Guadalupe Peak (8,751′) | Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Salt Flat, TX | 04/02/21 | 9.82 miles | 3,044′ gain
Although 2021 started out slow (with no traveling and very few exciting hikes), April started with a bang and I haven’t slowed down since. On a whirlwind three-day trip, Allie and I road-tripped around Texas and New Mexico; visiting three National Parks, climbing one state high point, and hiking nearly all day, every day. We flew in to El Paso Thursday night with just enough time to grab our rental car, eat dinner, and buy groceries. After our busy night, we woke up early Friday to make the two-hour drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park where we would climb to the Top of Texas! (aka Guadalupe Peak)
It was a beautiful drive through the Chihuahuan Desert and we soon neared the Guadalupes with El Capitan standing guard. These mountains are an island of diversity within the harsh desert. From below, the rocky cliffs look like an extension of the arid desert but the highest reaches of the Guadalupes are home to coniferous forests reminiscent of the Rocky Mountains and the deep canyons protect streamside oak and maple woodlands.
The National Park uses Mountain Time but our phones were displaying Central Time, so we spent much of the day confused about what time it really was. We arrived just before 9am (Mountain Time) to an extremely busy park. Rangers were out in full force, warning of the dangers of dehydration. Eventually we were able to assure them we packed plenty of water and they directed us to park at the large lower lot. The small upper lot by the Pine Springs Campground filled much earlier. We weren’t expecting so many people to be hiking on a Friday morning at one of the lesser visited National Parks.
We first had to walk from the lower lot to the upper lot and the main trailhead. It took a while to find the unmarked connector trail but eventually we were on our way into the desert. The flat trail between parking lots was a great warm-up.
The Guadalupe Peak Trail begins at the mouth of Pine Spring Canyon, bounded on each side by the Guadalupe Mountains. Cactus, yucca, and scrub dominate the desert ecosystem. It started out cool but quickly warmed, especially as we got to work climbing the steeper sections. Our once flat trail began to switchback steeply up the hillside for about a mile and a half.
There are plenty of places to take a break on the way up, including a few overlooks. Shade was hard to come by and while it was probably only 70°, it felt much hotter.
After a steep mile and a half, the trail circled around the north side of the mountain and offered us our first view of Guadalupe Peak. As the trail entered the forest, it eased a bit and we had a break from the sun as well as a break from the steep. We made really good time through this section.
After a few more switchbacks, the forest opened up and we enjoyed another easy section past the backcountry campground. The open forest looked so much like the Colorado foothills that it didn’t seem possible that we were still in the Chihuahuan Desert. The Guadalupes are truly an island.
Before the final climb to the summit, we walked along some cliffs and crossed a very cool bridge.
The bridge dumped us out at the final set of switchbacks. After the last 550′ climb, we made it to the rocky summit.
The summit was crawling with people but we were able to snag one of the few shady spots for our lunch break. The summit marker, a steel pyramid, was erected in 1958 by American Airlines as a tribute to the Butterfield Overland Mail route, a stagecoach trail also used by Pony Express riders. The three sides of the pyramid commemorate American Airlines, the Boy Scouts, and the Pony Express Riders of the Butterfield Stage.
The hike down was uneventful but hot. We rushed a bit, hoping to visit the Visitor Center before it closed at 4:30. Thankfully we made it with just enough time to view the exhibits and buy a t-shirt. Since we’d only hiked one trail, we felt we didn’t really see what all the park has to offer, and although there was no way we’d have enough time to see everything, we stopped to visit a few historic sites on our way out.
Chelsea
Colorado Chelsea 
Welcome to the Top of Texas! Really enjoyed the post. That’s a great hike, my wife and I did it a few years ago – in July! It was…warm… 🙂 When you come back, you should do the Hunter Peak hike, it’s also an excellent hike..
https://essimages.blog/2019/09/03/hunter-peak/ if you’re interested. The Bowl is like crossing into the Lost World!
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Thank you for the suggestion! It looks so beautiful. I really want to get back and spend some time in the park (MUCH more than just 1 day). There are so many hidden corners to explore.
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Great pictures Chelsea, I never would have thought of hiking in Texas, but you showed us a nice trail. Maggie
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Thanks Maggie! Texas has two National Parks, but other than that, hikes are few & far between!
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Ahhh so cool! Especially that view of El Capitan on the way up. I wish I could’ve come with you guys.
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Me too! 😦 dang flight prices. You guys will have to plan a trip down!
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What a great hike! Although from Texas I haven’t done many hikes there. I’ll have to check it out (when it’s much cooler!!)
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I would highly recommend it! Early April seemed like a decent time to visit, but it was definitely starting to get hot.
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Keltin and I want to make it out to Guadalupe Peak. This look likes a great hike!
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It was so much fun! And there was a ton more variety than we were expecting.
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Very nice. My bother-in-law was a ridge runner for the National Parks at Guadalupe a few years ago.
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That’s so cool! I had never heard of that program but just looked it up. It sounds like it’d be a ton of fun!
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Pingback: Historic Sites of Guadalupe National Park | Texas | 04/02/21 – Colorado Chelsea
Yay! I did this one with a FB group of women campers in Nov 2019. It was a blast. That was before I moved to NM and have since summited so much higher! And yes, temps feel much hotter here – less atmosphere to filter the sun’s radiation.
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That’s awesome! November seems like a good time of year to summit Guadalupe.
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This looks like such a beautiful hike. I liked the steel pyramid at the summit. It’s always nice to get a few pictures in without the crowds around.
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Thankfully everyone was playing nice and moving away from the summit marker after they finished getting their pictures.
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I love this hike! I’ve been up there twice. It’s great. Congratulations!
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Thank you! We had a lot of fun.
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What a great place and hike.
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It looks very arid in those mountains. A risk of dehydration on a long trek? How did you manage for water?
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Yes extremely arid. We each brought 3 liters of water and drank nearly all of it. Temps were probably 70F but felt hotter in the sun. Can’t imagine doing this hike in the summer!
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Definitely not!
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Hey! I am camping two nights in Guadalupe at the Pine Springs Campground in early Nov….going by myself. Its a solo trip and I am thinking of doing this hike and the Devils thing…or maybe one of the other longer hikes. I hear Hunter gives killer views of all the sights as well? Your post didn’t say so…but snakes???
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We didn’t see a single snake, but there were a lot of people on the trail. They do live down there so just be mindful. Keep on trail, watch your step, and if you see a rattlesnake, keep your distance. Snakes don’t want anything to do with you, so just give them some time to move out of the way and then you can continue. I hope you have a great trip!
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