Spotlight Thursday – Summiting Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

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Spotlight Thursday - Summiting Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National ParkEvery Thursday, I will be posting a photo from my travels and a spotlight on the location. Today’s Spotlight Thursday is from the top of Guadalupe Peak.  I took this photo on one of my cross-country US road trips.  On my way from Tennessee to Colorado, I stopped and spent a couple of days in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  This park sits on the border of Texas and New Mexico.  The closest town is Carlsbad, New Mexico. Guadalupe is near Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park protects part of the Guadalupe Mountains.  The park has limited facilities and most of it is only accessible via hiking or horseback.  It is home to upwards of 300 caves and the highest point in Texas.

I used the Pine Springs Campground as a base for hiking in the park and visiting Carlsbad Caverns.  The campground is small but nicely laid out with standard facilities.  Be careful walking around at night, I saw several tarantulas while walking to the bathroom.

I got up early in the morning to start my hike up to the highest point in Texas.  Guadalupe Peak is 8,751 ft tall.  The trail to the top is 4.25 mile each way.  It’s all uphill.  The trail winds through the small hills and valleys on the way to the summit. I started early to avoid an afternoon thunderstorm.  The trail is rocky but easy to follow.  It took me a little over two hours to reach the top.  I was rewarded with a view of the surrounding mountains and the top of Texas’ El Capitan.  On the summit of Guadalupe Peak is an interesting pyramid monument. The monument is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Butterfield Overland Mail.  The Butterfield Overland Mail was a Pony Express route that passed by the Guadalupe Mountains. The Pony Express memorial is on one side of the pyramid.  One of the other sides has the Boy Scouts of America logo.  The final side has the American Airlines logo on it.  They sponsored the monument.

I spent about an hour at the summit until the wind picked up.  I didn’t want to be on the summit if a storm blew in.

 

Enjoy this photo of the view from the top of Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas?  Check me out on Instagram @MatDifference for more great photos.

Check out my other photos from Spotlight Thursday.

16 thoughts on “Spotlight Thursday – Summiting Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park”

  1. That view from the top definitely is worth it! Great idea doing your spotlight photo on previous trips and travels! Great way to bring back old memories too.

  2. I’m not a hiker like you are so this will be a bit much for me. I’m intrigue about there being 300 caves, though so I might be doing that soon. Thanks!

  3. Glad you enjoyed Guadalupe. I live in Texas but it has been awhile since I was in that part of the State. One thing I love about Texas is that we have lots of parks and outdoor areas to enjoy and it looks like you found one.

  4. What a gorgeous view you had from top of Guadalupe Peak! Respect for hiking all the way up, that’s impressive! I’d be probably collapsed half way… 😉

  5. That view was certainly worth the climb – even if it does sound a little tricky for the uninitiated! And good to hear you got down before a storm moved in!

    1. I would have been below the tree line before the storm hit no matter what. I don’t mess with mountains and storms.

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