Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Michael Thornton
- Apr 23
- 9 min read
On February 16th, 2025, I traveled to West Texas and hiked multiple trails over the next 24 hours. This blog details both the McKittrick Canyon and Devil's Hall trails at Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the cool experiences I had along the way. Come along as we explore the uniqueness of West Texas.
I woke up at 5 AM and immediately hit the road from Southwestern Oklahoma towards Western Texas, where the Guadalupe Mountains National Park sat. Shortly after, I started to see the sun rise over northwestern Texas, and it was absolutely gorgeous. As I made my way towards Lubbock, Texas, I stopped at an Allsup's Gas Station in a town of 924 people called "Lorenzo." I got out of the vehicle and went inside to prepay for gas,
not expecting anything out of the ordinary. However, as soon as I paid for gas, the gas station attendant said to me, "Wow, that bear is insanely detailed, where did you get it done at?" Now, for context, I was 188 miles away from where I had this tattoo done, so I replied and said "In a town called Altus, Oklahoma, about 200 miles away. It was a very expensive realism tattoo that I used my retropay on. The best thing I ever did!" I remember him saying afterwards that he couldn't believe how realistic it was, because he had never seen an animal tattoo with so much realism. It made me feel so happy about myself, because I had it tattooed on me to represent my love for the outdoors and my love for grizzly bears. He then showed me his tattoos, and we chatted about future ideas, and eventually, we both went our separate
ways. Around 9:39 AM, I reached the New Mexico/Texas border. It was pretty cool to be back in New Mexico and somewhere new as I have been all over the state, but never in the Southeast quadrant. As I made my way through New Mexico, the scenery went from flat to flat, sandy areas with oil rigs and trucks spread out everywhere, more than I have ever seen in Oklahoma or Texas.
I remember having this feeling come over me halfway between Hobbs and Carlsbad, New Mexico, a feeling that I hadn't felt in nearly 8 years, and that was the feeling of freedom and happiness. The freedom to explore new areas and see new things, and the happiness that I was closing in on something spectacular. Just past 11 AM, I saw the skies go from bright blue to a weird-looking white figure across the sky. I knew they weren't
clouds, so I wondered to myself, "What's going on in front of me?" That's when it struck me, "Oh my gosh, those are MOUNTAINS!!!" An hour later, I was at the entrance marker for the McKittrick Canyon for the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Instantly, the mountains opened up and I was blown away. The views along the entrance made the nearly 7-hour drive worth it for me. I kid you not, I snapped about 20 pictures before making it to the trailhead.
Now, before heading to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, I did a lot of research on cell data and cities nearby. This park is hundreds of miles away from services of any kind. When I arrived at the trailhead, there was no service, and the front desk was closed since it was a weekend. I immediately wondered how I was supposed to pay, and that's when I saw a paper entrance fee
permit. This piece of paper had a section where you wrote your credit card and license plate information down. Then, at the halfway mark, you tore the paper and put the bottom piece into a secure box, where I imagine the park ranger collects the information at a later point. The other half went on my windshield to show I had paid and the date I had parked. Another thing that I thought was unique and cool was that at the trailhead, there was Braille for those who may be blind or have seeing impairments. Such a neat way to include those with disabilities.
About a quarter to a half mile in, this beautiful ridge came into view, tucked behind mountainscapes. It was amazing to see such a vibrant and self-proclaimed ridge in person. The way the sun lit up the golden colors from limestone to the stark contrast of dark colors from dolomite, it was absolutely beautiful.
One thing I loved about the McKittrick trail was the solitude I found while out here. Even on a holiday weekend, with temperatures in the 60s, I hardly saw anyone. Whenever I stopped to drink water, I heard nothing. It was almost like the world had stopped.
Combined with the spectacular views of the mountains, it was extremely peaceful. About 2.65 miles into the hike, I came upon a cabin called "Pratt Cabin." Wallace Pratt, a geologist, first visited the Guadalupe Mountains in the 1920s and later purchased land in McKittrick Canyon, where he built the
stone cabin between 1931 and 1932 as a summer retreat for his family. Constructed from local limestone and East Texas pine, the cabin was used until the early 1940s. In 1963, Pratt donated the property to the National Park Service, helping establish Guadalupe Mountains National Park, with the cabin later listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
I continued further into the backcountry towards "the grotto." About a half mile further, I came upon a black figure moving throughout the forested section and immediately got flashbacks to the Great Smoky Mountains. I stopped in my tracks and used near precision eyesight to track down where the noise was coming from and what was making it! I realized the black figure was near a river, but
heavy brush was blocking my view, so I used my phone's camera to identify what it was. Thankfully, this time, it was only a deer trying to get a snack, and in the process, I had scared it. I remember saying out loud, "Sorry about that, bud, I didn't mean to scare ya!" Soon after, I headed back towards the trailhead because I had determined that by the time I'd get back to my vehicle, it'd be about 5 PM, close to sunset. Overall, this was a great way to start a 2-day adventure in the mountains. I highly recommend the McKittrick Canyon trail to anyone who wants a peaceful
and easy area to explore! I crossed two water beds, one that was very low and one that was entirely dried up. I thought the dried-up river bed was so cool to the point where I took a self-portrait of myself standing in the river bed! As I previously stated, I hardly saw anyone on this trail, maybe 10 people max throughout nearly 4-hours/6 miles? That's a great number considering it was a Sunday afternoon, with great weather and on a holiday weekend! After I got off the trail, I headed back to Carlsbad, New Mexico, where I was staying for the duration of this trip. I learned quickly that Carlsbad's infrastructure is not built for tourism. If you are ever in town, do your best to find a local spot if they are open, and specifically, do not go to the Denny's! I waited, no joke, an hour to get a regular burger and onion rings. Everything was cold. After further inspection, this type of service at this establishment is routine. STAY AWAY FROM THE DENNY'S!!!!
