Guadalupe Mountains map
31.89° N · 104.86° W · Culberson County · Guadalupe Peak 8,751 ft · Central Time
The four highest points in Texas all stand in this one range, with Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 feet the highest of them. The mountains are the exposed edge of a Permian reef that grew in a shallow sea more than 250 million years ago, which is why the summit rock is full of marine fossils.
The V-shaped range runs northeast into New Mexico. US-62/180 skirts its southern tip past El Capitan; the salt flats lie to the west.
Where it is and how to get there
Pine Springs, the main visitor centre, is on US-62/180 about 110 miles east of El Paso. It is a single straight highway with one settlement, Salt Flat, on the way and no fuel for long stretches, so fill up before leaving the city. From the other direction, Carlsbad, New Mexico is about 55 miles north on the same highway, and most people combine the park with Carlsbad Caverns, which sits in the same limestone reef.
From Midland the drive is roughly 230 miles by I-20 to Pecos and then US-285 and US-62/180. Van Horn, on I-10, is about 65 miles south by SH-54, a lightly used two-lane road that crosses the salt basin and joins US-62/180 a few miles east of the park. Dog Canyon, the park's northern entrance, is on the New Mexico side: it is reached from Carlsbad on NM-137 and is roughly a two-hour drive from Pine Springs even though the two are only a few miles apart across the mountains.
The parts of the range
The mountains form a wedge pointing southwest. The blunt end is El Capitan, an 8,085-foot limestone prow that was a landmark for the Butterfield Overland Mail and is visible from 50 miles out on the highway. Behind it the range climbs to Guadalupe Peak and then spreads into a high forested plateau — the Bowl — with canyons cut into its eastern and northern flanks. West of the range the ground drops abruptly into the salt basin, one of the flattest and driest places in Texas.
| Area | Access | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Springs | US-62/180, main entrance | Visitor centre, campground and the trailhead cluster; the Pinery ruins, a Butterfield stage station from 1858, sit a short walk away |
| Guadalupe Peak Trail | From Pine Springs | About 8.5 miles round trip with roughly 3,000 feet of climb to the state high point and its metal marker |
| McKittrick Canyon | Separate gate off US-62/180 northeast of Pine Springs | Spring-fed canyon holding maples, oaks and walnuts; the best autumn colour in Texas, usually late October into early November. The gate closes in the evening and cars are locked in if left |
| The Bowl and Bush Mountain | Long trails from Pine Springs or Dog Canyon | High conifer forest on the plateau top, reachable only on foot or horseback |
| Dog Canyon | NM-137 from Carlsbad, north side | Small quiet campground at about 6,300 feet with trails onto the north end of the range |
| Salt Basin Dunes | Separate road on the west side off FM-1576 | White gypsum dunes on the floor of the old lake bed, with the western escarpment behind them |
| Williams Ranch | Unpaved road, high clearance, permit required | A restored ranch house at the base of the west wall, below a 2,000-foot cliff |
Weather and the wind
Elevation makes this the coolest part of Texas: Pine Springs sits near 5,700 feet and the high country is a good 20 degrees cooler than the desert below. The range also funnels wind. Spring gusts regularly close the Guadalupe Peak trail to anyone with a large pack, and blowing dust off the salt flats can shut visibility on US-62/180. Snow falls most winters on the upper slopes.
Nearby
The park has no lodging, no restaurant and no fuel; White's City and Carlsbad in New Mexico, or Van Horn on I-10 in Culberson County, are the practical bases. Hudspeth County lies west across the salt basin and Reeves County east towards Pecos. The state's other desert national park, Big Bend, is roughly 320 miles southeast.