Park Number: 34/63

First Visited: July 4, 2012

It surprised me, the Yellowstone ranger saying his favorite place to hike in the United States is Guadalupe Mountains National Park. I guess I never got to the higher elevations because the mountains felt lackluster. On my first visit, I was hiking alone, my cohort asleep in the camp, as I progressed up the Devils Hall Trail. I was paranoid: seemed like mountain lion country. On my second journey, I adventured to Smith Spring with my dad and brother. It was nice to have company, to rejoice in the life-giving water of the spring. And the Texas madrone trees—there’s nothing like them.

What the park preserves, however, is more nuanced. And amazing. Much of the mountains you’re looking at—the highest peaks in Texas—are ancient reef. This area was once underwater and you can see the remnants in the rock: fossilized sea life.

Unfortunately for Guadalupe Mountains, it’s sandwiched between the more charismatic parks of Carlsbad Caverns and Bid Bend. It’s often overlooked. But it needs your attention and time for its trails. I look forward to returning and giving it the diligence it deserves.

Guadalupe Mountains is ancestral lands to the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

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