If you’re looking for a bucket list-worthy hike in Texas, look no further than the Guadalupe Peak Trail in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Not only does it offer jaw-dropping views of the Chihuahuan Desert and the surrounding mountains, but it also happens to take you to the summit of the tallest mountain in Texas, standing at a whopping 8,751 feet.
So if you want to conquer this summit for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about the Guadalupe Peak Trail, taking you to the top of Texas.
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About Guadalupe Peak Trail
Length
8.1 miles
Elevation gain
2,949 ft
Difficulty
Challenging
Required permit or pass?
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a bit unique in that it charges a $10 per person entrance fee that is good for a week, whereas most national parks charge a flat fee per vehicle (usually, per $25-35). And instead of checking in at a drive through fee station, like most U.S. National Parks, you’ll need to stop by the Pine Springs Visitor Center to buy your pass.
Alternatively, if you have an awesome America the Beautiful pass, which costs $80 and provides unlimited access to all of the national parks and over 2,000 federally managed sites for a year, you can enjoy the park for free! Just be sure to leave your pass on your dashboard.
Dog-friendly?
Unfortunately, you can’t bring dogs on the Guadalupe Peak Trail.
How long does it take to hike Guadalupe Peak Trail?
It will take most hikers between five and eight hours to complete this trail. My husband, Justin, and I filmed a YouTube video about hiking the Guadalupe Peak Trail and thus, were definitely on the slower end of this spectrum!
Trail map
How to get to the Guadalupe Peak Trail
The trailhead for the Guadalupe Peak hike is located here, in the Pine Springs section of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is located in the teeny town of Salt Flat in western Texas.
To be honest, Guadalupe Mountains, which is one of the least visited national parks in the contiguous United States, is pretty remotely located. The closest major international airport is in El Paso, Texas, about two hours west of the park or there’s smaller (i.e., pricier!) airports in Carlsbad, New Mexico, about 45 minutes northeast, or Midland, Texas, about three hours east. There’s no public transit that will get you to the park, so if you fly in, you’ll need to get a rental car.
On the bright side, though, all of the roads leading to the trailhead are paved and well-maintained the entire way.
The trailhead lot acts as both a campground and a parking lot, with about 45 spots, for several of the most popular hikes in the park, like the Devil’s Hall Trail.
While Justin and I didn’t experience any crowds here during our visit on a weekday in March, I have read that the parking lot can get full during busy periods, like weekends during the spring and the fall. So if you’re visiting during this timeframe, you may want to show up on the early side to ensure you can snag a spot.
If this lot is full, you can alternatively park in the Pine Springs Visitor Center Parking Lot, which is about a flat 0.4 mile one-way to the Guadalupe Peak trailhead.
What to Expect Along the Guadalupe Peak Trail
Hiking to the summit
The trailhead is on the western side of the parking lot and has clear signs for Guadalupe Peak.
Almost as soon as you start the trail, you’ll run into a junction, with the El Capitan Trail running perpendicular to the pathway—just continue straight on the trail to continue to Guadalupe Peak.
I’m going to be honest—the first mile is seriously the hardest on the whole trail, with steep switchbacks up a rocky and uneven path. On the bright side, the views of Hunter Mountain and the valley below get better and better with each step—I seriously had no idea that Texas was this beautiful before doing this trail!
About 0.8 miles into the trail, you’ll run into another junction, with a trail branching off to the right, and a sign that indicates “No stock beyond this point.” Continue towards the left—the trail to the right is a horse trail that eventually leads to the (also very cool!) Devil’s Hall Trail.
Once you’re a mile or so into your hike, the trail gets a bit less steep although there are a few narrow and sketchy sections, with sheer drop-offs to the canyon floor below. Just keep an eye on your footing here and keep an eye out if you’re hiking with any kiddos!
About 1.8 miles into the trail, you’ll wind around to the north-side of the mountain you’ve just been climbing up—be prepared for some serious wind here and hold onto your hat (quite literally!)! At least when we hiked Guadalupe Peak, this particular section of the trail was incredibly gusty, seeing winds up to 50 or so miles per hour.
You’ll climb up this rocky ridgeline for a bit and the landscape will transition into a pine tree forest, with pinion pine, southwestern white pine, and Douglas fir trees, that provides welcome shade on warmer days. And bonus—once you’re about 2.2 miles in, the steepness of the trail will decrease even further!
Once you’re about three miles in, the trees will clear and you’ll again be left with panoramic views of the surrounding Guadalupe Mountains and the valley floor below. Shortly thereafter, you’ll run into another section with pretty sheer drop-offs on your right hand side. If you’re a bit acrophobic like me, I’d suggest just keeping your eyes on the trail, which is thankfully plenty wide, and not peering down the cliffside below.
The last half mile is up steep and narrow switchbacks, cut into a rocky trail. However, you’ll have absolutely epic views to the south of El Capitan, an unusually shaped 8,085 foot limestone formation that’s actually the southernmost point of all of the Guadalupe Mountains and the eighth tallest mountain in all of Texas.
And finally, you’ll reach the tallest point in Texas! The views up here are ABSOLUTELY stellar, with dramatic views of the park’s stark white salt flats and green crop circles to the west, Hunter Mountain to the north, and the sprawling Chihuahuan Desert to the east. And, of course, you’ll get to admire the very quirky silver pyramid that famously lives at the top of Guadalupe Peak, up close and personal.
