Guadalupe Mountains National Park preserves and protects an area of outstanding geological features, scenery, and wilderness in the northern Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. The park includes Guadalupe Peak, the tallest mountain in Texas, and McKittrick Canyon, which features some of Texas’ most colorful fall foliage. We visited for a few hours on one afternoon, so our visit was limited to the Pine Springs Visitor Center, the Pinery Trail, Frijole Ranch, and viewpoints of El Capitan – the park’s signature feature.
Park History
The Mescalero Apache lived in the mountains and harvested the agave plants that grow in the region. While Europeans passed through the area in the early 1800s, they did not settle in the Guadalupes until 1870 when Felix McKittrick began ranching in the area. The Butterfield Overland Mail Company’s stage coaches also moved through the area on their way to San Francisco. Buffalo Soldiers guarded the mail routes. In 1876, the Rader brothers established the Frijole Ranch. Eventually Judge J.C. Hunter began buying up smaller ranches and consolidating them into his Guadalupe Mountain Ranch. William Pratt, a University of Kansas educated geologist who worked in the area for Humble Petroleum, bought McKittrick Canyon in 1921. Pratt and Hunter’s lands eventually became the national park. The national park was established in 1972 – we enjoyed being in the park for it’s 50th anniversary celebration!
Pinery Trail
The Pinery Trail is one of the few trails in Guadalupe Mountains National Park that is dog friendly. The trail begins behind the Pine Springs Visitor Center. It is .9 miles round trip and leads to the ruins of a Butterfield Overland Stagecoach station. We enjoyed this easy hike through the agaves, yuccas, and sotol plants. Our dog Liberty enjoyed seeing the ruins!
Frijole Ranch
The Frijole Ranch was the first permanent ranch house built in the area. Today it serves as the park’s cultural museum. We liked walking around the small home and seeing the bright red, one room schoolhouse. Frijole Spring in front of the main house produces 6 gallons of water per minute. The ranch is rich in history and very pretty at sunset.
El Capitan Viewpoints
There are excellent viewpoints of El Capitan located along both sides of US Highway 180 just south of the Pine Springs Visitors Center. Seeing the park’s most iconic peak was a great way to wrap up our short visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We’d love to return someday to hike McKittrick Canyon or the Devil’s Hall Trail.
Visiting nearby Carlsbad Caverns National Park? Check out our Carlsbad Caverns blog post!
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