Guadalupe Mountains National Park
This is a park for hikers. The Natural Park Service has deliberately prevented development within the park, so there are only a few miles of paved roads within the park, and that’s just to get to trailheads or the visitors center. Towering over the Chihuahuan Desert, Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas.
50 million years ago a reef made from sponges and algae lined the perimeter of the Delaware Sea in what is today Texas and New Mexico. The ancient sea was cut off and evaporated, leaving the reef to be buried under sediment for millions of years. After continental upheaval the forgotten reef became exposed after years of erosion and now stands 8751ft. above sea level, rising over the desert floor like it did over the seabed during the time of dinosaurs. While most of the prehistoric reef still lies buried under the western Texas countryside, the lesser known Apache Mountains and Glass Mountains are also exposed reefs, albeit less dramatic than here in the Guadalupe Mountains. The starkly precipitous and iconic monument known as El Capitan is best viewed from pull-offs just north of a road cut along US-62, ~4.5miles south of the visitor’s center.
SALT BASIN DUNES
On the western side of the park is a gypsum dune field, like those found at White Sands National Park, nestled up against the foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains. The trailhead is a one hour drive from the visitors center, so if you’re coming from the West, make this your first stop. The roads go from poorly paved to rutted dirt, so tread carefully. The parking area (with pit toilets) is about a mile from the dunes (depending on how far you want to go into the dunefield)
MCKITTRICK CANYON
If you’re looking for an easy to moderate hike, this is the one for you. The trail is mostly flat and only gains about 100ft of elevation per mile. The path is almost entirely rounded white limestone rocks, chipped away from the exposed reef and smoothed by the elements. The hike passes through McKittrick Creek a few times, which isn’t much more than a trickle much of the year, but wet feet are a definite possibility. For intrepid travellers, the hike can be extended to 7miles out and back, but most people turn around after taking a look at the Pratt Lodge, just over 2 miles up the trail. The lodge was built by petroleum geologist Wallace Pratt in 1930 and was used as a hunting lodge and retirement home until 1960 when Pratt donated his land to the Natural Park Service. The variety of flora along the trail is impressive, from pine trees to cacti, and the red trunk-ed Texas Madrone looks like a transplant from another planet.
THE PINERY
The Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach used to carry passengers and mail between St. Louis or Memphis to as far west as San Francisco. The ruins of a station at the foothills of the mountains can be found just off US-62, or via a trail from the visitor’s center.
