Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Pine Springs

Set among high peaks in the Chihuahuan Desert, this hub brings together a visitor center, a campground and a trailhead. Hikers start the Guadalupe Peak Trail here, an 8.5-mile round trip that climbs about 3,000 feet to the highest point in Texas, so it is very strenuous. Other beginning day hikes also leave from this trailhead. The Pine Springs Visitor Center is the park's headquarters and has a museum, and it is where visitors pick up maps, brochures and the overnight wilderness use permits needed for backpacking. The campground offers tent and RV sites with drinking water and toilets but no hookups or showers, and camping is allowed only in designated sites. For a shorter outing, the paved Pinery Trail runs about three-quarters of a mile round trip to ruins of a Butterfield Stagecoach Station built in 1858.

Frijole Ranch

A desert oasis sits on the lower slopes of the Guadalupe escarpment, where cold spring water runs through the courtyard and keeps large shade trees and grass growing in an otherwise dry landscape. A variety of wildlife gathers here at dawn and dusk, drawn by the scarce shade and water. The Frijole Ranch History Museum occupies the old ranch headquarters and tells the human story of the Guadalupes, from Native American peoples and early ranching families to the founding of the park. Just outside stand a tiny one-room schoolhouse and a spring house built to protect and store water. Picnic tables are available nearby, and the Smith Spring Trail, the Frijole and Foothills trails, and the Frijole Horse Campsites are all reached from this area.

McKittrick Canyon

Fall foliage turns the canyon's riparian woodland into a display of brilliant reds, subtle yellows and deep browns against the Chihuahuan Desert. Water is the reason for the contrast. A stream runs up the canyon floor, and the trail crosses it several times past big-toothed maples, velvet ash and ponderosa pines. On the McKittrick Canyon Trail, day hikers reach Pratt Cabin, then the Grotto, a small cave with rock benches that makes a shady picnic spot. Farther up the canyon the grade steepens toward The Notch, a gap in the ridge with a viewpoint. The Notch is a challenging day hike; McKittrick Ridge is best done overnight. The McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail, a 0.9-mile loop, passes a seep hidden in junipers and explains Permian Reef geology. Birdwatchers can find warblers and tanagers in late spring.

Salt Basin Dunes

White gypsum dunes cover nearly 2,000 acres in this remote day-use area on the west side. Their height runs from about three feet at the south end to sixty feet at the north end. The Salt Basin Dunes Trail is a flat, sandy hike of about 1.5 miles one way with no shade, so bring water. It follows the edge of the dune field and offers views of the western escarpment. West of the dunes lie salt flats, which supply the sand: rain leaches salts from nearby limestone, and as the water evaporates, wind carries the grains northeast to the base of the escarpment. Parts are covered in cryptobiotic crust, a dark layer of lichen and fungi that holds the soil, so keep off it. A scenic drive leads toward the dunes before the hike starts.

Dog Canyon

Remote and secluded, this forested canyon sits near the park's northern edge at about 6,300 feet, where the wilderness begins. The Dog Canyon Campground has shady tent and RV sites, an accessible site, horse corrals, and a group site for 10 to 20 people. Trails with relatively easy grades lead from the campground into the highcountry for day hikes, backpacking and horseback rides, and the McKittrick Ridge Trail makes a long day outing. Backpackers often build a night into a longer trip and refill their water, since the canyon is good for resupplying. Birders visit to spot acorn woodpeckers and hummingbirds, and the high forests are easy to reach. The 70-mile drive from Carlsbad, New Mexico, passes ranchland and small towns. Maps and brochures are available at the ranger station when staff are present.

Guadalupe Peak

The summit of Guadalupe Peak, at 8,751 feet, is the highest point in Texas. Hiking to the top is a strenuous day: the Guadalupe Peak Trail starts at the Pine Springs Trailhead, half a mile from the visitor center, and gains 3,000 feet over 4.2 miles one way. Partway up, the path winds through pinyon pine and Douglas fir on a north-facing slope, and on clear days the summit rewards climbers with a wide view over surrounding mountains and desert. About a mile below the top sits the Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground, where five primitive tent sites allow backcountry camping, though strong winds are common there. Visitors who want a shorter stop can try the Guadalupe Peak Viewpoint, a roadside pulloff near Pine Springs that offers a clear view of the summit.