Out of the 268,601 sq. miles the state of Texas encompasses, only one peak can claim to the be the highest; that distinction belongs to Guadalupe Peak. Rising over a vertical mile above the salt flats to the west and capped off with a 1500 ft. vertical big wall on its west face, Guadalupe Peak quickly dispells any belief that Texas is flat. Views from the summit are incredible. On clear days, 12,000 ft. Sierra Blanca can be seen from the summit over 100 miles away. Sunset on the peak will not be something you quickly forget.
Guadalupe Peak is one of seven 8,000 ft. peaks located in the beautiful, remote, and wild Guadalupe Mountains National Park of West Texas, just south of the more well known national park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park of Southern New Mexico. A well maintained trail makes climbing the peak fairly easy; however, the peak would be much more difficult if one chose to climb the peak without the trail due to the extremely rugged terrain. Portions of the trail to the summit had to be blasted out of the limestone cliffs along the way.
In 1958, American Airlines paid to have a stainless steel
pyramid brought to the summit to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
Butterfield Stage (which transported the transcontinental mail before the
Pony Express and passed by the base of the summit). Fortunately for the
peak, this would be the only major scar this mountain would obtain, although
attempts were made. A tram believe it or not had been proposed to lift
people to near the summit. It was going to be called "Skytram."
Skytram was to be composed of individually powered cars that moved along a
fixed cable. Each car would have a capacity of 22 persons and would be
driven by an operator. The lower terminus of the tram would be a part of the
main visitor center at Pine Springs, where visitors would be introduced to
the park's resources. The proposed route of Skytram would closely follow the
walls of Pine Springs Canyon, running north from the visitor center at Pine
Springs, then west to a landing in a meadow at an elevation of 8,150 feet.
From the meadow, a separate shuttle would carry passengers to the ledge
about 500 feet below Guadalupe Peak, at an elevation of 8,675 feet.
(http://www.nps.gov/gumo/adhi/adhi6c.htm) Thankfully, the Sierra
Club and other environmental groups stepped in to squash the project.
Although many people climb the peak due to its highpoint status, the peak
still remains somewhat wild and a fine climb for those looking for an
outdoor adventure. Hopefully it will stay that way.
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Limestone cliffs and trees in autumn color near Devil's Hall. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas, USA. Thanks to QT Luong for permission to post this photo. Other incredible photographs are found here: http://www.terragalleria.com/index.html
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, authorized by an act of Congress in 1966 and established in 1972, comprises 86,416 acres of mountain and desert land in West Texas. Building on the 5,000 acres donated by geologist Wallace Pratt, the remaining park lands were purchased solely with funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund; this was the nation's first park so created. Congress established the park for its scientific and scenic values. The park consists primarily of the highest and southernmost portion of the Guadalupe Mountains, a range that extends northeasterly into New Mexico. The escarpments and canyons of the high country provide dramatic displays of geological sequences and contain relict and unusual plant communities. Of the area within the park's boundaries, 46,850 acres are Congressionally designated wilderness. This designation precluded extensive development within the park and has limited the uses of much of the park to hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, and approved scientific research. (http://www.nps.gov/gumo/adhi/adhi1.htm)
Included within the boundaries of the park are the sheer
cliffs and peaks more than 8,000 feet high that make up the V-shaped
southernmost extension of the Guadalupe Mountains. The mountain range is an
uplifted segment of the Capitan reef, a limestone barrier reef that formed
some 280 million years ago from algae in a shallow inland sea. The
geological information revealed in the sheer escarpments and deeply incised
canyons of the Guadalupe have made this exposed portion of the Capitan reef
one of the world's best-known and most-studied fossil reefs.
(http://www.nps.gov/gumo/adhi/adhi1a.htm)
The precipitous cliffs of El Capitan punctuate the southern tip of the
Guadalupes and jut above the desert floor like the prow of a great ship. In
1858, a traveler, seeing El Capitan for the first time, wrote: "It
seemed as if nature had saved all her ruggedness to pile up in this colossal
form. . . ." Visible for many miles from both east and west, the
peak has served as a landmark for travelers for unnumbered centuries.
