Texas
GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS
ESTABLISHED 1972
In the sprawls of Texas, at the base of the state’s highest peak, lies a kaleidoscope of prehistoric relics. At the top, a sweeping panorama awaits, revealing white gypsum dunes, and pine forests.
Deep within a 40-mile (65-km) mountain range straddling Texas and New Mexico lie treasures from the ancient past. Rocks, fossils, and minerals from a prehistoric sea are buried here, while human artifacts tell stories spanning millennia, giving a glimpse into early human life. Spear tips, rock art, baskets, and pottery remain from the hunter-gatherer tribes who lived in the Guadalupe Mountains 12,000 years ago. Learn more about this fascinating past at the Pine Springs Visitor Center.
Spaniards searching for gold arrived in the 16th century and introduced the Mescalero Apache to horses. After the Civil War, homesteaders and miners came and took up ranching. The Apache tried to fend off the invasion, but were either killed or forced onto reservations. Later, petroleum geologist Wallace Pratt, smitten by the richness of the landscape, purchased 6,000 acres of land and gifted it to the federal government—and a national park was born.
The mountain forests are home to 300-plus bird species
Did You Know?
At 8,749 ft (2,667 m), Guadalupe (or Signal) Peak is the highest in Texas.
Hikers can ascend the naturally formed staircases in Dry Creek
260
In millions of years, the age of the reefs.
10,000
Length of time in years of human habitation.
High-rise hikes
While driving across the landscape, you’ll see monolithic towers looming ahead—with the right timing, you’ll catch them bathed in the warm colors of the full desert sun. Explore on foot via one of the 80 hiking trails that cut through desert lowlands before giving way to high-elevation conifer forests, with its rich wildlife and varied plant life. From the base of Guadalupe Mountain to the top, the adventurous can climb 3,000 ft (900 m)in 4 miles (6.5 km). At the summit, make sure to record your journey by signing the park logbook.
FOCUS ON
Fossils
More than 300 million years ago, primitive organisms, fish, and insects lived on Pangea. When the supercontinent broke up, the Permian Basin formed, capturing life-forms in a 400-mile (650-km) fossil bed.
