Some of you may ask why is there a park in the Guadalupe Mountains and why should I come here. The park has over 85 miles of hiking trails and many of them are strenuous on the NPS scale. One of the favorite hikes going to the top of Texas, Guadalupe Mountain that is an all day hike. The park also has many fossil remains from when this part of Texas and some of New Mexico was covered by a tropical ocean. Many different types of include sponges, algae and over lime-recreating marine organisms. The park was also home to the Guadalupe People, Nde (Mescalero Apache) but like most of the west the US Army fought the Indians for the land and by 1880 all of the Nde were gone from the area. The park also has a desert climate with temperatures reaching in the 90’s during the summer but it also gets between 10 and 20 inches of rain per year! Windy conditions are in the area for long periods of time which prevent having open flames or fires. Next you can explore the various canyons in the park and McKittrick Canyon is one of the better canyons for hiking. Lastly, the park has a highland area that has an abundance of wildlife. The wild life include turkeys, elk, mountain lions, and even some black bears
Frijole Ranch – The ranch was established in the 1930’s and was used to raise cattle. Today it consists of a farm house, old school house, a bunk house and some outbuildings for cattle. The ranch still has a working well that produces 5 gallons of water per minute! The well rate is not bad for being in a semi-desert climate. The ranch house’s location is in a nest of trees providing much needed shade in the summer months. If you are lucky enough to go inside the ranch’s museum, it is open, explore the exhibits showing over 10,000 years of humans in the Guadalupe Mountains.
Smith Spring Trail – You take the road to the Frijole Ranch parking area and head to the ranch museum. Just past the museum, the trail begins by the school house. The path is paved, so you know you are on the correct path. The first stop is the Manzanita Spring. The spring has a dam in it to form a lake that was used for recreation by the rancher’s and their hands. Swimming and picnicking were done. The spring water also helped irrigate crops that the various farmers grew while on the ranch. The lake also allows local animals to drink so you maybe lucky to see some mule deer, elk, javelina or foxes enjoying the water. Onward to the next way point on the hike is a dry river bed. After the dry bed you will start to go up until you come to the Smith Spring. The spring is a lush oasis just over the mid-point of the hike. Plenty of shade is available and you can listen to the water gently rushing away from the spring and down the creek. The stop has a place to sit and listen allowing you to enjoy nature on this hike. When you come out of the forest and back into the desert area there is the remnants of a road that was used by the ranchers to access the spring. Now the rest of the way is just hiking through the mountain desert until you get back to the starting point. In total your hike will be 2.3 miles with 400 feet of elevation gain. Take this trail at a leisurely pace and enjoy the sounds and sights of the mountains.
McKittrick Canyon – The canyon has its own visitor center, not maned at the time, and is about six miles from the main visitor center. There are a few hikes to do out of the canyon starting point and I choose to head to the Grotto and Cabin. The trail go along the side of a dry creek bed. At times you will cross the creek bed but the trail is easy to follow going across the dry creek bed. I had to cross the creek bed two separate times which included water, not so dry, but the crossing was very easy as the water was only a few inches deep. The trail is wide, three people, and consists of loose rock, or packed rock for the majority of the trail. The trail is in the sun so please bring sun protection while on the hike as you are in a canyon with white rock as the trail. A few places have shade but mostly you are in the sun for your journey. Along the trail there is a marker say that the Grotto is 2.8 miles and the cabin is 1.6 miles but they are on the same trail. The cabin is an old cabin that has a nice porch for viewing the canyon while sitting in some chairs. The cabin is in a grove of trees so plenty of shade while enjoying the rest at the cabin. I did not make the additional 1.2 miles each way to the grotto as I had another destination to go to but I am sure the hike there is just as leisurely as the hike to the cabin. I strongly suggest this hike as it is in a canyon and is a moderate hike per the NPS.