What’s the deal with the pyramid at the top of Guadalupe Peak?
This silver obelisk was placed here by American Airlines in 1958, in honor of the Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach route that brought mail between St. Louis to San Francisco and passed right by Guadalupe Peak.
Given that American Airlines was granted the first government contact for air mail services in the 1930s, just like the Butterfield Overland Mail had been for overland mail, American Airlines donated the statue to commemorate the centennial of transcontinental overland mail and the airmen that brought mail to the skies for the first time.
Returning to the trailhead
Once you’re done admiring the shiny trylon, you’ll simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Justin and I bought trekking poles the day before this hike, because we had read so many reviews on AllTrails saying how helpful they were—and I’m SO glad we did! The climb down is seriously steep and rocky and we passed several people on the trail who were literally slowly hobbling down the trail, due to knee pain, from the descent. So I’d highly recommend bringing along trekking poles to ensure you don’t need to hobble down the tallest mountain in Texas!
Adding on the Devil’s Hall Trail
If tackling the tallest mountain in Texas in one day isn’t enough for you, you can choose to tack on the Devil’s Hall Trail, one of the most popular hikes in Guadalupe Mountain National Park with a cool slot canyon and unusual rock formations. These trails overlap a bit, so it *only* adds 2.9 miles and about 500 feet of elevation to what you would hike if you only did the Guadalupe Peak Trail.
Here are the stats on the combined hike to Guadalupe Peak and Devil’s Hall Trails:
Length
11.3 miles
Elevation gain
3,450 feet
Difficulty
Really frickin’ hard. The hike up and down to Guadalupe Peak is pretty demanding in and of itself and, while Devil’s Hall isn’t terribly long or steep, you’re basically scrambling over slippery boulders of various sizes for the entire time, which is definitely a whole different kind of exhausting.
Accordingly, unless you’re incredibly fit or just a glutton for punishment, I’d suggest doing these hikes on separate days (which is what we did!).
If you are up for the challenge, I’d suggest conquering Guadalupe Peak first so you get the majority of the elevation out of the way. On your return hike, keep an eye out for that “No stock beyond this point” sign mentioned above, which will be about 7.3 miles into your hike, and turning left at the fork here.
This is the Guadalupe Peak stock trail, which will lead you, for about a mile, straight to the Devil’s Hall Trail.
Once you’ve reached the slot canyon that marks the end of the Devil’s Hall Trail, you’ll take the northern branch of the Guadalupe Peak stock trail back to the trailhead. Alternatively, I’d suggest downloading the offline map for the trail on the AllTrails+ app and just follow that!
Pssst….you can get a free 7 day trial of AllTrails+ AND 30% off an annual subscription by using the code “Uprooted30” at check out!
When to Visit the Guadalupe Peak Trail
The best time to visit the Guadalupe Peak Trail is from spring (March and April) or fall (September and October), when the weather is pleasantly warm.
In the summertime, temperatures can exceed 90 degrees (or even hotter!), so if you decide to tackle this trail, bring lots and lots of water (the national park service recommends bringing along at least a gallon per person!) and electrolytes to replenish everything you’re sweating out.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of the best places to visit in Texas during winter, thanks to the mild temperatures that generally reach up to the high 40s and low 50s.
That being said, it’s not uncommon for there to be ice or snow on the trail during the colder months. Accordingly, I’d suggest bringing along some microspikes (did I mention there were some serious drop-offs along the trail?), just in case.
Regardless of what time of year you hike the Guadalupe Peak Trail, check the weather beforehand, especially how windy it will be. The summit can receive gusts up to 115 miles per hour (seriously), which can make it hard to maintain your balance and might even push you over (again… steep drop-offs, people!).
If the wind is going to be above 40 mph, I’d seriously consider rescheduling to do the hike another day. We went on a day where the wind was about that strong and there were times when it felt like the wind was seriously going to knock us over. You can watch all of our windy shenanigans in our YouTube video about our experience hiking to Guadalupe Peak.
Tips for the Guadalupe Peak Trail
You can backcountry camp along the Guadalupe Peak Trail.
There’s actually a backcountry campsite, about 3.1 miles into the trail, with five campsites.
You’ll need to get a permit to camp here, which you can book here. These permits can often sell out during busy periods, like spring break or on the weekends, so if you’re interested in backpacking during those time periods, I’d suggest booking your permit as soon as possible.
Pssst… new to backpacking? Check out our backpacking gear list for beginners and the hiking safety tips that everyone needs to know before hitting the trail.
Start early.
Not only will you have a better chance of snagging a parking spot, but you also won’t have to climb uphill during the hottest part of the day.
Bring appropriate gear.
Before starting your hike, be sure that you’ve packed:
Water
Remember that there are no water sources along the trail. Justin and I use these comically large Nalgene bottles on all of our hikes and LOVE them. While speaking with a preventative search and rescue volunteer here, she mentioned that insufficient water was the biggest issue on this trail.
Trekking poles
They’re seriously a life (and knee!) saver on this trail.
Sun protection
Most of the hike is exposed to the sun, which can definitely be brutal here in Texas, so bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat.
Layers
Since we hiked the trail in March, we packed plenty of warm layers, but weren’t too sure we were going to need them. I’m so glad we did—it can definitely get pretty windy and chilly near the summit!
I hope you love the Guadalupe Peak Trail as much as we did! Do you have any questions about this hike? Let us know in the comments below!
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