Explore a wide variety of terrains in Guadalupe National Park!

Choose your adventure - sand dunes, canyons, and the highest point in Texax - you’ve got options in this park. El Capitan, a limestone ridge that is part of a 250 million-year old reef complex, is the most striking feature as you approach the park. It is framed by the Guadalupe Mountains, sand dunes to the west, and McKittrick Canyon to the north.

Packing this all into a day is doable, but would involve a lot of driving and not enough experiencing. For those with just a day to explore, the highlights are Devil’s Hall and the trails around the Pine Springs Visitor Center, Guadalupe Peak, and the sand dunes. The sand dunes are about an hour’s drive from the Pine Springs Visitor Center; I would visit these on your way in or out of the park, depending on which direction you are traveling.  

Devil’s Hall is probably the most popular trail here - it is approximately 4 miles round trip, and follows a wash to a natural staircase. The National Park Service rates this hike as strenuous as it does involve some scrambling, though it is relatively flat otherwise. 

McKittrick’s Canyon is a great place to take in fall colors.

Hike to the highest point in Texas

Guadalupe Peak, at 8,751 ft elevation and the highest point in Texas, is a challenging but rewarding hike. I highly recommend camping at the Pine Springs Campground and getting a pre-dawn start to catch the sunrise at the top.  This is an 8.5 mile round-trip hike with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain, so it won’t be for everybody. 

Plan accordingly

You will be in the desert - plan accordingly! Bring more water than you think you will need, and avoid mid-day hiking - there is very little shade unless you are hiking one of the canyons.

Roadtrip

If you’re looking for solitude, this is the place to come. Far from any major cities (El Paso, TX is two hours away), you will have many of the trails to yourself. Because of the remoteness, I recommend spending a night out here - either camping in the park or in nearby Carlsbad to get the most out of the trip. Besides catching a desert sunrise, the other benefit of camping is enjoying a truly dark night-sky; you will be very far from any light pollution. 

Combine this trip with a visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which is just half an hour up the road.