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Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Texas · Established September 30, 1972

A Permian ocean reef lifted into the sky above the Chihuahuan Desert

Area: 86,367 acres
Established: September 30, 1972
Recreation visits: 206,423 / yr
State: Texas
Highest point: Guadalupe Peak, 8,751 ft (2,667 m), the highest point in Texas
Lowest point: Western lowlands near the Salt Basin, about 3,650 ft (1,113 m)

Guadalupe Mountains Weather Forecast

Loading the National Weather Service forecast for Guadalupe Mountains…

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (31.923, -104.885). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Map of Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The Park

Rising abruptly from the salt flats of far West Texas, the Guadalupe Mountains look like the prow of a ship plowing north across the desert. The resemblance is more than poetic: the pale cliff of El Capitan is the exposed edge of a reef that grew along the rim of a warm inland sea during the Permian Period, long before the first dinosaurs.

The park gathers four of the highest summits in Texas, including 8,751-foot Guadalupe Peak, and wraps them in a surprising range of life. Lechuguilla and sotol cover the desert foothills, bigtooth maples blaze in the depths of McKittrick Canyon each autumn, and a high-country remnant of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir survives in The Bowl, a cool island left behind by a wetter Ice Age climate.

Geography

Guadalupe Mountains National Park sits on the Texas–New Mexico line, where the southern tip of the Guadalupe range ends in a great escarpment. To the west the land drops along fault lines into the Salt Basin, a closed desert depression; to the east the mountains slope more gently toward the Delaware Basin and the Pecos country.

Elevations span roughly 5,000 feet, from about 3,650 feet in the western lowlands to the summit of Guadalupe Peak. That vertical range stacks Chihuahuan Desert scrub, grassland, pinyon-juniper woodland, and relict conifer forest within a few miles of one another. Surface water is scarce: a handful of springs and the spring-fed stream of McKittrick Canyon are the park's liquid treasures.

The park is largely wilderness, reached by trail rather than road. Pine Springs is the main hub, with McKittrick Canyon, Frijole Ranch, Dog Canyon on the New Mexico side, and the remote gypsum and quartz dunes of the Salt Basin serving as the other points of entry.

Landmarks

Guadalupe PeakPeak · 8,751 ftThe rooftop of Texas, reached by a steep trail that climbs about 3,000 feet from Pine Springs.
El CapitanPeak · 8,085 ftA sheer promontory of Capitan Limestone that served generations of travelers as a landmark visible for many miles.
Bush MountainPeak · 8,631 ftThe second-highest summit in Texas, rising along the forested western rim of The Bowl country.
Shumard PeakPeak · 8,615 ftThe third-highest summit in Texas, a forested high point on the western escarpment.
Bartlett PeakPeak · 8,508 ftThe fourth-highest peak in Texas, rising above the sheer western face of the range.
Hunter PeakPeakA high point above Pine Springs Canyon with views down onto the desert and into The Bowl.
The BowlValleyA high, cool basin sheltering a relict forest of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir.
McKittrick CanyonCanyonA deep limestone gorge whose spring-fed creek nourishes maples, walnuts, and oaks famous for their autumn color.
Pine SpringsAreaThe park's main visitor hub and trailhead, set at the foot of Guadalupe Peak.
Frijole RanchAreaA historic ranch house beside a spring, now a small museum and the start of the Smith Spring loop.
Smith SpringAreaA shaded desert spring where maidenhair ferns and madrones crowd around a trickle of water.
Devils HallCanyonA narrow, stair-stepped canyon in Pine Spring Canyon where layered limestone walls close in overhead.

Geology

About 265 million years ago, during the middle of the Permian Period, a narrow arm of ocean known as the Delaware Sea filled a subsiding basin in what is now West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Along its rim, sponges, calcareous algae, bryozoans, and other lime-secreting organisms built a barrier reef that eventually encircled the basin for hundreds of miles. Geologists call it the Capitan Reef.

The reef grew upward and outward as the basin sank. Behind it lay shallow lagoons where limestone and dolomite accumulated; in front, the reef face plunged into deep water, where sand and silt swept off the shelf through submarine channels to form the sandstones of the Brushy Canyon, Cherry Canyon, and Bell Canyon formations. When the sea's connection to the open ocean narrowed, the basin evaporated, and thick layers of gypsum and salt buried the reef.

