National GeographicAug 4, 2026
Everything You Should Know About Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas’s highest peak crowns a 260-million-year-old fossil reef in this remote park, where the Chihuahuan Desert gives way to limestone canyons, dark skies, and the finest fall foliage in the Southwest ...
23 things in this story
- Guadalupe Peak TrailTrailSand-to-summit trek gaining 3,000 feet, allow six to eight hours
- Devil's HallTrailThreads up a limestone wash into a narrow slot canyon
- McKittrick Canyon TrailTrailFollows a gentle, shaded canyon floor to the Pratt Cabin
- Pratt CabinSightHistoric stone cabin tucked in a limestone grotto
- The NotchSightOffers sweeping ridge views
- Smith Spring TrailTrailPark's best easy walk, ending at a spring-fed oasis
- The Bowl TrailTrailClimbs to a sheltered, pine-forested basin above 8,000 feet
- El Capitan OverlookSightStraight-on view of the park’s iconic limestone face
- Salt Basin DunesSightOffer exceptional sunrise and sunset photography
- Frijole Ranch History MuseumMuseumOffers interpretive exhibits on Mescalero Apache history
- Tejas TrailTrailPermit required for backcountry camping
- The GrottoSightOpen face of a small cave with stone tables and benches
- Pinery TrailTrailStroller-friendly trail to Butterfield Station Ruins
- Frijole Ranch Cultural MuseumMuseumEngaging history from Native American and early ranching generations
- Pine Springs CampgroundPlaceTent and RV sites adjacent to visitor center
- Dog Canyon CampgroundPlaceOffers solitude and cooler temperatures in remote north section
- Pine Springs Visitor CenterSightEntrance fee collected here, issues backcountry permits
- Manzanita SpringSightDraws concentrations of birds
- Manzanita Spring spurTrailShort, suitable for all ages, reliable for wildlife sightings
- Hunter Line ShackSight
- Butterfield Station RuinsSight
- Elsewhere
- White’s City Cavern InnHotelWhite's City, United StatesNearest lodging option, basic but functional
- Carlsbad Caverns National ParkPlaceCarlsbad, United StatesPair with Guadalupe Mountains for a longer trip