Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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| Guadalupe Mountains National Park | |
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| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
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| Location | Culberson County and Hudspeth County, Texas, USA |
| Nearest city | Carlsbad, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 86,416 acres (34,971 ha) |
| Established | September 30, 1972 |
| Visitors | 165,110 (in 2007) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet (2,667 m) in elevation. It also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. Visitors can see the ruins of an old stagecoach station near the Pine Springs Visitor Center. Camping is available nearby at the Pine Springs Campground. The restored Frijole Ranch House is now a small museum of local ranching history and is the trailhead for Smith Spring. The park covers 135 square miles (350 km²) and is in the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns National Park which is located about 80 miles (130 km) to the north in New Mexico.
The park also contains McKittrick Canyon. During the Fall, McKittrick comes alive with a blaze of color from the turning Bigtooth Maples, in stark contrast with the surrounding Chihuahuan desert. A trail in the canyon leads to the cabin of Wallace Pratt, a petroleum geologist who donated the land in order to establish the park.
For details on the area's geology, see Delaware Basin.
[edit] External links
- Official site: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Weather Data: Weather Station in The Bowl
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