For tens of millions of years the reef lay entombed. Mountain-building compression that began roughly 80 million years ago started the lift, and within the last 20 to 30 million years the stretching of the crust that created the Basin and Range raised the block along faults on its western side. Erosion then stripped away the softer evaporites, exhuming the reef so that its cliffs now stand thousands of feet above the desert floor.

The result is one of the finest exposures of an ancient reef system anywhere on Earth. Hikers can walk from the deep-water basin sandstones, up through the fossil-studded reef, and onto the lagoon deposits of the back-reef shelf in a single day.

Deep time

About 299–251 million years agoThe Permian Period, when the Delaware Basin subsided and filled with seawater.
About 265 million years agoReef-building organisms construct the Capitan Reef along the rim of the Delaware Sea.
About 260 million years agoThe sea begins to evaporate, reef growth stops, and gypsum and salt bury the basin.
About 80 million years agoRegional tectonic compression begins to lift the buried reef.
20–30 million years agoBasin and Range faulting starts along the western margin, raising the mountains above the Salt Basin.
Ice Age (Pleistocene)A cooler, wetter climate spreads conifer forests that now survive only in the high country.

The rocks

Capitan LimestoneMiddle Permian
The massive fossil reef itself, forming the cliffs of El Capitan and the walls of McKittrick Canyon.
Bell Canyon FormationMiddle Permian
Basin sandstones and siltstones deposited in deep water in front of the reef.
Cherry Canyon FormationMiddle Permian
Fine sandstone and siltstone laid down by submarine channels below Guadalupe Peak.
Brushy Canyon FormationMiddle Permian
The oldest basin sandstones exposed in the park, deposited in deep-water channels and fans.
Goat Seep DolomiteMiddle Permian
An older reef-and-shelf unit that the Capitan Reef later built upon.
Victorio Peak LimestoneEarly Permian
Part of a broad carbonate bank exposed low on the western escarpment.
Cutoff FormationEarly to Middle Permian
Dark, thin-bedded carbonates of the older bank-ramp complex below the high peaks.
Bone Spring LimestoneEarly Permian
Dark basinal limestone at the base of the western escarpment.

Trees, Plants & Ecosystems

1,016vascular plant species recorded

Chihuahuan Desert scrubAbout 3,650–5,500 ft
Lechuguilla, sotol, yuccas, prickly pear, and ocotillo dominate the rocky bajadas and the Salt Basin lowlands.
Desert grasslandAbout 4,500–6,000 ft
Grama grasses and scattered shrubs cover the lower slopes, grazed by mule deer and pronghorn.
Canyon riparian woodlandAbout 5,000–6,500 ft
In McKittrick Canyon and around springs, bigtooth maple, Arizona walnut, velvet ash, and Texas madrone form a shaded deciduous forest.
Pinyon-juniper and oak woodlandAbout 5,500–7,500 ft
Pinyon pine, alligator juniper, and Gambel oak cover the middle slopes and ridgelines.
Relict montane conifer forestAbout 7,500–8,700 ft
Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, southwestern white pine, and a few quaking aspen persist in The Bowl and on the high peaks, a holdover from the Ice Age.

Trees

Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosaThe tall, vanilla-scented pine of the high-country forest in The Bowl.
Douglas-firPseudotsuga menziesiiClings to cool, shaded north slopes near the summits, far south of its main range.
Southwestern white pinePinus strobiformisA five-needled pine of the highest ridges with long, resinous cones.
Quaking aspenPopulus tremuloidesSmall, isolated stands in the high country are remnants of a colder past.
Bigtooth mapleAcer grandidentatumThe source of McKittrick Canyon's celebrated scarlet and orange autumn color.
Texas madroneArbutus xalapensisIts peeling, cinnamon-to-cream bark makes it the most striking tree of the canyons.
Little walnutJuglans microcarpaA small walnut that lines canyon bottoms where roots can reach groundwater.
Velvet ashFraxinus velutinaA streamside tree of McKittrick Creek and the park's springs.
Chinkapin oakQuercus muhlenbergiiAn oak more typical of eastern forests that finds a foothold in these moist limestone canyons.
Gambel oakQuercus gambeliiForms thickets on middle slopes and feeds wildlife with its acorns.
Alligator juniperJuniperus deppeanaNamed for bark checkered into squares like reptile hide.
Colorado pinyonPinus edulisA slow-growing nut pine of the woodland belt, prized by jays and people alike.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

LechuguillaAgave lechuguillaThe signature plant of the Chihuahuan Desert, with dagger-tipped leaves that punish careless hikers.
SotolDasylirion leiophyllumA fountain of saw-edged leaves that sends up a tall flower stalk in summer.
Torrey yuccaYucca torreyiA tree-like yucca of the lower slopes with creamy spring blossoms.
New Mexico agaveAgave neomexicanaA century plant that blooms once on a towering stalk and then dies.
OcotilloFouquieria splendensWhip-like stems that leaf out after rain and tip with scarlet flowers in spring.
Scarlet hedgehog cactusEchinocereus coccineusA mounding claret-cup cactus that lights up rocky slopes with red flowers.
Engelmann prickly pearOpuntia engelmanniiBroad pads and yellow blooms, followed by purple fruits eaten by many animals.
Bear grassNolina micranthaA grassy-leaved relative of sotol common on desert slopes.
Blue gramaBouteloua gracilisA short grass with eyebrow-shaped seed heads that anchors the grasslands.
Skunkbush sumacRhus trilobataA pungent shrub whose tart red berries ripen in early summer.
Mountain mahoganyCercocarpus montanusA browse shrub whose seeds carry feathery, corkscrew tails.
Golden columbineAquilegia chrysanthaLong-spurred yellow flowers nod beside shaded springs and seeps.

Wildlife

69mammals
240birds
43reptiles
9amphibians
3fish

Mammals

ElkCervus canadensisRoam the high country; the region's native elk were extirpated and today's herd descends from reintroduced animals.
Mule deerOdocoileus hemionusThe most commonly seen large mammal, often grazing near Pine Springs at dusk.
Mountain lionPuma concolorThe park's top predator, rarely seen but present throughout.
American black bearUrsus americanusWanders the forested high country and canyons in small numbers.
Collared peccaryPecari tajacuJavelina travel in bands through desert scrub, rooting for agave and prickly pear.
PronghornAntilocapra americanaOccasionally seen on the open flats at the park's edges.
Gray foxUrocyon cinereoargenteusA tree-climbing fox common in rocky canyons.
RingtailBassariscus astutusA nocturnal, big-eyed cousin of the raccoon that lives among cliffs and boulders.
Texas antelope squirrelAmmospermophilus interpresA striped ground squirrel that darts among desert rocks with its tail held over its back.
Mexican free-tailed batTadarida brasiliensisA fast-flying insect hunter that emerges over the desert at dusk.
North American porcupineErethizon dorsatumFeeds on bark and buds in the woodland and canyon forests.
Black-tailed jackrabbitLepus californicusLong-eared hare of the desert flats and grasslands.
CoyoteCanis latransIts evening chorus carries across the Salt Basin and the Pine Springs area.
BobcatLynx rufusA secretive hunter of rabbits and rodents from desert to forest.

Birds

Golden eagleAquila chrysaetosSoars along the escarpment on the park's powerful updrafts.
Peregrine falconFalco peregrinusNests on high limestone cliffs and stoops on birds in flight.
Spotted owlStrix occidentalisThe Mexican subspecies inhabits shaded, steep-walled canyons.
Greater roadrunnerGeococcyx californianusSprints through desert scrub after lizards and insects.
Scaled quailCallipepla squamataA cotton-topped quail of the desert grasslands.
Wild turkeyMeleagris gallopavoFlocks forage in the canyons and around springs.
Canyon wrenCatherpes mexicanusIts cascading, descending song echoes off canyon walls.
Western scrub-jayAphelocoma californicaA bold blue jay of the oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Pinyon jayGymnorhinus cyanocephalusTravels in noisy flocks and caches pine nuts, helping pinyons spread.
Grace's warblerDendroica graciaeA yellow-throated warbler of the high pine forest.
Rufous-crowned sparrowAimophila ruficepsFrequents rocky, grassy slopes in the foothills.
Black-headed grosbeakPheucticus melanocephalusA rich-voiced summer songbird of canyon woodlands.
Hutton's vireoVireo huttoniA small, kinglet-like vireo of the oak woodlands.
Turkey vultureCathartes auraRides thermals over the desert from spring through fall.

