Planning a Trip

Getting There

Located on the border of New Mexico and Texas, the park is 55 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico, along U.S. 62/180. From El Paso drive east 110 miles on U.S. 62/180 to the Pine Springs Visitor Center.

Air travelers can fly to Cavern City Air Terminal (tel. 505/887-1500), at the south edge of the city of Carlsbad, which has commercial service from Albuquerque with Mesa Airlines (tel. 505/885-0245), plus Hertz car rentals. The nearest major airport is El Paso International (tel. 915/780-4749; www.elpasointernationalairport.com) in central El Paso just north of I-10, with service from most major airlines and car-rental companies.

Visitor Information

Contact Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 400 Pine Canyon Rd., Salt Flat, TX 79847 (tel. 915/828-3251; www.nps.gov/gumo). Books and maps can be ordered from the Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association, 727 Carlsbad Caverns Hwy. (P.O. Box 417), Carlsbad, NM 88221 (tel. 505/785-2486; www.ccgma.org).

Park headquarters and the main visitor center are located at Pine Springs just off U.S. 62/180. There are three other access points along this side of the park: Frijole Ranch, about a mile east of Pine Springs and a mile north of the highway; McKittrick Canyon (day use only), about 7 miles east and 4 miles north of the highway; and Williams Ranch, about 8 miles south of Pine Springs and 8 miles north of the highway on a four-wheel-drive road. (Note: Keys to locked gates can be checked out at park headquarters.)

The Pine Springs Visitor Center, open daily year-round except Christmas, has natural history exhibits, a bookstore, and an introductory slide program. McKittrick Canyon has a visitor contact station with outdoor exhibits and an outdoor slide program on the history, geology, and natural history of the canyon. On the north side of the park is Dog Canyon Ranger Station (tel. 505/981-2418), at the end of N. Mex. 137, about 70 miles from Carlsbad and 110 miles from park headquarters. Information, restrooms, and drinking water are available.

Fees, Regulations & Permits -- Entry into the park runs $5 per person. Backcountry camping is free, but a permit is required. Corrals are available for those who bring their horses to ride in the park; although use is free, permits are required. All permits are available at the Pine Springs Visitor Center and Dog Canyon Ranger Station and must be requested in person, either the day before or the day of use. Horses are prohibited in the backcountry overnight.

Visitors to McKittrick Canyon, a day-use area, must stay on the trail; entering the stream is not permitted. The McKittrick Canyon entrance gate opens at 8am daily, and closes at 4:30pm Mountain Standard Time and at 6pm Mountain Daylight Time. Neither wood nor charcoal fires are allowed anywhere in the park.

When to Go -- In general, summers in the Guadalupe Mountains are hot (highs in the 80s and 90s/upper 20s and 30s Celsius, and lows in the 60s/upper teens Celsius) and winters are mild (highs in the 50s and 60s/teens Celsius and lows in the upper 20s and 30s/around 0 Celsius), but there can be sudden and extreme changes in the weather at any time. In winter and spring, high winds can whip down the mountain slopes, sometimes reaching 100 mph; on hot summer days, thunderstorms can blow up quickly. The sun is warm even in winter, and summer nights are generally cool no matter how hot the afternoon. Clothing that can be layered is best, comfortable and sturdy walking/hiking shoes are a must, a hat and sunscreen are highly recommended, and plenty of drinking water is essential for hikers.

Overall, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of America's less-visited national parks, with attendance of only about 225,000 each year. This is partly because it is primarily a wilderness park, where you'll have to tackle rugged hiking trails to get to the best vistas, but also because of its isolation. The only time the park might be considered even slightly crowded is during spring-break time, usually in March, when students from area colleges bring their backpacks and hit the trails. Quite a few families visit during the summer, but even then the park is not usually crowded, and visitation drops considerably once schools open in late August.

An exception is McKittrick Canyon, renowned throughout the Southwest for its beautiful fall colors, at their best in late October and early November. The one road into McKittrick Canyon is a bit busy then, but once you get on the trails you can usually walk away from the people.

Safety -- This is extremely rugged country, with sometimes unpredictable weather, and hikers need to be well prepared, with proper hiking boots and plenty of water. Because the park's backcountry trails often crisscross each other and can be confusing, rangers strongly recommend that hikers carry topographical maps.

Ranger Programs -- On summer evenings, rangers offer programs at the campground amphitheater.