General information about the National Park
The National Park protects the area of the Guadalupe Mountains including the highest elevation in Texas the 8751 ft Guadalupe Peak.
Number of visitors
2023 nahm der Guadalupe Mountains NP in der Besucherstatistik der am meist besuchten Nationalparks den 52. Platz ein.
Best time to visit: Spring and fall provide moderate temperatures for hiking.
Our visits:
So far 1 visit: February 2018
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 10$/person valid for 7 days
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24h all year round. The gate to Mc Kittrick Canyon is open daily from 8am to 4:30pm, in summer until 6pm.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Devil´s Hall Trail
Description: First you hike steadily a little uphill. The first mile is leisurely on almost flat ground. Then you descend into the wash and from there you look for a way over the more or less high stones. Shortly before Devil's Hall you reach a 20-23ft high stone staircase. During our visit the stones were very slippery and therefore the ascent here was not so easy. After that it is only a few 100 yards to Devil's Hall.
Trail length: 4.2mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: 741ft
Time needed: 3-4 hours
Difficulty level: moderate
Our rating: The weather was unfortunately not really ideal during our visit. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the hike to Devil's Hall. It was varied and also had a little bit of an adventure. I was at least proud of myself for having conquered the stone stairs.
Frijole Ranch
Description: Frijole Ranch is an example of settlement in the area. The settlers were attracted by several springs that exist in the area. The available water made it possible to farm here. After the National Park was established, the houses were renovated and opened to the public.
Our rating: Unfortunately, the ranch was closed during our visit in February 2018, so we could see everything only from the outside. Therefore, a real evaluation is also very difficult.
Mc Kittrick Canyon
Description: One of the sections of Guadalupe Mountain NP is Mc Kittrick Canyon. There are some hiking opportunities here as well. One should note when visiting that the gates at the beginning of the canyon are closed every evening. So you should plan a hike to be back in time if you don't want to spend the night in your car at the trailhead.
Our rating: Unfortunately, we didn't have time for a longer hike during our visit in February 2018. We really liked what we saw of the canyon and a hike here will definitely remain on our bucket list.
