On Into Texas! My Brief Visit to the Guadalupe Mountains... March 31st & April Fools Day!

 After dropping Jan at the Carlsbad airport, I headed down south-- only about a 45 minute drive--to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. 

Here is the description of this gorgeous place:

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is east of El Paso. The mountain range includes Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,751 feet.  The ruins of a stagecoach station stand near the visitor center. The park covers 86,367 acres in the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, about 25 miles to the north. The Guadalupe Peak Trail winds through pinyon pine and Douglas-fir forests as it ascends over 3,000 feet to the summit of Guadalupe Peak, with views of El Capitan and the Chihuahuan desert. (I did NOT climb to the peak... too windy, and would have taken the whole day, which I did not have! For another day...)

Since I arrived at the Pine Springs campground late in the afternoon, I only had time to set up camp (at a walk-in, tent-only campsite, so this took quite some time and many trips to the car and back), make a quick dinner (not easy! It was VERY windy there and hard to light my stove) and bunk down for the night. Against the background of the mountains, my domicile was picturesque, indeed.

The night was QUITE challenging! Most ironic, because the incessant WIND noise more than made up for the lack of traffic noise we suffered through the previous night, making a peaceful sleep impossible. The wind whistled, roared and made the tent flap and rattle like mad. It was was MOST disconcerting, to say the least! Sadly, a good night's sleep once again alluded me. 

The next morning, a young ranger cheerfully informed me that Guadalupe Mountains is considered the second windiest place in the entire U.S. of A.! "Really?" I responded, amazed. "Where is the FIRST?!" To which she replied, "Mount Washington, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire." "WOW"! I responded. "Been there.... in 2001, when hiking the Appalachian Trail! I now have the claim to fame that I have been to the TWO windiest locations in the U.S.A.! Lucky me!"  Ha ha ha. 

In any event, though mostly brain-dead, I at least had enough physical energy to pack everything up, and--despite still strong winds--hit the trail to do a 4.2 mile round-trip hike to Devil's Hall. I am SO glad that I did! As you can see from the photos, it was a magnificiently scenic route, which I enjoyed thoroughly... and took the perfect amount of time. I returned to my car in time for a quick lunch before once again hitting the road... onward to my next destination of Ozona, Texas--half way to Austin! 


The loveliness of the spot is deceptive! In the picturesque presentation of this campsite, there is not the evidence of the horrific wind which made it extremely difficult to set up camp, cook, and more importantly, SLEEP!!!


The backdrop of my campsite.... nice to watch colors change on the mountain as the sun went down. 

       

The majestic mountains were all around, sparsely peppered with hardy trees and brush. Although quite windy, it was nonetheless a beautiful, April Fool's morning for a hike! No Foolin'!






After about 1.5 miles of trail, I entered the wash...the trail was a tad hard to follow, but made for a fun bit of adventure! 









I loved the unusual texture of this tree's bark! No idea what species it is, though...



The trail climbed up into a canyon. It involved a good deal of boulder-hopping, which I have always enjoyed. The interesting rock formations along the way made for great photo opps! 






The canyon walls grew steeper and more impressive the further along I went. 






Hard to see me, but I am there, sitting at the bottom of the wall! A kind fellow hiker took the photo for me. This was the destination, but why "Devil's Hall"? No clue!




Heading back down the trail...warm, sunny, a tad less windy...most pleasant hiking! 






Comments

  1. barbaraMay 13, 2025 at 5:52 PM

    I just found your blogs again. Fun to read! I wish Blogspot would notify me when you post something. One thing to try when cooking in the wind - If your campsite has a metal bear locker, you can set your stove inside, and open the doors to shield from wind. It's worked for me! Wondering if you are still at the Dallas center? I will see if I can find more blogs...

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