Northeast of
El Capitan are the four highest peaks in
Texas: Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet,
Bush Mountain at 8,631 feet,
Shumard Peak at 8,615 feet, and
Bartlett Peak at 8,513 feet. The top of the
escarpment offers unparalleled views of the Delaware basin (see also
Hunter Peak) to the east and the salt basin to
the west. Hidden between the escarpments that form the V-shaped terminus of
the Guadalupe range are two other manifestations of the scientific and
scenic values preserved in the park: the relict forest in
the Bowl and the aquatic habitat of
McKittrick Canyon . The unique and fragile
variations of plant life in these areas create a museum-like atmosphere,
vestiges of a time when the climate of this land was less arid.
The park also includes desert lowlands. The western side of the park
encompasses a portion of the salt basin lying between the Guadalupes and the
next range of mountains to the west, the Cornudas. These lowlands contain
flora and fauna typical of the Chihuahuan desert of which they are a part.
They also exhibit the ecological changes caused by overgrazing of domestic
livestock. Williams Ranch, one of the park's cultural resources, located at
the base of the mountains on the west side of the park, gives visitors a
sense of the isolation of a rancher's life. The ranch site also provides a
dramatic point from which to view the steep scarp of the western side of the
Capitan reef. On the eastern side, the park does not extend far beyond the
base of the mountains. The park lands there are characterized by deep and
mostly waterless canyons that lead to the high country.
The scarcity of water determines the patterns of life in the park lands.
Although an extensive variety of animals, from large ungulates to the
smallest mammals, make their homes in the park, the water available from
small springs scattered throughout the park dictates their numbers and
ranges. Similarly, the locations of these water sources became the camping
places of nomadic peoples and the settlements of early ranchers. McKittrick
Canyon contains the only perennial stream in the park. The rarity of
perennial streams in this arid region has made McKittrick Canyon more than
just "the most beautiful spot in Texas," as its former owner called it; the
canyon is a showplace for biotic associations otherwise unknown in western
Texas and southern New Mexico.
(http://www.nps.gov/gumo/adhi/adhi1a.htm)
A note of caution: This park is located in a very
remote and less travelled wilderness. Leaving an itinerary with a friend or
on the dash of your vehicle is recommended.
Wallace Pratt's land donation of McKittrick Canyon led to the formation of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Please see more detailed information on him and the canyon on the Mt. Pratt page.
Fires, both wood and charcoal, are strictly prohibited. Containerized fuel is the only allowable method to be used for cooking or warming.
Possession of any firearm is prohibited.
Pets are not allowed on trails or in the park's backcountry.
All plants, animals, rocks, minerals, cultural/historical sites, and
artifacts are strictly protected and will remain undisturbed.
There are no water sources in the highcountry of the
park. To insure you have enough water for drinking and cooking, please carry
one gallon per person per day (warmer months). Water is obtainable at the
Headquarters Visitor Center, Pine Springs Campground, McKittrick Contact
Station, (or Pratt Lodge in the spring, summer, and fall only), or the Dog
Canyon Ranger Station.
Access to the parks campgrounds and most trails is available anytime, with
the exception of McKittrick Canyon, which is designated as day use only.
Camping is allowed only in the designated backcountry campgrounds. Tents
must be pitched on the hardened tent pads provided. Tent pads are defined
with wooden borders that includes tie-downs.
Contact info:
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
HC 60 Box 400
Salt Flat, TX 79847
Email: gumo_superintendent@nps.gov
Phone: 915-828-3251
Fax: 915- 828-3269
Dog Canyon Ranger Station
Phone: (505) 981-2418
See the parks
website
for further information.
There is a $5.00 per person fee for anyone hiking the
trails or entering the backcountry. The entrance fee will be good for 7
days, and payable at any trailhead on a self-serve basis.
All overnight backpackers must also obtain a free Backcountry Use Permit,
issued at the Headquarters Visitor Center (Pine Springs), or the Dog Canyon
Ranger Station. Permits are issued on a first come, first serve basis.
Permits must be obtained in person, the day of or the day before the
proposed trip. The permit authorizes camping only in designated sites in the
established backcountry campgrounds. Adherence to your itinerary insures
minimum impact on resources, and prevents overcrowding.
Backcountry permits are available only from 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (until 6 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor
Day), the hours of the Pine Springs Visitor Center. The Dog Canyon and
McKittrick Canyon visitor centers are open year round but staffed
intermittently which means a ranger may not be there at all times to issue
permits. All visitor centers are closed on Christmas day.
The trailhead to the base of the peak starts at Pine Springs, the headquarters for Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Pine Springs is located in west Texas on U.S. 62/180 110 miles east of El Paso and 55 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. There are no food, gas, or lodging services in Pine Springs. Don't show up with an empty tank. This is one of the most isolated parks in the lower 48. Restrooms are available at the park headquarters and at the trailhead. No showers are available anywhere in the park.
