Together with the nearby Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is far removed from most other natural attractions of the Southwest. The nearest cities are El Paso (110 miles) or Carlsbad (55 miles), and there are few facilities in this mostly barren region. The park contains the southern end of the Guadalupe Mountains, an isolated range surrounded in all directions by desert, and few people visit, due perhaps also to the lack of a central attraction, a scenic drive or named viewpoints. Guadalupe is primarily a park for hiking; there is a network of trails and the region has varied climate zones with differing wildlife and vegetation, interesting geology, and many photographic opportunities. As an added attraction, at the end of summer the red, gold and orange colours of the foliage in some of the canyons creates for a spectacle as good as that in New England.
Maps: PDF format maps of Guadalupe Mountains National Park from the National Park Service:
 Overview area map (472 kb)
Detailed park map (604 kb)
Hotels: The nearest towns with hotels close to the Guadalupe Mountains are Carlsbad (60 miles), El Paso (105 miles), Van Horn (60 miles) and Whites City (44 miles).
Approach Roads: The usual approach is along the relatively well-travelled US 62/160 highway, which passes through the southern Guadalupe foothills. There is one main entrance with the visitor center and a good campground, with an impressive setting right beneath high cliffs at the mouth of Pine Springs Canyon, the main valley in the centre of the park. There is a separate access road to McKittrick Canyon towards the east, and 7 miles across the mountains, the Dog Canyon area at the north side of the park is also reached by a paved road, but a 95 mile drive through New Mexico is needed to get there. Access to the park is free.
Geology and Landscapes: The Guadalupe Mountains are part of an ancient fossilised reef which also includes the Carlsbad Caverns - a huge limestone formation that continues in a great arc west towards Van Horn and east towards Alpine. Most is buried - the only other exposed sections are the Apache, Delaware and Glass Mountains. The high country has much exposed rock with fossils, and a climate typical of lands much further north, with pine, fir and aspen trees and creatures such as elk, mountain lions and even black bears. Surrounding the mountains lie the plains of the Chihuahuan Desert, where the temperatures usually top 100°F for over 4 months of the year, and plant life is quite different - several species of cacti, yucca, sotol and other similar spiky bushes. This land is towards the northern edge of the desert, which in Texas is most spectacular around Big Bend National Park, and continues south far into Mexico. The canyons of the park offer another contrast, with a transition from desert to mountain environments as well as much plant life found nowhere else. Most have streams flowing through at some times of year which support a rich mixture of many kinds of trees, bushes and wildlife.
Guadalupe Mountains Trails: This is a park where people visit primarily to hike, and there are a over 80 miles of trails to choose from ranging from a 0.25 mile nature trail to extended back-country routes, including the following:
- McKittrick Canyon - a steep-sided canyon with a lush mixture of vegetation.
- Guadalupe Peak - 8.5 mile round trip to the highest peak in Texas (8,749 feet).
- El Capitan - path winding for 9.4 miles through the desert foothills and beneath the large 2,000 foot sheer cliff known as El Capitan, at the southern end of the Guadalupe range.
- Tejas - links the south and north park access roads and passes through The Bowl, a high forested plateau enclosed by mountains. This is the main back-country trail and various other routes branch off along side-canyons.
Satellite Photo/Map: View above the Guadalupe Mountains campground and park headquarters:
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