The Guadalupe Mountains of west Texas aren't really on the road to anywhere. Logistics be damned, I frequently drove through for a visit whenever "en route" to New Mexico or Colorado. I appreciated its lower traffic compared to most other National Parks, as Texans and travelers of the southwest are more likely to regale with stories of Big Bend or Arizona.
I began hoarding these photographs from Guadalupe in 2015 when I made my first poke 8hours west of Austin to visit. I’ve been a handful of times since, but had planned at least one more multi-day excursion through Dog Canyon and the adjacent McKitrick Canyon to shoot more photographs, visit Coyote Peak, and find the fabled crashed plane. I made an attempt of soloing the remaining trails in the northern section in 2019 but failed. The last couple of years I've been gathering parts for the wagon for a much needed 150k mile service, and this spring in Texas has been so hot and dry that the backcountry in Guadalupe has been closed due to wildfire threat. I’m moving to Ohio soon, so for the time being, the remainder of this gallery remains out there waiting to be captured.
The Guadalupe range is a geological marvel, housing a 265million-year-old oceanic reef (Capitan Reef.) Now lifted 3,000’ above the Chihuahuan Desert, this reef was located on the western edge of Pangea during the Permian Period, and is one of the best-preserved fossilized reefs in the world.
Guadalupe NP also harbors the top of Texas at 8,751’ elevation, and over 80miles of trails with an incredibly diverse ecology, particularly for such a hostile environment. There is a noticeable lack of trees on the trails near the southern Pine Springs basecamp, providing nearly constant panoramic views(and exposure) while on trail. The northern section of the park contains canyons, prairies, valleys, riparian streams, and a bowled section of woodlands.
Every excursion here benefits greatly from consideration and planning. The hiking is incredibly rugged, with hardly a single flat placement for a boot. The exposure can be immense, and there are plenty of inhabitants which bite, sting or stab.
Despite an excellent track record with the creatures and the heat, I have nearly perished in the Guadalupe Mountains on two separate occasions. Once I was caught in a summer-storm at elevation and ran 2miles of benchcut in hail and lightning. Another time, I nearly tripped into a short sky-dive in front of my wife. There was a chance encounter with a Guadalupe rattlesnake, and a pungent whiff of cat-urine one evening at 7K’ elevation, but those experiences were more humbling than harrowing.
These 25 photographs represent some of the moments I've been able to spend in Guadalupe to date.
(Additional interest/information)
-The Mescalero Apache Tribe were native here until a U.S. Army military campaign against them around 1875.
-Guadalupe Mountains NP celebrated 50years as a park in 2022 and has an expanse of 86,416 acres.
-Carlsbad Caverns NP is an hour up the road and deserving of a visit when in the area.
-Visitors will benefit substantially from timing a visit in the spring or fall.
Site: Geological information:
Site: Animals of Guadalupe:
Article: Harlan Butt : Guadalupe Resident Artist:
