note that the trip downhill is not a walk in the park (well I guess it is literally but not so much figuratively).  My brother’s and my legs were shaking most of the way down and we had to be careful not to move to fast or we might easily slip.  Despite that, it was totally worth every second of it.  I think we got down to our car about 3:30 pm or 7 hours later.  This can definitely be done in a shorter amount of time but we took our time.

In case you’re curious about trail solitude, we came across a grand total of 6 people (3 hiking groups) during the entire hike and that was only for a few passing moments as everybody moved at different paces.  The trail is very much all to yourselves.