Guadalupe Mountains, Tx

[kingfisher24]

after a stay at the Davis Mountains we are headed to the Guadalupe National Park at the Pine Springs area...anyone been there recently????

[soldiermedic]

Carol,

I have not been there, but here good things about Guadalupe and Big Bend parks in that area. AIR member TX Toaster swears by the beauty of the Fort Davis areas...I think he has a thing for astronomy and the observatory near there.

Have a ball!

Steve

[Melody Ranch]

Your in for a trip thru desolation. Its beautiful to me. Cold this time of the year...and, as always in the Guadalupe area....WATCH THE WIND.

[kingfisher24]

Odessa, Texas is Desolation... Compared to that part of Texas Big Bend, Fort Davis and the Guadalupe Mountains are not desolate...but majestic, I guess is the word and after our recent stint in Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas anything would seem desolate....

[kingfisher24]

Today: Areas of blowing dust after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Strong and damaging winds, with a west wind 35 to 40 mph increasing to between 50 and 55 mph. Winds could gust as high as 80 mph.


from the National Weather service.....

I believe I will heed the weather warning and go another day

[FC7039]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

after a stay at the Davis Mountains we are headed to the Guadalupe National Park at the Pine Springs area...anyone been there recently????

Just got back. Stayed there one night. The sites are just the parking lot. You get two wide spaces. No hookups or dump station. Nice park though.

We hiked up to the peak. A day long trip. Very strenuous, but well worth it. There are other hikes but we did not do any. Just up the road is McKitrick Canyon (sp?). I hear the colors are just now changing there. No camping but just a short drive from Pine Springs.

The park is basically for hiking into the dessert. There is little to do in the camp site area.

[Dave Park]

It's a part of the country that's very good at making you feel small and insignificant - the scale of things is very impressive.

Definitely biased towards people who like solitude and boondocking...

[FC7039]

I should add that Guadalupe Mountains NP is a good base for Carlsbad Caverns as there is no camping there. There was a RV park at White's City at the entrance to Carlsbad. It did not look all the great. I have no idea of its amenities.

[Melody Ranch]

Did I not say? WATCH THE WINDS!Glad your paying attention to the weather.

[Lumatic]

Pine Springs is basically a blacktop parking lot. Good hiking though.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by FC7039

I should add that Guadalupe Mountains NP is a good base for Carlsbad Caverns as there is no camping there. There was a RV park at White's City at the entrance to Carlsbad. It did not look all the great. I have no idea of its amenities.

White City has a reputation for being a neglected campground. New owners a couple of years ago. They are trying. Still closest campground to the Caverns.

[kingfisher24]

a wayward wind..that yearns to wander...

we headed for Pecos, TX thinking we would avoid the gale force winds that were headed to the Guadalupe Mountains,,,,yea, right,,,,gusting winds of at least 60MPH were blowing tumbleweeds in every direction....
travelers were lined up three deep for refuge at the escapees park here in PECOS...any port in a storm.

winds are quite now and will try a treck to Guadalupe today....

[kingfisher24]

a beautiful place...very unique in an awe inspiring part of the Lincoln Natl Forrest...if a desert can be called a forrest....went on to check out Dog Canyon...a very interesting and remote and desolate place...the back side of the guadalupe mountains...60 miles from nothing else.....

one day i will return to camp there for a secluded week...

[tkasten]

kingfisher24 - Thanks for your interesting posts. If you have more pics please add them here. We want to make your trip the end of Dec. Thanks....Tim

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

a beautiful place...very unique in an awe inspiring part of the Lincoln Natl Forrest...if a desert can be called a forrest....went on to check out Dog Canyon...a very interesting and remote and desolate place...the back side of the guadalupe mountains...60 miles from nothing else.....

one day i will return to camp there for a secluded week...

Put out a post when you go if you want some company. I've been meaning to check it out too.

[SafariSS]

To really enjoy your camping spot you gotta drive around the backside of the park to stay at the Dog Canyon campground. As previous posters have mentioned the Guadalupe Mts national park camping is essentially a parking lot (and wind tunnel). Water available by jug only.

Dog canyon is awesome. Right around the corner is the most unreal water fall as well.

[dstalzer]

We just returned from California traveling I-10 and decided to avoid the Guadalupe's because of all the winds that blow in the late fall and winter. It is an awesome place to hike and look at the scenery. The Parking Lot campground is not wonderful except for where it is located. We have camped there in a tent several times and in our Airstream.

Dennis

[cbauer]

Spent two years working in the guadalope mtns and found some neat areas to go. Ask for bj who is the park head ranger and she will give you all the info to the area. Mckitrick canyon was very interesting hike to some stone houses that were worth the time about 7 miles hike round trip the houses were made of cut stone and hauled up the trail on horseback. Lots of wildlife to see and the only elk heard that i know of that is free range in texas mostly on the south side of 180. The back of the guadalupes are the lincholn national park in new mexico, long drive but it is a real pine forest. Takes 2 hrs from carlsbad to get there. The interstate from carlsbad is new blacktop devided and is a nice ride.
Gas is at white city or on hw 180 25 miles east of the mntn. Stop at the salt flat cafe, shirly makes a great hamberger and some very interesting stories. There is a large parking lot at the cafe and that is the last area until el paso for refreshments.