My wife and I just laid down plans for a West Texas road trip this November. We are going to head to Alpine/Marfa, then on to Big Bend for a few days. I decided that it is about time I go further north and see the Guadalupe Mountains. We are going to be there for a couple of nights, and we plan on doing the Guadalupe Peak trail. Does anyone have advice on other hikes or sites to see at the park or surrounding area?

Having lived in the Alpine area for several years when I was younger, I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have never been to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. My wife has never been west of San Antonio, so she doesn't have a clue what she is in for.

For some reason I think the poster "Muy" (posts on Rivalries a bunch) took his family there.

You will probably be too late for the colors, but it will still be worth seeing McKittrick canyon. That would be my recommendation for Guadalupe, hike the peak and hike the canyon.

As far as other things in the area, Carlsbad Cavern is just about an hour north. There is no overnight car camping, the only camping is in the backcountry. That's a good thing as it means if you did stay in the park you would probably be the only one. If you are camped down in Guadalupe, you don't have far to drive. In addition to just touring the Cavern, try to do some of the wild cave tours. You can register for them online at the website, http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm. In the main cavern, they have tours that consist of easy things that just take you to places most tourists don't see, to tours that you are doing some real caving, crawling through small gaps and using ropes. Also, there is another cave back closer to Guadalupe called Slaughter Canyon Cave that they offer tours in. It is easy to walk in, no skills required. You have to register for it as well online. The bats probably will already be gone, they are worth seeing.

Few pics from Carlsbad


Hall of Giants
This picture hardly shows the size of these things. They are massive.


Lion Tail formation


Crawling through Lower Cave


Descending into Lower Cave

additional pics on my photo website

I assume that Fort Davis and the observatory are included while in Marfa/Alpine? I went to a star party with a friend of mine last year, she is still talking about it.

Thanks. Carlsbad and Ft. Davis are both in our plans. I saw some pictures online that showed the colors change in GMNP. Its a shame we won't be out there during that time.

On the caverns: my thinking is if you are going all the way out to GMNP, you might as well swing north and hit the caverns. I have never been to either, so I am really looking forward to it. I saw some pictures online of the caverns and it looks like it can get pretty crowded. How many people were there when you went?

On Ft. Davis: we are going up there in the early part of the trip and I am going to try to get to the observatory. Having lived out there, Ft. Davis isn't necessarily a destination that thrills me. But it is a cool tourist stop (which my wife will be) and it has some good sites to see. The views in the Davis Mountains are awesome.

Thanks for the advice and the pictures. Can't wait for the trip.

The Peak is a pretty strenuous trail. Hit it early. Take water and check the weather before you head up. A hiking staff is handy, especially on the descent when your legs are tired. Keep in mind the trailhead is higher than Denver...

Be Prepared - I did all of the above on one trek, and the weather forecast was fine. Near the top, the weather changed, the temps dropped 35 degrees, and it started sleeting. Coming down with wind gusts of 45-60 was rather unpleasant.

Web site is good, but most folks consider Halloween the best indicator of color in McKitrick...

Crowds are rarely an issue at Carlsbad except for up top. Be sure to get there early - you want to take the walk down through the natural entrance. We got there late once and only got to do the elevator down and the Big Room. Not very good. Bats may be minimal by your trip, but still fun to watch the few that remain leave for the evening if possible.

Good advice. I saw that it is an 8.4 miles hike round trip and a 3000 foot climb. We plan on heading out first thing in the morning. Our Carlsbad trip will be first thing in the morning as well (at least at the moment that is our plans). We won't be able to stay all day because we are heading back to Marathon that afternoon, and then to Houston the next day. We are going to be driving a lot on this trip.

I will pull this thread back up when we get back to report on the trip and maybe post some pics.

I haven't been in the late fall/winter except when I was a kid, so I am not sure on what the crowds would be, but it usually isn't a problem. I've been there in the middle of summer with buses of tourists and not had problems. As the earlier poster said, just make sure you get there early enough to walk down the natural entrance. I strongly recommend you get tickets for a ranger-led tour as well. Even if it is something like Kings Palace, it isn't difficult, but you get a ranger, you get to see things most don't, and on most of the tours they do the classic all lights off black out. I would say that if you didn't do it, you wouldn't miss it as the cavern is already pretty cool, but if you do it, you wouldn't be able to go back and not do one. They are pretty cheap too.

And don't eat at the restaurant in White's City. Blah. Pack a lunch, eat at the park, or drive to Carlsbad, anything but that restaurant!

Another pitch for the star party at the observatory!

This guy has some info on hiking the peak. His hiking times are fast in my experiences so add on some time depending on the kind of shape you are in.

http://www.surgent.net/highpoints/tx/culberson.html

I will look at our plans and see if we can fit the star party in. We would probably lose one of our days in Big Bend if we were to do it, which wouldn't be the end of the world. But I have a predetermined set of things to see and do in Big Bend. If you keep pushing this star party idea, I may just do it.

I can't believe that guy hiked to the top of Guadalupe Peak and back in 5 hours. That is a good accomplishment. My wife and I are are in pretty good shape, but we will take our time up. She ain't the rugged type!

So I plotted out our destinations last night and determined (with the help of Google Earth) that we will be driving for right at 1800 miles. That is roughly 30 hours in the car. We will definitely find out just how much we love each other!

I won't push the star party anymore. I don't want you to go and then post how much you hate me and wished you had been in Big Bend instead.

We did the Guad/Carlsbad combo in 2005.

Hiking to the top of Guadalupe Peak and back in five hours is reasonable. That's about how long it took us.

For what it's worth:
Take the time to hike McKittrick Canyon.
Take the time to do the Star Party.
Take the time to stop in Balmorhea for the springs.
Going out to West Texas is about taking your time.
I'll be in Big Bend/Terlingua this week riding bikes. We go about three times per year, so if you have anything else you need recommendations on, just ask.

Oh, and do the ranger-led cave tour off the path. I am sure that one day, it'll be one of those things they say is destroying the cave, and then they won't let you do it any longer. So, do it now and enjoy. It's worth it.


[This message has been edited by Atty_Ag (edited 10/13/2009 8:27p).]

My trip starts this Friday. Can't wait. I will post some pics, etc. when I return next Thursday.

Wouldn't want to hike the peak today!

quote:

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Pine Springs, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Lat: 31.83 Lon: -104.8 Elev: 5456
Last Update on Dec 8, 9:51 am CST

Today: Areas of blowing dust after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Windy, with a west wind 75 to 80 mph decreasing to between 65 and 70 mph. Winds could gust as high as 110 mph.

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