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Guadalupe Mountains

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Guadalupe Mountains

This is our "shakedown" stop, where we discover and correct procedural oversights and defective equipment.  It is vital that we discover any broken shoelaces, leaky rain gear or water bottles, dead batteries, weak ankles, etc. before our last provision stop at Alpine.

There are three possible hikes; ALL participants must make the one that we take.  Weather and fatigue will determine which one we attempt, and how far you get.  All of these hikes are rigorous by design.  You will not "fail" if you do not reach the top of each trail, but you also can NOT score highly for participation if you merely sit around the camp, parking lot, or the Park Headquarters building.

While on any trail, please always stay within earshot of your party.  I have traveled all of the trails, but  the "mountain goats" tend to get lost on this first excursion.  DO NOT STRAY, and advise us if you have any problems or extreme fatigue.  It takes time to adjust from cramped vans to high altitude, steep slopes, and weather.

Note the clothing in the photos below.  Deserts DO get winter!  If we have really nasty weather we'll go to Carlsbad Caverns that day, otherwise it will be as scheduled.

The Permian Reef Trail begins from a visitor center about 10 km southeast of camp, and along the drive to it there are some non-Park road cuts that have good fossils.  At this visitor center there is an excellent botanical trail loop for those of you wishing to learn the desert upland vegetation.  The Permian Reef Trail gets quite steep near the top, and (as we learned in 2000) weather can change quickly.  So, we will START at the top, in Lincoln National Forest.

The Tejas Trail is on a south-facing slope, so if sunny it may get rather warm while climbing.  The downbound (east) leg is very steep, so caution is imperative! 

The Summit Trail is short in distance, but strenuous because of steep slopes and switchbacks.  It also has some very slippery stretches with long drops below.  Near the top is a bridge that can be quite treacherous if icy.  The windy summit is the highest elevation in Texas.

Note this weather!

See also the Permian Reef virtual field trip in advance, and what previous visitors thought of the Summit Trail. 

• STAY ON THE TRAILS!  There are cliffs, and Guadalupe has very changeable climate in winter.  Liquid refreshments are available at the visitor centers, but rainwear and sun protection (sunscreen, eyeshades, long sleeves, hat) remain your own responsibility.

• See also the external Guadalupe Mountains National Park web site.

• 31.9N/104.8W  elev. = 1777 m (Pine Springs CG)

• Average January Temperatures  15/-2.5^oC

• Average January Precipitation  1.3 cm; Snow Depth 1.0 cm (at Pine Springs)

• current weather (Guadalupe Pass TX) 

• current warnings (nationwide)

• Comfort/Health Indices Calculator 

• For unfamiliar geophysical terms, see the external web site for a Geology Glossary and the external web site for a Meteorological Glossary.  There is also an external web site having an extensive Ecological Glossary.

Heywood [email] maintains this page, last updated 23NOV07.   We monitor our cell phone from 6 to 8 PM CST when in range.  That number is (715) 459-8181.