Guadalupe Mountains Map + 5-Day Backpacking Itinerary

Day 1 of 5

Arrive, Permit & Camp at Pine Springs · 0.5 miles

Arrive at the Pine Springs Visitor Center, the main entry point for the park, pay the $10-per-person entrance fee, and pick up your wilderness use permit. Have your planned campgrounds ready, and top off every water bottle here, this is the last reliable water you will see for days.

3 stopsDay one

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1Geoffrey J. King / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Drive from where are you driving from?~110 mi · ~2 hr to Pine Springs · car required · Drive

   El Paso International Airport (ELP) is the nearest airport, about 2 hours and 110 miles from the Pine Springs Visitor Center on US 62/180. Nearest lodging is in Van Horn, TX (~1 hr) and Carlsbad / Whites City, NM (~45 min). No public transportation reaches the park, so a car is required.

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2. ⠿↑↓2Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Pine Springs Visitor Center & permitEntrance $10/person · wilderness permit pickup · Viewpoint

   Arrive at the Pine Springs Visitor Center, pay the $10-per-person entrance fee, and pick up your wilderness use permit. Reserve on recreation.gov up to three months ahead, but you must collect the permit in person by 3:30 PM Mountain, up to 48 hours before your trip. Top off all water here, this is the last reliable water for days.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Pine Springs CampgroundFront-country base · potable water & restrooms · lodge

   Spend the first night at the front-country Pine Springs Campground, a short walk from the visitor center. It has potable water, restrooms, and tent sites, so you can sort gear and cache water before heading into the true wilderness in the morning.

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Day 2 of 5

Ascend to Guadalupe Peak Campground · 3.1 miles

Leave Pine Springs on the Guadalupe Peak Trail and climb hard, roughly 2,000 ft of gain over 3 steep, switchbacking miles to the high Guadalupe Peak Campground. The trail is fully exposed to sun and wind, but the views open up fast over El Capitan and the Chihuahuan Desert far below.

3 stopsDay two

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Guadalupe Peak Trail to campground~3.1 mi · ~2,000 ft gain · Strenuous · Hike

   Leave Pine Springs on the Guadalupe Peak Trail and climb hard, roughly 2,000 ft of gain over 3 steep, switchbacking miles. The trail is fully exposed to sun and wind, but the views open up fast over El Capitan and the Chihuahuan Desert far below. There is no water on the route.

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   El Capitan viewpointThe park's signature 8,085-ft limestone cliff · Viewpoint

   El Capitan is the park's signature landmark: an 8,085-ft limestone prow, the exposed edge of an ancient Permian reef, that drops sheer to the desert. It anchors nearly every view on the climb up Guadalupe Peak.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Jrossz71 / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Guadalupe Peak Campground~8,000 ft · primitive sites · vault toilet · no water · lodge

   Set up at one of the few primitive sites at the high Guadalupe Peak Campground. There is a vault toilet but no water. Shelter from the wind and rest, tomorrow you make the short pre-dawn push to the summit of Texas.

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Day 3 of 5

Summit Guadalupe Peak, Descend to Tejas · 8.4 miles

Make the short final push to the summit of Guadalupe Peak (8,751 ft), the highest point in Texas, marked by its stainless-steel pyramid monument. The 360-degree panorama sweeps across the desert, El Capitan, and the salt flats far below, and the wind up top can be ferocious.

3 stopsDay three

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Summit Guadalupe Peak (8,751 ft)Highest point in Texas · 360° views · Hike

   Make the short final push to the summit of Guadalupe Peak (8,751 ft), the highest point in Texas, marked by its stainless-steel pyramid monument. The 360-degree panorama sweeps across the desert, El Capitan, and the salt flats far below. Summit early, the wind builds through the day.

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   Tejas Trail to Tejas Campground~7.3 mi · descend into pine and fir · Hike

   Back at camp, shoulder your pack and follow the Tejas Trail north, trading exposed ridges for the cooler pine-and-fir forest of the high country. Watch for mule deer as you drop into the shade.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Tejas Campground~7,500 ft · 10 sites · sheltered basin · no water · lodge

   Camp at Tejas Campground, a sheltered forested basin that serves as a hub for the park's high-country trails. It offers far more wind shelter than the exposed Guadalupe Peak Campground. There is a vault toilet but no water.

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Day 4 of 5

Cross to McKittrick Ridge · 8.0 miles

From Tejas, traverse the high country and drop toward the head of McKittrick Canyon, one of the most beautiful corners of the park, where a spring-fed stream supports maples, oaks, and a rare desert riparian forest that blazes with color in late fall.

2 stopsDay four

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Traverse toward McKittrick Canyon~5 mi · varied terrain · into the canyon system · Hike

   From Tejas, traverse the high country and drop toward the head of McKittrick Canyon, one of the most beautiful corners of the park, where a spring-fed stream supports maples, oaks, and a rare desert riparian forest that blazes with color in late fall.

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2. ⠿↑↓2Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
   McKittrick Ridge Campground~7,000 ft · 4 sites · views toward New Mexico · no water · lodge

   Climb the final steep pitch out to McKittrick Ridge Campground, an exposed, remote perch with long views toward New Mexico. It is a demanding day with real elevation change, so pace your water and your energy, and pick a sheltered tent spot for the wind.

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Day 5 of 5

Descend to McKittrick Canyon Trailhead · 7.6 miles

Your final day is a long, ~2,500-ft descent from McKittrick Ridge down through the canyon to the McKittrick Canyon Trailhead. The lower sections pass the historic Pratt Cabin and the Grotto and can be hot and exposed, so start early and savor the stream and the shade.

2 stopsDay five

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
   Descend McKittrick Canyon Trail~7.6 mi · ~2,500 ft descent · Pratt Cabin & the Grotto · Hike

   Your final day is a long, ~2,500-ft descent from McKittrick Ridge down through the canyon, past the historic Pratt Cabin and the Grotto, to the McKittrick Canyon Trailhead. The lower sections can be hot and exposed, so start early and savor the stream and the shade.

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2. ⠿↑↓2Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
   McKittrick Canyon Trailhead & drive outSeparate trailhead · shuttle or spotted car needed · Drive

   The trip ends at the McKittrick Canyon Trailhead, which is separate from Pine Springs, about a 20-minute drive away. Arrange a shuttle or spot a second car before your trip, and note the day-use gate closes around sunset. Wind down with a bed in Carlsbad / Whites City, NM (~45 min) or Van Horn, TX.

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