The Underrated Guadalupe Mountains National Park

After leaving White Sands, I took Interstate 10 through downtown El Paso, where the border to Mexico is visible from the highway, and east across Texas. It was a relatively short three-hour drive to the next park on my list, where I was amazed by the striking Guadalupe Mountains jutting thousands of feet out of the surrounding Chihuahua Desert landscape.

How to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The Pine Springs Visitors Center is right off Rte. 62, which takes you northeast from El Paso, Texas to Carlsbad, New Mexico. On the way, about half an hour past the entrance to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, is the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

What is there to do in the Guadalupe Mountains?

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a smaller and lesser-known national park, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do. There are interesting hikes surrounding the limestone cliff mountains and a bounty of wildlife and colorful wildflowers to see along the way.

On my hike of the Pinery Butterfield Stage Station Trail, which is a short, flat walk that starts right at the visitors center, I saw a handful of lizards, which are numerous in the park, and a variety of birds. Being less popular, the park was nearly empty when I visited, so it’s a great place for folks who don’t want a crowded trail. There are a lot of beautiful wildflowers, and it's a very interesting desert landscape.

What is Guadalupe Mountains National Park?

The park was established in 1972 and is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this fall. It was protected by the government in part for its amazing geological features, including 265-million-year-old fossils. The Guadalupe Mountains are part of a fossil reef complex that is 400 miles long and has 12 exposed miles within the park. This is a great destination for kids and adults curious about dinosaurs and who enjoy a hike and a history lesson in one. This same fossil reef complex is home to over 300 caves, one of which was my next and final stop on the road trip: Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Is Guadalupe Mountains National Park worth a visit?

One great thing about visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park in addition to Carlsbad Caverns is that you get to see both sides of the same coin. Carlsbad is the inside version, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park shows you the outside. When you visit Carlsbad Caverns, the entrance is at the top of the mountain, and then you take an elevator down into the cave system. You can't really see or experience the mountains, the wildlife, and the flowers from Carlsbad. Guadalupe Mountains is just half an hour down the road, and it gives you access to all this, so you can get a different perspective on the same geography of Carlsbad.

For this reason, I think it pairs really nicely with a visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The trail I did was very quick, and a tour of the visitor's center to read about the park also takes maybe half an hour. All up, I think you can spend an hour or two in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and get something out of it. I highly recommend making a day trip out of seeing both of these national parks together.