guadalupe peak

As we drove up to el capitan and guadalupe peak we never thought we would be on top in a few hrs. We are amateur hikers, and this is by far the biggest hike of our lives. In the end the 6.5 hr round trip was worth it and made it to the top. The views were totally worth it. It was a challenging but lifetime accomplishment. Best part is that the change in elevation takes you through different terrains, desert, juniper forest, pine forest and then the peak. Never new west texas was so beautiful.

Awesome hike. Great view. Fairly busy trail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Trail was more difficult than expected. Narrow and rugged terrain, but well worth the 8hrs. round trip.

This was a really neat trail, though majority of the trail covers typical Chihuahuan Desert habitat, many of the northern slopes are covered by coniferous forests. This mountain range was also an ancient coral reef during the Permian Era, so it great for geology buffs. In total, the trail is 8.5 miles round-trip and it takes you to the highest peak in Texas (8,749 ft). The rangers said the hike should take anywhere from 6-8 hours to complete, but we completed it 4 hours. Since it is located in the desert, we decided to make this a winter hike to avoid high summer temps, but regardless of when you hike make sure to have plenty of water. There is a park fee of $5 per person, but it’s totally worth.

We were not planning on visiting here, but just came across it on our travels. Be sure to watch the slide show at the visitor's center. From the visitor's Center you can see the signature peak of West Texas - El Capitan. Would have loved to have enough time to hike in this park.

If you enjoy hiking you'll love ascending Guadalupe Peak. We went up and down in one day, however you can get a backcountry permit from the visitor center. The views are amazing. We camped the night before and enjoyed the site. It was super windy (like the ranger warned). Water is a short stroll away. The dish washing sink was not working at our visit. I think they turned it off for winter. We saw deer in the campground and heard coyote at night.

Stayed in El Paso (far cheaper than Carlsbad) and drove to park early in AM. 107 miles per Google, but the majority is high speed limit highway, so it isn't 2 hrs away.Pay $5 / person at the ranger station (where the Ranger was very instructive about the geology - see Jason S comments below) drive a short distance to the trail head parking lot and embark.The area had a bit of snow the day before, so north-facing areas had maybe a couple of inches - enough to make it visually interesting. Look at the rocks while you hike - VERY cool formations and in some cases fossils. Go to the National Park site and download their fossil guide PDF before hiking so you know what to look for. The rocks made it one of our favorite hikes ever.Michigan - is it just us or does El Capitan look like the "Mitt" of Michigan when getting to the top of Guadalupe? It is a moderate to strenuous hike, and temps/wind will change so dress accordingly.

Hiked up here after hiking out of Tejas trail earlier in the day.Started up on Guadalupe Peak trail at around 1230, without heavy backpacks. Worth it to take your time at top, but watch out for the wind - bring a windbreaker just in case.You can see for around 100-200 miles if it's clear. It's such a unique formation, nothing else is there for a while (mountains at least). Went in December 2014, not too crowded (campsites in Pine Springs weren't full). A bit cold due to wind, but around 50-60 degrees throughout.

Everyone needs to make a trip to see these mountains.s Great scenery and even better hiking. The view of the mountains is something to behold. Whether you are a photographer, hiker or just love the outdoors, this is the place for you.

While it's sister national park, Carlsbad Caverns gets the huge crowds, the park is absolutely beautiful.

Guadalupe Peak and the whole park in general is a wonder of geology; an ancient reef which makes up the view you see from the highway. The peak itself is like a geology lesson, every few minutes of hiking, you can look at the mountain side and see something ancient and different. The hike itself is a pretty good workout. The first part of it is the hardest. Once you are up the first side of the mountain, you reach the tree line. From then until the final half mile or so, you are generally shaded. About 3\4 mike from the summit, there is a primitive camp. The next time I do this, I will stay at this camp the night before and make an early summit.I brought 1 gallon of water, but didn't even finish it. In October it is very pleasant. I imagine in the summer, you would definitely need to at least that much, if not more. The "Top of Texas" is a wonderful and quiet national park, and since it is about an hour from Carlsbad Caverns, definitely worth a stop.

Close to El Paso and not too far from Carlsbad New Mexico are some beautiful mountains to just pack the car and go see. Early morning is a great time to drive but the evening is absolutely gorgeous with all the stars and minimal lights to mess up the view. If you have a bunch of kids, this may not be the thing for you. If you have kids who prefer to have their noses stuck in their cell phones or games? Not so much. But if you have an open-minded younger bunch, a drive through here could be extremely fun, particularly with a telescope!

We arrived at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park Visitor's Center around noon on Saturday, November 22, 2014. The rangers were very helpful with information regarding the various hiking trails. We first hiked the McKittrick Canyon which was an easy 5 mile hike roundtrip with some beautiful fall foliage still visible. The next day we hiked to the Guadalupe Peak. The rangers advised us to be careful due to the 50 mph wind gusts that day...this hike is classified as strenuous and the winds did make the hike more difficult. We hit the trail at 9:00 a.m. and took several bottles of water and snacks along with our hiking sticks which proved to be beneficial due to the wind gusts. The first mile is the toughest because it is the steepest. I would suggest wearing layers as your body temperature from hiking as well as the air temperature does change throughout the hike...there was a little snow on the ground. The hike is suppose to take 6-8 hours and my husband and I who are both in our 50's and are in average shape completed the hike in 6 1/2 hours. There is a monument at the top to take your picture with and don't forget to sign the book next to the monument that "You Made It!"

Best place to see the peak is from the salt flat side in my opinion, its unobstructed view. Its still good from the actual peak visitors area and you get a closer view.

We arrived at park headquarters early morning in August 2012. The park rangers were extremely helpful with information regarding hiking trail and what to expect. We hit the trailhead around 10am after setting up our tent in the campground. We took several granola bars along with 3 Gatorades. I would recommend taking at least couple of water bottles plus 3 or 4 gatorades. Along the trail you will find gallons of water placed there by park rangers for those who came unprepared. The first 30 minutes were strenuous but after that the climb was pretty steady but not difficult. The hike up was 3 hours and 2 hours down. Wife and I had good little pace throughout the hike as were in average shape. Temperature at campground was around 85 degrees but dropped to at least 70 which made sleeping a breeze. Will be returning back to park with children soon.