As we make our way back to the trailhead, birds rustle in the bushes and beetles scuttle across the ground. Lizards too quick to identify dart to and fro, each making final preparations before the day’s heat.
At 8,751 feet, Guadalupe Peak of Guadalupe Mountains National Park holds up the roof of Texas. This mountain desert getaway offers rugged beauty at all levels. The backcountry bowl of the Guadalupe Mountains is a relic of a bygone era of Texan biodiversity. Boasting ponderosa forests, elk, bears, eagles and mountain lions, this highland oasis is worlds away from the arid Chihuahuan desert mere miles away—a remarkable ecological transition.
October 5, 2024
Our stop in Guadalupe Mountains is a quick one. With only half a day to explore, we make strategic plans to hit the park’s highlights. Arriving at Pine Springs Campground after dark the night before, we wake up for a sunrise view of El Capitan, an iconic cliff face on the shoulder of Guadalupe Peak. To score such a view, we don headlamps and set out west along El Capitan Trail. The desert night envelopes us as we pass among sporadic junipers and spiny lechuguilla, down into dry creek beds and over hill ridges. About 45 minutes in, the dawn begins to rise and we near an overlook point. The eastern sun illuminates El Capitan like hot iron.
Long shadows form in the valleys below us. The sun catches the desert flora highlighting each and every thorny spine. Yellow flowers and green cacti saturate in the bright daylight. As we make our way back to the trailhead, birds rustle in the bushes and beetles scuttle across the ground. Lizards too quick to identify dart to and fro, each making final preparations before the day’s heat.
From Pine Springs Visitor Center, we drive roughly seven miles north along the highway to McKittrick Canyon, a day use portion of the park renowned for its cooler temperatures and leafy foliage. It is said, the fall colors of the Bigtooth Maple, Gray Oak, and Texas Madrone trees rival that of the northeast. Curious about this desert oasis, we head out 3.4 miles on the McKittrick Canyon Trail past Pratt Cabin to the Grotto and Hunter Line Shack. The trail winds up the canyon criss-crossing both dry and wet creek beds along the way. The summer heat still clings on even in early October, but once back in the Grotto the trees offer a respite from the sun. Maples and Oaks line the creek, transporting hikers from an arid desert to a cool woodland forest.
Similar to Kings Canyon National Park, it is clear to us that while Guadalupe Mountains has limited attractions in its frontcountry, it most likely holds more treasures in its backcountry. We hope to one day return and explore further up and further in, perhaps summiting Guadalupe Peak, camping along McKittrick Ridge, or simply venturing into the northern Dog Canyon entrance.
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