Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Destinations,  Guadalupe Mountains National Park,  Texas,  U.S. National Parks,  United States

Guadalupe Peak Hike – The Top of Texas

Guadalupe Peak Trail quickly became one of my favorite hikes in all of Texas the moment I started nervously hiking it alone on a cold November day. The trail leads you to Texas’s highest point, covering around 8.5 miles with an elevation gain of roughly 3,000 feet.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

According to the National Park Service, the hike is rated strenuous and, depending on your level of fitness, can range from 6-8 hours. If you keep a good pace and hike frequently, you should be able to knock it faster. I was able to summit in just over 2 hours with 30-45 minutes at the top and another 2 hours descending.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice is to check in with the Rangers at the Visitor Center to confirm weather conditions at the top. If you have researched this hike, you might have already read how strong the wind conditions can get at the peak, and I am here to confirm they are not exaggerating. I have not experienced wind speeds as I did at the peak of Guadalupe and how “sketchy” scrambling the last few hundred feet turned out to be.

Getting to Guadalupe Peak Trailhead

The trailhead is located right off the parking area for the Pine Springs Campground, where you will be able to refill water, use the restroom and sign the logbook before heading up. Depending on what time of day you arrive, you might need to park at the visitor center; a short 1/2 mile walk away.

Once you arrive at the Pine Springs Campground parking and RV lot, you should see the trailhead’s start. This is also the entrance for the Devil’s Hall, El Capitan, and The Bowl Trails.


This will be the last spot for water on the trail, so make sure you have enough in case of any emergency. The NPS recommends a minimum of 1 gallon of water per person, and in the summer months, I would double that to be safe.

Guadalupe Peak Hike

The trail up to Guadalupe Peak is marked the entire way until the last few hundred feet, where it gets a bit dicey depending on wind conditions.

The first mile and a half will be the steepest part of the hike, where you will encounter multiple switchbacks as you begin your initial climb. While the trail is steep, it is still very manageable, but I recommend hiking poles to keep pace.

Once the ground starts to level off, you will encounter some fantastic views of the campground and just vistas of Texas. You will soon turn onto the north-facing side of the mountain, where you will discover a small forest, which I was not expecting at first due to the desert environment surrounding the region.

There is a false summit at around three miles but do not get your hopes up yet since you still have roughly a mile left until the summit. Around this time, you will also see the signs for the backcountry campground that you can reserve a spot at to sleep near the summit and catch sunset and sunrise at the peak.

The last mile is relatively flat, with a quick descend to a wooden bridge that crosses a gap where you will make your summit push.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Peak Summit

The last few hundred feet to the summit is where things will get interesting, mostly dependent on how windy it is. I was not expecting the wind to be pushing me around as hard as it did. There were plenty of times where I lost my footing and was grabbing on to the rock to keep moving forward.

Please make sure to put any hiking poles away, hats strapped to your bag and no loose object that can be carried out and hurt someone.

Once you get to the top, you will know why anyone who has done this hike recommends it as much as they do. There is nothing compared to the views from the top of Guadalupe Peak, and now you can also say you have been to the “Top of Texas”!

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Make sure to bring warm clothing and a snack to get your energy levels back up and shield yourself from the high winds!

One of my favorite pictures at the peak is of the American Airlines steel pyramid erected in 1958 to honor the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail, a route used in stagecoach travel 100 years ago. This old road passed to the south of Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan. The steel pyramid has three sides – one with the American Airlines logo, one with the Boy Scouts logo, and one paying tribute to the Pony Express Riders of the Butterfield Stage by the U.S. Postal Service.

Time to Hike Down

Once you get all the views, your heart can contain the time to descend the same way you came up. The hike down is always more challenging in my eyes and still punishes the knees and hips more than any steep hike up.

Watch your step and take it slow since the loose gravel is slippery, and I paid the price when I slipped and slid down quite a bit by rushing.

I hope you enjoy Guadalupe Mountains National Park as much as I did and get the hang out in the Top of Texas even for just a few minutes.

Have you been to Guadalupe Peak? Did you think the hike was easy or hard?

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5 Comments

  • Emma

    What a hike, this is definitely my kind of adventure. A nice long hike to such an incredible view. And the highest point in Texas no less. Although that wooden bridge looks a little sketchy I still think this is an epic looking route

  • Supraja Lakshmi N

    Your article on the Guadalupe Peak hike is so informative and inspiring! You gave a lot of details and tips on how to prepare and complete the hike, including the difficulty, the distance and the elevation. I especially liked your photos of the views from the top of Texas. They are breathtaking! I have never been to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but your article makes me want to visit someday.

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