Region
Highlights
- Guadalupe Peak is the highest peak in Texas.
- Located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, part of the Guadalupe Mountains range in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas.
- Rises more than 3,000 feet above the arid floor of the Chihuahuan Desert.
- The peak may be climbed on a maintained stony trail (4.2 miles one-way) year-round.
- On the summit is a stainless steel pyramid.
- Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Routes
76 summits • 9.5 mi • 3,732 ft gain • 7 hr 59 min
7 summits • 8.9 mi • 2,851 ft gain • 4 hr 31 min
6 summits • 9.4 mi • 3,283 ft gain • 5 hr 18 min
3 summits • 8.0 mi • 2,870 ft gain • 4 hr 52 min
2 summits • 8.1 mi • 3,178 ft gain • 5 hr 13 min
1 summit • 10.5 mi • 2,621 ft gain • 6 hr 15 min
1 summit • 9.5 mi • 2,993 ft gain • 4 hr 11 min
Latest summits
"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
"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
"Started hike early, temps were in the 90's for the day. But getting to elevation it cooled off. Roughly an 8 mile hike up and back, completed in 4 hours, we were traveling fast coming back down. Saved some time for the top, we stayed for a while at the Peak. Great views." — CravinoCrew • Jul 11, 2021
"This was my first time climbing a mountain of this magnitude. I consider myself somewhat fit. I run on the treadmill and outdoors. I've done several 5K's and two half marathons in my time. By no means fast. Just a slow jogger. I take spin class and do cross fit between 3-4 times per week. I read this climb was strenuous and felt confident but had no idea how it would affect me. It was physically the hardest thing I've ever done. 15 minutes in I had to stop to catch my breath. I had to rest every 5-10 minutes. I had to remember to take deep breaths. My enthusiastic steps turned into baby steps and constant convincing myself to keep going. I almost turned around twice. Around 30 minutes in I was really doubting myself. Then about half way while approaching a bridge I got scarred of the elevation remaining. I had to push myself to keep going. My thought process was, I drove all the way from Dallas to El Paso (11 hours) then El Paso to Salt Flat ( 2 hours). I came all this way and didn't know when I would have another opportunity. So I kept going. I talked to myself, I thought about my husband and kids that weren't with me to take in the amazing views. I prayed and sang. When I got hun..." — RachelRmz • Apr 4, 2021
"This was my second time summiting Guadalupe Peak. I climbed it once again with my friend Michael. We took the standard 8.2-mile route up and camped at the Pine Springs Campground. If you can't find camping here, 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). If you're looking for an adventure, then you can get a backcountry campsite at the Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground.
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. After this, 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 trail gets significantly rockier after this point but is still obvious. Finally, you will arrive at the highest point in Texas. Temperatures were comfortable at the summit and wind spee..." — Noodles • Mar 18, 2021
"Left 30 min. before sunrise (7:30) had the whole mountain to myself on the way up...except 2 people at the summit. Passed a bazillion people on the way down but made it back to the car by 12:00.
3 hours up 1.5 hours down.
" — mattwalls • Jan 26, 2020
"This was my first time climbing Guadalupe Peak. I hiked this with my friend Michael. We took the standard 8.2-mile route up and camped at the Pine Springs Campground. If you can't find camping here, 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). If you're looking for an adventure, then you can get a backcountry campsite at the Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground.
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. After this, 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 trail gets significantly rockier after this point but is still obvious. Finally, you will arrive at the highest point in Texas. There were high winds at the summit and temperatures in the 40's durin..." — Noodles • Dec 15, 2019
"Started early. Great weather. First part of the hike is both ugly and somewhat intense as you make the side of a plateau. Once on it - both beautiful and largely effortless as you make your way past El Cap, into an alpine meadow, over a saddle, and to the summit pyramid, which again is a nice challenge. 5 hours car to car. Was really, really nice. Met folks from all over Texas on the summit, which was surprisingly broad and only moderately windy. " — fish • Jun 22, 2019