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Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a remote park in West Texas known for its stunning natural beauty. It’s located about 100 miles east of El Paso and a half hour south of Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
Introduction to Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park was founded on September 30, 1972. It protects an area of outstanding natural value, including wilderness areas and Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,751 feet (2,667 meters). Furthermore, humans have left their trace for over 10,000 years. The Mescalero Apache lived there until they were driven out by the US Army in the middle of the 19th century.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park covers an area of 86,367 acres (349.51 square kilometers), of which 46,850 acres (190 square kilometers) is wilderness. There are three major ecosystems within the park, including Chihuahan Desert, canyon, and alpine areas. Over 1,000 species of plants can be found there, and animal species such as elk, coyote, American black bear, bobcat, skunk, badger, and mountain lion. Several species of birds also call the park home, including the peregrine falcon, woodpecker, sparrow, golden eagle, and hummingbird.
Planning Your Trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park
I’ll be the first to admit I really dropped the ball on my planning for Guadalupe Mountains. We spent a half day there when it really should have been at least two. We were expecting to roll into the park, see the most easily accessible parts, and move on. The problem is, the best parts of Guadalupe Mountains are deep in the heart of the park. It’s a hiking and backpacking park rather than a “stop and check out the scenery” park. I’ll definitely be back to see more.
Before getting into some of the trails and highlights of the park, below is some essential information to help you plan your trip much better than I did. Check the official website for more info.
Entrance Fees for Guadalupe Mountains National Park
The entrance fee to Guadalupe Mountains National Park is US$10 for adults and free for kids under 16 (as of December 2024). Interagency passes cover the holder and three adults. You can pay by credit card at the Pine Springs Visitor Center or at self-pay stations at any trailhead. Entrance fees are good for seven days.
If paying at a trailhead, fill out the appropriate information on the green fee envelope, seal it, remove the detachable stub, and deposit it in the collection safe. The fee stub or a valid interagency pass must be displayed in your vehicle for the duration of your visit to the park. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is open year-round.
Visitor Centers at Guadalupe Mountains National Park
There are two visitor centers and a ranger station at the park.
- The main visitor center is the Pine Springs Visitor Center, located just off US 62. It’s open year-round. There’s a museum about the wildlife found in the park as well as a water bottle station and gift shop. It’s also where you can pay entrance and camping fees.
- The McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center sits a short drive past a gate on the road leading to McKittrick Canyon. It’s open year-round depending on staff availability. There are outdoor exhibits and a video.
- Finally, the Dog Canyon Ranger Station is located in the most remote part of the park. It’s only open when staff and volunteers are available. There’s a water bottle station and you can pick up maps and brochures.
Camping at Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Although we didn’t camp and just passed through for the day, there are three developed campgrounds at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Two of them are for tents and RVs while the third is only for groups with horses. Each one is open year-round. There are no showers in the park.
- Pine Springs Campground is located near the Pine Springs Visitor Center. There are 20 tent sites and 13 RV sites. They cost US$20 per night (as of December 2024) and can be reserved up to six months in advance. Pine Springs Campground features drinking water and flush toilets.
- Dog Canyon Campground is located in the remote Dog Canyon area. There are nine tent sites and four RV sites. They cost US$20 per night (as of December 2024) and can be reserved up to six months in advance. Dog Canyon Campground features drinking water and flush toilets.
- Frijole Horse Corral Campground is located on the east side of the park on the road to Frijole Ranch. It has a group camping site with a horse corral for up to 10 horses. It costs US$60 per night (as of December 2024) and includes use of the horse corral. The group site is limited to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 people per night. Reservations are required up to six months in advance.
Activities at Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Hiking, stargazing, photography, birdwatching, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities are available. Check the official website for more information on these activities.
Safety at Guadalupe Mountains National Park
My best advice is to take plenty of water and use sunscreen. The desert heat can be brutal, especially at mid-day. Fill up your water bottles and make sure you have enough with you before hiking. Start your hikes early in the day if possible.
El Capitan Lookout
Unlike many national parks, there’s no scenic drive at Guadalupe Mountains. The closest thing that comes to a scenic drive is US 62, which runs along the east side of the park. You can stop at the El Capitan Lookout to get a great view of El Capitan. It’s the 10th highest peak in Texas and was a landmark for travelers on the Butterfield Stage Route.
The Pinery Trail
The Pinery Trail is an easy 0.9 mile out-and-back trail from the Pine Springs Visitor Center providing access to the ruins of the Pinery, a stagecoach station on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. It’s surrounded by wonderful natural scenery and should take about 20-30 minutes to complete. Desert plants are labeled along the path. There’s also a parking lot near the ruins for quicker access.
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route was developed by John Butterfield (1801-1869) as the first successful attempt linking the East and West with a reliable transportation system. It predated both the Pony Express and Transcontinental Railroad.
The route began as part of a six-year federal mail contract that went into effect on September 16, 1858. It ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California, and covered over 2,700 miles. Unfortunately, operations were cut short by the onset of the Civil War in March 1861.
Butterfield Overland Mail used Celerity coaches, which were known for speed. As stipulated by the contract, the route always had to be completed in 25 days. 100 Celerity coaches were built in 1857 at a cost of US$1,500 each and placed in service.
