If you like to spend your holidays peacefully, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is the right place. The park has plenty of activities to offer from hiking to climbing. The Guadalupe Mountains has a diverse landscapes with a salt basin, rugged mountain, pine forests, and more. The park is known for its wildlife-rich grassland and fossilized reef mountains. Here we have mentioned the top places to visit in Guadalupe Mountains.
Guadalupe Peak
Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in the state of Texas. It also offers you to experience ecosystems of the park including the high desert and the high elevation forests. The trail offers the chance to see wildlife and is accessible year-round.
Guadalupe Peak is rewarding with fantastic views from the highest point of Texas. On a clear day you get views of mountains and desert. The trail is an 8.5 mile round trip hike with a 3,000 foot elevation gain. The trail is rated as difficult and can be completed from 6-8 hours.
Devil’s Hall Trail
The Devil’s Hall Trail follows a dry wash into the mountains, ending at a narrow, vertical-walled ravine through thin-layered limestone. The route to Devil’s Hall departs from the Pine Springs trailhead and is 3.8 miles round-trip.
The first mile leads to a rocky wash which leads hikers to an impressive natural rock staircase leading to a “hallway” formed by steep canyon walls. The trail offers spectacular views of geologic formations, steep canyon walls, tall trees, and mountaintops.
McKittrick Canyon
McKittrick Canyon Trail is a 20.2 mile canyon within the Guadalupe Mountains. The trail features stunning views and beautiful wild flowers. You get to see the steep, towering walls of McKittrick Canyon. The trail is primarily used for hiking, and camping and is accessible year-round.
The canyon has been described as the most beautiful spot in the park. Once in a year the streams in the area flow down the canyon, which supports a wide range of flora and fauna from the low desert and the high alpine. The best time to visit is during the fall, when you get to see the color of leaves.
Salt Basin Dunes
The Salt Basin Dunes are over an hour away from the main part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The Salt Basin Dunes offers one of the best views of Guadalupe Mountains rising 3,000 feet above the desert floor.
The trail takes you to some of the largest dunes in the park. You get to see amazing bright-white dunes that cover nearly 2,000 acres. The hike to the dunes follows along the northern edge of the dune fields with excellent views of the western escarpment and the largest dunes of the area.