"On and off foot trails. Mostly thick bushwhack to scree field to class 4 climbing moves near the top. The high point is to the top left climb go in between the 2 giant rock faces. Rope tied around tree up there looks like it has been used to repel the class 4 to get down. I was able to down climb be careful. Some jugs and good pieces to hold look around for them. Not easy but a adventure for sure. 4.5 hours total. 3.5 liters of water." — Kramo • May 21, 2022

"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