The following day, I headed back to Guadalupe Mountains National Park to hike "Devil's Hall." No joke, at the entrance was parked a military style overlanding truck with an Alaskan license plate. I had always seen these things in videos on YouTube, but never in person. It was at that moment that I knew I was in the presence of someone either rich or crazy or even possibly both. I cannot imagine the fuel bill on that thing! That said, it matched the ruggedness of the terrain it was surrounded by.
The trailhead isn’t just the starting point for Devil’s Hall—it also marks the beginning of the Tejas Trail, El Capitan Trail, and the route to Guadalupe Peak. So, as you can imagine, even by 8 AM, the parking lot was already packed with hikers gearing up for their adventures. Remember earlier how I said cell service is nonexistent out here? Well, no joke, a quarter mile into the hike, I started going down the wrong path, and almost immediately, I noticed something was off. So I turned on Gaia GPS, loaded up topography maps, and indeed, I was taking the wrong way. Instead of taking "Devil's Hall," I had
taken a right and made my way onto the "Tejas Trail." So I quickly turned around and got on the correct trail.
After getting back onto the correct trail for Devil's Hall, I zig-zagged my way through breathtaking mountainous landscapes. Seriously, it was marvelous! There was no one else on the trail. Just myself and nature. Once again, I was extremely at peace. I had no data, no interference from the outside world, nothing. I listened to the birds as they flew around me and was completely awestruck by what surrounded me. So much so, that I took multiple videos and photos of myself with the mountains in the background. I was so proud. Proud of myself for taking a chance, a risk, just to be happy and see something extremely new in a place I had never been before.
While researching this trail, I read reviews about a "whitewashed" scrambling section that was extremely difficult. As I made my way into the backcountry, the landscape changed from open trails, surrounded by mountains, to rocky trails in forested areas.
I soon came upon this "whitewashed" section, and a sign informed me to stay within the whitewash for the next mile. Maybe it's because I have experience climbing boulders and rocks, but I will tell you all that these "boulders" were nothing more than large rocks and not what reviewers had described. I
found that the worst part about this section (other than a mysterious animal that freaked me out while climbing them) was that it became difficult to see where the route was. But then I reminded myself: just stick to the whitewash. As long as I follow it, I’ll make it to where I need to be."
About a mile later, I finally made it to the end of the whitewash and was now entering an area known as "The Staircase." This area gets its name from its unique form. Over time, flash floods and flowing water carved through the limestone bedrock, creating a feature that mimics a staircase. I'll tell you this, though: pictures do not do this place justice. The "staircase" is extremely slanted, and there is little room for error when climbing it. Right as I was about to climb it, a 70-year-old man hiking by himself came upon the staircase and struck up a pretty good conversation about life and the mountains. Soon after, we went our separate ways, never to see each other again.
After we went our separate ways, I was once again alone in the wilderness. While climbing rocks, only a few hundred feet from Devil's Hall, I stopped dead in my tracks. Right in front of me was an Aoudad (similar to a Bighorn). I was absolutely in shock. I had never seen anything like this before while in nature. In fact, I was so in shock that I started saying out loud "Oh my god... Oh my god... Oh my god...." in extreme excitement. It was hands down one of the coolest experiences I have EVER had in my entire life, and if my trip hadn't already been made from the incredible views, it was now solidified by this experience. I slowly made my way back
towards the trailhead, my mind racing over what I had just experienced alone in the wild. My overall feelings towards this trail is that if you are coming to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, YOU HAVE to try this trail out. It is extremely unique and just a fun trail to test your abilities on. I didn't see much activity on
my way into Devils Hall because I started in the morning, but as I headed back towards the trailhead and the time shifted from morning to afternoon, I came across more traffic going towards Devils Hall. Overall, I give Guadalupe Mountains National Park a 10,000 out of 10. I will definitely be back again to conquer Guadalupe Peak, and if you're thinking about exploring this National Park, do it! You will not be disappointed. The only thing that I will do differently next time is that I will actually camp in the National Park, rather than stay outside of it. Thank you so much for reading my blog, have an incredible day/week!
Below are both trails in VLOG form.
McKittrick Canyon Trail
Devils Hall
About the writer: Michael Thornton graduated from Rose State College majoring in Emergency Management. Currently, he is the Director of Tillman County Emergency Management, an Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager, and the SW Oklahoma Emergency Management Association VP Alternate. In 2024, he was awarded the OEMA Innovator Award for his severe weather operations in Tillman County.
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