Reptiles & amphibians

Rock rattlesnakeCrotalus lepidusA small, pale-banded rattlesnake that blends with limestone rubble.
Western diamondback rattlesnakeCrotalus atroxThe large rattlesnake of the desert lowlands; give it room.
Gray-banded kingsnakeLampropeltis alternaA secretive, beautifully banded snake of rocky Chihuahuan Desert terrain.
Eastern collared lizardCrotaphytus collarisA bright, big-headed lizard that can run on its hind legs.
Crevice spiny lizardSceloporus poinsettiiWedges itself into rock cracks when threatened.
Texas horned lizardPhrynosoma cornutumA flat, spiny ant-eater of open desert flats.
Red-spotted toadBufo punctatusBreeds in rain-filled potholes and springs after summer storms.
Tiger salamanderAmbystoma tigrinumEmerges from burrows to breed in stock tanks and pools after heavy rain.

Fish

Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykissDescendants of introduced trout persist in the spring-fed pools of McKittrick Creek.
Green sunfishLepomis cyanellusOne of only three fish species documented in the park's scarce waters.
Longear sunfishLepomis megalotisA colorful small sunfish recorded from the park's limited aquatic habitat.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

Climate & When to Visit

Guadalupe Mountains has a semi-arid mountain climate shaped by elevation and, above all, wind. The escarpment stands directly in the path of westerly winds that accelerate as they pour over the range, and gusts of 60 mph or more are common, especially from late winter through spring. Desert lowlands see summer highs from the 80s to above 100°F, while the peaks run about 10°F cooler than Pine Springs.

Most of the year's modest rainfall arrives with the North American monsoon from July into September, when afternoon thunderstorms build over the high country and can unleash lightning, hail, and brief downpours. Winters are generally mild at headquarters, with highs in the 50s and 60s, though cold fronts bring freezing nights and occasional light snow that rarely lasts more than a day.

Spring
The windiest season; mild temperatures and cactus blooms, but sustained gales can make ridge hiking dangerous.
Summer
Hot in the lowlands with cooler high country; monsoon thunderstorms arrive most afternoons from July through September.
Autumn
Crisp, clear days and peak maple color in McKittrick Canyon, usually from late October into mid-November.
Winter
Mild days and cold nights, strong wind events, and occasional light snow on the peaks.

Weather hazards

High winds: Gusts can exceed 60 mph and knock hikers off balance on exposed ridges; check the forecast and turn back if it worsens.
Lightning: Summer storms build quickly over Guadalupe Peak, so be off summits by early afternoon.
Heat and dehydration: There is no reliable water on trails; carry at least a gallon per person per day in warm weather.
Flash floods: Monsoon downpours can send water racing down normally dry washes and canyon bottoms.
Rattlesnakes: Watch where you place hands and feet on rocky terrain, especially on warm evenings.

Guadalupe Mountains Questions

When is the best time to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park?

Autumn is the favorite season, with comfortable temperatures and the bigtooth maples of McKittrick Canyon turning red and gold from late October into November. Spring is also pleasant but notoriously windy, while summer brings heat in the lowlands and afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains.

How windy does it get in the Guadalupe Mountains?

Very. The range sits in the path of strong westerly flow, and gusts of 60 mph or more occur year-round, most often in winter and spring. On high-wind days the Guadalupe Peak trail and other exposed routes can be hazardous.

Is El Capitan really a fossil reef?

Yes. The cliff is made of Capitan Limestone, built about 265 million years ago by sponges, algae, and other marine organisms along the edge of the Permian Delaware Sea. Faulting and erosion later raised and exposed it.

How hard is the hike to Guadalupe Peak?

The round trip is about 8.5 miles with roughly 3,000 feet of elevation gain, and most hikers need six to eight hours. Start early, carry plenty of water, and avoid the summit during thunderstorms or high winds.

What wildlife might I see?

Mule deer are common near Pine Springs and Frijole Ranch, and elk, javelina, gray foxes, and many lizards are also seen. Watch the cliffs for golden eagles and peregrine falcons, and listen for the descending song of the canyon wren.

Why are there pine and fir forests on top of a desert mountain?

During the Ice Age a cooler, wetter climate allowed conifer forests to spread across the region. As the desert warmed, those forests retreated upslope and now survive only in the high, cool pocket of The Bowl and on the peaks.

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← Great Smoky Mountains National Park Haleakalā National Park →

Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · irmaservices.nps.gov · Official NPS site