"Desert Beauty " a Guadalupe Mountains National Park Travel Page by Shihar

Located within the West Texas Chihuahuan Desert, the Guadalupe Mountains rise up from the desert and contain a wide variety plants, animals and a ecosytems that cannot be found anywhere else in the region. Many people outside of the state have never heard of Guadalupe Mt. National Park, let alone visited it. That sounded perfect to us.... so we had to plan a visit!

Unique Features- The Mountains were actually once a reef growing beneath the water of an ancient inland sea.This type of mountain range is not typical of those throughout the rest of the country! Geologists all over the world come to appreciate this extraordinary range. The same sea created the nearby Carlsbad Caverns.

The park was established September 30, 1972. The Guadalupe Peak is the highest peak in Texas at 8749ft.

Many visitors go to the park in mid-October to November to view the changing of the leaves. If you visit the park after the leaves have changed there are many late changing leaves to see in the McKittrick Canyon. The McKittrick Canyon is open 8-6pm during daylight savings and 8-4:30pm the rest of the year.

Getting there...
The main visitor center is located off US 62/180 about 110 miles east of El Paso. El Paso is the nearest airport.

Expect to see an diverse amount of desert plants (especially succulents) that will accompany you throughout your entire visit to the park. Many people,especially city dwellers, may have not been up close and personal with this type of enviroment. The climate in summer is warm and the winters are mild. Summer highs are about 90 degrees and winter highs are about mid-50 degrees.

More Park Info
Address: Guadalupe Mt. National Park, HC 60, Box 400,
Salt Flat, TX 79847
Phone:915.828.3251
Website:www.nps.gov/gumo