"What a great hike! My first 3000' gain hike in probably a year, and my first state high point in probably well over a year! Feels good to increment that tally by one. Time to get more serious about it again. I think this was state high point #29 for me? Gorgeous day - we were supposed to summit the day before (12/26) but they were forecasting 20 mph sustained/40 mph gusts at the peak, and a wind chill of 9°F. No thanks! So we did Carlsbad Caverns during that weather and did Guadalupe on 12/27 instead! Busy trail, and we made fantastic time. A year of getting back to running has really helped me out, which I'm so thankful for! Just such a cool hike. I'd never been to this part of Texas before. I'd love to come back and do some of the other trails, maybe backpack the backbone/ridge trail? Very cool experience. " — psychikingjes • Dec 27, 2023

"Ran up, ran down. Crushed it. Tried to bushwhack my way to El Cap out on the ridge but turned back on account of time and not wanting to step on a rattlesnake. Stoved my finger into rock when I fell running back down the mountain. Now it won’t straighten out 🤣🤦‍♂️" — wiweasel • Sep 30, 2023

"Ran up, ran down. Crushed it. Tried to bushwhack my way to El Cap out on the ridge but turned back on account of time and not wanting to step on a rattlesnake. Stoved my finger into rock when I fell running back down the mountain. Now it won’t straighten out 🤣🤦‍♂️" — wiweasel • Sep 30, 2023

"Drove out from Lubbock before sunrise and arrived in the parking lot around 10:20. I fumbled around my trunk for a solid 15 minutes getting all the layers and gear together that I figured I would need for the hike. The weather at the base of the mountain was windy and hardly above 40 Fahrenheit, so I dressed assuming conditions would be much worse at the top. After paying my fee at the visitors center I hit the trail at 10:50 and immediately started shedding layers. The trail gains elevation quickly from the get go, and things don’t level out until over two miles in, but even that is brief. A lot of hikers who had summited before me claimed that it was warm at the top, and to my surprise it was. Views are phenomenal on the final ascent to the summit and I spent nearly half an hour taking in the views from the top. I made it back to the car at 3:45 putting my trip at just under 5 hours." — tylerdelia • Dec 6, 2021

"This was my third time climbing Guadalupe Peak. I did this hike solo. I took the standard 8.2-mile route up and camped at the Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground. The Pine Springs Campground is the best camping option if you don't want to go backpacking. If you can't find camping there, then the Sunset Reef campground (free) near Carlsbad is a good alternative. In a pinch, you could also sleep at the Pine Spring Safety Rest Area (about 15 minutes north of the Pine Springs Trailhead on U.S. Hwy. 62). The trail is super easy to follow. You first follow the steep switchbacks up the mountain to the saddle. The trail becomes somewhat less steep after this, but by no means becomes flat. You keep following the path through a small pine forest until you reach a meadow. This meadow is where the wilderness campground is located. You turn right at the sign and hike maybe 500 ft. to the campground. There are five sites and they tend to fill up soon. All of them require you to have a backcountry permit which you can obtain at the visitor center. After this meadow, you will follow the path until you reach a wooden bridge. Once you make it to this point, you are ~75% of the way done. The tra..." — Noodles • Nov 14, 2021