🥾 ActiveDay trip · from El Paso, TX

Guadalupe Peak — Highest Point in Texas

A day hike to Guadalupe Peak (8,749 feet) — the highest point in Texas and the highest summit in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 110 miles east of El Paso. The Guadalupe Peak Trail is a strenuous 8.4-mile round trip with 3,000 feet of elevation gain on a well-maintained NPS trail; the summit cairn holds a stainless steel pyramid placed by American Airlines in 1958 to commemorate the centennial of the Butterfield Overland Mail route that passed through Guadalupe Pass below. The view from the top spans four states on clear days: Texas, New Mexico, Chihuahua, and Sonora. The Guadalupe Mountains are a block-faulted limestone range — the largest exposed Permian reef in the world (the Capitan Reef, formed 265 million years ago when a tropical sea covered West Texas). The massive El Capitan cliff face (8,085ft) visible from the highway is the southeastern anchor of the reef; the Guadalupe Peak summit is the highest point on the reef mass.

Day 1 — Guadalupe Peak Trail: 8.4mi RT, 3,000ft gain to 8,749ft (highest point in Texas), El Capitan cliff face view, return to El Paso
Day 1 — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Day 1 — Guadalupe Mountains National Park

🚗 3 hr 20 min driving📍 3 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
El Paso, TX → Guadalupe Mountains NP — Pine Springs Visitor Center
1 hr 40 min8:00 AM → 9:40 AM
Guadalupe Peak Trail — Lower Section
Guadalupe Peak Trail — Lower Section
★ 4.7
The Guadalupe Peak Trail — beginning at 5,900 feet at the Pine Springs Trailhead and ascending the north slope of the Guadalupe Mountains through Chihuahuan Desert scrub, pinyon-juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine forest. The trail is cut into the limestone escarpment with stone steps and switchbacks; the views of the Chihuahuan Desert floor open to the south and west as elevation increases. The El Capitan cliff (8,085ft) — visible from US-62/180 for 50 miles — grows more dramatic from the lower trail as the angle changes.
9:40 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Guadalupe Peak Summit — 8,749 Feet
Guadalupe Peak Summit — 8,749 Feet
★ 4.8
The Guadalupe Peak summit at 8,749 feet — the highest point in Texas, marked by a stainless steel pyramid commemorating the 1958 Butterfield Overland Mail centennial. The summit view on clear days spans the Chihuahuan Desert to the Rio Grande valley (visible as a light-colored band), the Sacramento Mountains, White Sands National Park (visible as a white patch to the north), and the Sierra Diablo range to the south. The summit ridge is exposed limestone with occasional Douglas fir and limber pine at tree line; wind is strong and predictable from the west.
10:40 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Continue at Guadalupe Peak Trail — Descent & Pine Springs Camp
Continue at Guadalupe Peak Trail — Descent & Pine Springs Camp
★ 4.7
Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Guadalupe Peak Trail — Lower Section — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Guadalupe Mountains NP → El Paso, TX
1 hr 40 min5:00 PM → 6:40 PM
Plan your own escapeExplore more trips →