Pine Springs - Open All Year
20 tent sites and 19 RV sites are available on a first-come, first-served
basis. The cost is $8.00 per night, per site, $4.00 for Golden Age and
Golden Access Passport holders. Water, restrooms, service sink, and pay
telephone are available. No dump station or hook-ups for recreational
vehicles. Tent sites frequently fill early in the day during peak visitation
times such as summer weekends, holidays, and fall color weekends in late
October. Two group sites are also available by reservations up to 60 days in
advance - minimum of 10, maximum of 20 persons. The cost for a group site is
$3.00 per person, minimum of $30.00. No fires (including charcoal) allowed
in park.
Dog Canyon - Open All Year
There are 9 tent sites and 4 RV sites (no hookups, no dump station). The
cost is $8.00 per night, per site, $4.00 for Golden Age and Golden Access
Passport holders. Restrooms have sinks and flush toilets, but no showers.
Charcoal and wood fires prohibited. 1 group site is available by
reservation. Minimum group size 10, maximum 20. Cost for the group site is
$3.00 per person, minimum of $30.00 per night.
Backcountry (10 sites) - Open All Year
Camping outside the designated pads is strictly prohibited.
These ten back-country campgrounds require a free permit that may be obtained in person at the Headquarters Visitor Center or the Dog Canyon Ranger Station. You will still have to pay the $3 entrance fee per person at the trailhead. Tents must be placed on the pads provided by the park at these locations. They are square dirt pads surrounded by 4x4's with a few metal rings screwed into the wood to attach tent strings if necessary. Usually stakes can be placed into the pads without too many problems with rocks below the surface. They are plenty big for any backpacking tent. No fires (including charcoal) allowed in park. Water available at trailheads. There is no water in park's backcountry. Guadalupe Peak Backcountry Camp is an excellent camping location for easy access to the peak and for sunrise or sunset on the summit. Hang your food up if you are not taking it with you when you leave your tent. Skunks and ringtails have been known to tunnel into tents to get at the food.
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| Number of Pads at Each Backcountry Camp | ||
| Guadalupe Peak | 5 | |
| Pine Top | 8 | |
| Tejas | 4 | |
| Bush Mountain | 5 | |
| Mescalero | 8 | |
| McKittrick Ridge | 8 | |
| Blue Ridge | 5 | |
| Marcus | 5 | |
| Wilderness Ridge | 5 | |
| Shumard | 5 | |
There are only 20 tent sites and two group sites at Pine
Springs campground, the location of the park headquarters. It is possible
that these sites will fill up on holidays such as Spring Break,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas. These sites are taken on a first come first
serve basis and only the group sites can be reserved. Group sites are for
groups of 10 to 20 people. Car camping is not allowed in the park. If you
find that these camping sites are full, you can choose one of the following
options:
NEARBY RV AND CAR CAMPING AREAS
Texas picnic areas: West of Pine Springs on U.S. 62/180 - 1/2 mile and 3
miles
Texas rest area: East of Pine Springs on U.S. 62/180 - 11 miles
TENT CAMPING
Bureau of Land Management Land: Appriximately 24 miles towards Carlsbad,
accessible at Mile Marker 5 along Highway 62/180, on right side of road turn
right, go through gate. NO FACILITIES!! I have camped here. It has plenty of
wide open flat space for a tent. It is a very isolated place out in the
middle of the desert but you will be able to park right next to your tent.
An ordinary car could negotiate the dirt roads last time I camped there. You
will feel like you are camping on another planet.
COMMERCIAL CAMPGROUNDS
East:
White's City, NM 35 Miles
Carlsbad, NM 55 Miles
South:
Van Horn, TX 65 Miles
West:
Dell City, TX 45 Miles
The most ideal time to hike or climb in the Guadalupes is
in the winter months. Be prepared for any sort of weather. It can be cold
with extremely high winds, or it may be very pleasant. Snow is possible in
the winter but infrequent. Get a pre-dawn start in the warmer months and
beware of rattlesnakes. Mountain Lions and bears also inhabit these
mountains. See
this for information on mountain lion safety.
Caution: There are no water sources in the
back country. Take plenty of water in the summer months. A gallon of water
per person per day is recommended. Temperatures in the summer can be very
hot and oppressive. Hiking up one of the steep, rocky trails in the heat of
the day is not recommended.