Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas and the number eight peak if you're on a high-point adventure. Located in far west Texas near El Paso, Guadalupe Peak lies inside of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It is a fantastic hike from bottom to top and is sure to make you feel like you earned a slice of cheesecake on the way out. I did this hike in early April as one of my last trips in college. When I did this hike, I was coming up on almost two months after my third knee surgery, and I was celebrating finally being pain-free after a year by spending my weekends hiking. I didn't plan this hike very well, it was more of a last-minute day trip but I learned a few things.
I left my place or residence early enough to arrive a little after 8:00 am local time, which I would generally consider to be a bit on the late side if you would like to be able to park at the trailhead. However, for the time of day, I wasn't expecting full sunshine and warmth. What I didn't consider is that the sunrise and sunset are functionally the same when you're at the end of two time zones. 8:00 am on the west side of the time change will have the same amount of sun as 9:00 am on the east side. Guadalupe Mountains National Park sits right on the edge of the change, and because of the lack of cell service inside of the park, it doesn't always pick up the correct time.
Depending on how early you get there, there is parking available at both the trailhead and the visitors center. The distance between the two locations isn't very long and there's a trail that leads between the two and stays off the road. The trailhead for the peak is shared with several other trails so it is very likely to fill up quickly. At 8.1-miles roundtrip and almost 3,000 feet of elevation gain, this is not an easy hike. Anticipate 5-8 hours to complete this hike comfortably. I'd arguably say the start of this hike is the hardest. Very quickly after starting you begin running into switchbacks with little shade in the early morning sun. When you look at the elevation profile, it seems to be a pretty consistent elevation gain but this portion was no fun. After suffering on the east face of the mountain, you move "Around the Bend" as the National Park Service calls it and you can start to enjoy more shade and a more relaxing incline. When I started this hike, I had done so around a very large group of church campers and this was the first spot where I finally got in front of them and was able to start enjoying it.
For a few miles, you get to wander further up the mountain enjoying the trees and the fews to the park. After another round of switchbacks, the trail flattens out a little at the top and it turns into a grassier area. Up here is the Guadalupe Peak Campground if you're looking at camping on the mountain. It is a pack-in-pack-out park, so be prepared to bring the necessary equipment, After this area, comes the Bridge.
Guadalupe Peak Trail Views
This is a really neat area on the trail and it is what I would mark as the start of the last push. It gets exposed on this portion of the trail, so be sure you have sunscreen and water. This portion is definitely where you start to realize that you're on a mountain. Not that you probably didn't know, but it becomes a little bit more apparent just how high up you're getting and both sides start to drop away. When you get to the base of the peak, the trail gets a little dicey and a little harder to find. I was lucky there were a lot of people going up and down to watch, but you're definitely walking on a rock face and not a well-defined trail anymore. If you pay attention though, you'll notice a little trail off to a viewpoint that is a very recognizable point in the park. Up top, you can see for miles. It is a fairly large top-out area so this is a great spot to eat lunch, have a snack, and just enjoy the view.
Entrance Fee: $10/person
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