The coaches had to travel day and night and covered roughly 120 miles a day. They were pulled by six horses or mules and carried nine passengers. No valuables of any kind were allowed on the coaches, including cash, bank notes, or jewelry, for safety purposes.
Ruins of the Pinery
The Pinery, or Pinery Station, was built in 1858 at a location that had originally been a camp for military expeditions since 1849. It was first used in September of that year as a relay station along the route. Stations were placed about 20 miles apart along the entire route.
The Pinery was built behind fortified stone walls, containing a corral and a three-room station house. The walls were 30 inches thick to provide protection from raids by local Mescalero Apaches.
The Pinery offered hot meals for stage crews and passengers as well as a fresh team of horses for the coaches. It was abandoned in August 1859 after only a year in use, when the trail was rerouted to pass closer to Fort Davis and Fort Stockton. After that, it was still used for protection by other passers-by, including soldiers, freighters, outlaws, and emigrants.
Monuments
Finally, near the parking lot, there are two monuments that have been placed on either side of the trail. The monument to the right commemorates the Pinery and was erected by the State of Texas in 1936.
The monument to the left is dedicated to airmen. It includes an inscription from a memorial plaque placed at the summit of Guadalupe Peak in 1958 by American Airlines, on the centennial of the transcontinental overland mail. It reads:
Dedicated to the airmen who, like the stage drivers before them, challenged the elements through this pass with the pioneer spirit and courage which resulted in a vast system of airline transport known as “American Airlines”
Frijole Ranch
Frijole Ranch is historic site located within the boundaries of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It sits just off US 62, about a mile and a half from the Pine Springs Visitor Center.
In addition to the ranch, there are some spectacular views of the surrounding landscape including El Capitan. You’ll also find the trailhead for the Smith Spring Trail.
History of Frijole Ranch
Frijole Ranch was built around 1876 by the Rader brothers. It consists of seven buildings: a ranch house, barn, bunkhouse, double outhouse, springhouse, shed, and school house. It was built next to Frijole Spring and in the proximity of four other natural springs.
The Rader brothers moved out in the late 1880s and the Herring family of North Carolina moved in, staying until 1895. Frijole Ranch sat unoccupied until the Smith family arrived in 1906. They called it Spring Hill Ranch.
The Smiths expanded the ranch by building the bunkhouse and school house. They purchased a hydraulic ram to pump water and later installed electric lights powered by a wind generator. They also operated a post office at the site from 1916 to 1942.
The one-room school house, built in 1925, was used to educated up to eight local children well into the 1930s. The Smiths hired a teacher for US$30 a month plus room and board.
Addition to the National Park
The Smiths moved out in 1942 after selling the ranch to Judge Jesse Coleman Hunter of Van Horn, Texas, for US$55,000. Hunter had been buying land in the Guadalupe Mountains since 1923 and accumulated 43,000 acres. He had also been advocating for the region to be turned into a national park since 1925.
Hunter’s son, J.C. Hunter Jr., inherited the ranch in 1945. He purchased more land, eventually expanding the ranch to 67,213 acres. Hunter sold the ranch to the National Park Service in 1966 for US$1.5 million. Guadalupe Mountains National Park was established on September 30, 1972, with Hunter’s land making up almost 78% of the park property.
From 1969 to 1980, the buildings at Frijole Ranch were used as employee housing and utility buildings. The ranch house served as a National Park Service operations center from 1983 to 1991. Finally, in 1992, the house was restored and opened as the Frijole Ranch Museum.
Smith Spring Trail
The Smith Spring Trail is a loop beginning at Frijole Ranch. It’s rated easy to moderate and has a round-trip distance of 2.3 miles. It should take about 90 minutes to complete.
We took the trail mid-morning and decided to go in a counterclockwise direction. The first section of the trail allowed us to take in some spectacular scenery, with a conical hill near the ranch and El Capitan.
Manzanita Spring
After about a ¼ mile walking on a paved path, we arrived at Manzanita Spring, which is one of a handful of natural springs in the area. It’s a wide pool surrounded by vegetation that provides excellent birdwatching opportunities.
Hiking Up
Next, the trail turned towards the mountains. Down at trail level, there was sparse vegetation with the occasional tree, shrub, or cactus, but up in the mountains, we were able to spot a patch of trees with brilliantly colored leaves changing for the fall season.
As we gradually climbed the 400 feet up towards Smith Spring, the desert plain to the east and south started to come into view. The path was loose rock, so we had to watch our step at times.
Smith Spring
A little over a half hour into the walk, we reached Smith Spring. The temperature immediately dropped as we walked under the shade created by the trees surrounding the spring. Normally there’s a small waterfall but it was quite dry so it wasn’t as pronounced.
Smith Spring historically provided water to Native Americans, the US Cavalry, and Frijole Ranch. Today, it’s the only pure source of water for wildlife in the area. It’s a true desert oasis.
Hiking Back
After Smith Spring, the trail turned back towards Frijole Ranch and gradually descended. We walked along a gentle slope, often looking back towards the mountains behind us.
We enjoyed more of the desert landscape and views ahead as we continued to head down. There were even a few interesting plants along the way.
