Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Mar '26)

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located relatively close to Big Bend, so we had to visit it on our West Texas trip... but it is one of the least visited National Parks, and it is for those who truly love hikes. We like to walk around in nature and take in the sites so those strenuous hikes are not for us, but if that's your vibe, then go for it! The Guadalupe Mountains are Coral Reefs that were pushed up out of the ground. Much like El Capitan at Big Bend, these mountains hold many marine fossils and ash from the ancient volcanic eruptions. We weren't sure what to do at this park, but we figured out our day there and enjoyed learning about the history of these mountains.

Visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park and not sure what to do there? That's OK, we didn't know either!

This is truly the most rugged national park in Texas, and just about everything requires a hike, so bring comfortable shoes, SPF clothing, plenty of water, sunscreen, and salty snacks. There is nothing but land to explore out here! For those who are in shape and love a good hike, you can hike to the peak and enjoy the view. This takes about 6-8 hours, and that's just not us. There is another short hike that takes about 2-3 hours, and if you like to scramble and struggle, but don't have the whole day, that may be the one for you.

But that's not us, so we settled for the easy hike around the Pinery Station ruins and checked out the old stagecoach relay station built in 1858 by Mr. Butterfield, who ended up owning American Express. Stagecoaches traveling his route to deliver mail from the east would stop here and get supplies. This only lasted about a year because someone came up with the Pony Express, which only took 10 days and knocked off his business route, which took 25.

The trail is mostly paved and easily accessible from the Visitor's Center or a parking lot by the ruins. The section that was unpaved was being repaired when we went, so it was closed, and we couldn't continue our exploration. The ruins are in pretty good shape, and there are signs explaining the history of the station.

The visitor's center had a lot of important info, so we made sure to check it out because there is a lot of hiking and the weather changes quickly. The sun sets faster out here behind the mountains, and we did not want to get caught out there in the dark. There isn't much to actually "see" here; this is more of an adventure park for hikers, so we drove around and listened to Shake Guide's Self-Guided Tour as we drove around and got to know the history of the place. We decided this park didn't really have much for us to do once we visited the sites we wanted, so we planned to check out the rest in the morning and plan an escape to Carlsbad Caverns after this visit. Unless you are an avid hiker, this park can be seen in one day.

Long roads through Guadalupe Mountains will take you through the Chihuahua Desert into the bluest skies!