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Organ Mountains, NM

2012-02-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: east of Las Cruces, New Mexico
Date: February 22, 2011

The Organ Mountains from the east

The Organ Mountains located in south central New Mexico are a popular hiking and climbing destination for local residents. The mountains are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and southeast of White Sand National Monument.

Looking east from Aguierre Springs Campground

I arrived just before sunset on a February evening and left early the next morning on my way to White Sands, so I did not get to do any hiking. I stayed at the Aguierre Springs Campground on the east side of the mountains overlooking White Sands Missile Range. Entry to the Organ Mountains is prohibited after dark, although campers can leave but not return. The mountains have 860 plant species, making them the most biologically diverse mountain range in New Mexico.

St. Mary Lake Area, Glacier National Park

2012-02-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

Date: June 29, 2011

St. Mary Lake

On my first day in Glacier National Park I arrived at and moved into the Rising Sun Campground, a small tent only campground about midway along Saint Mary Lake. I then drove the Going to the Sun Road as far as I could, which was only to the Jackson Glacier Overlook.

Sunrift Gorge

From there I headed back down to the lake and stopped at the only place I could find somewhere to park, which happened to be at Sunrift Gorge. This small narrow gorge was my favorite small feature in the park. The gorge is only a few short steps off of the road and is definitely worth the stop. After viewing the gorge I went downhill under the bridge and close to the lake shore to see Baring Falls for less than a half mile hike.

Virginia Falls

I decided to keep going along the lakeshore trail where there were several good views of the lakes and many wildflowers. The trail had a few ups and downs but was generally flat, hence being along a lake. The trail then arrived at St. Mary Falls and continued uphill to the much higher Virginia Falls. The trail was probably about 2.5 miles one way from the Sunrift Gorge trailhead, but there is a closer trailhead that would take about a mile off the hike each way.

View St. Mary Lake in a larger map

Grand Teton National Park

2012-02-19T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: Jackson, Wyoming
Date: June 27, 2011

Tetons with balsamroot blooming below

The Teton Mountains are perhaps the most photographed and famous mountains in North America. My visit for a few hours in June 2011 served two small purposes: to see the mountains for my first time since 2008 and to plan an extensive hiking trip for later in the summer because there was still a lot of snow in June. However, that later trip never happened as I had hoped for.

Tetons

On this trip I entered from the south on Teton Park Road and stopped at a few pullouts where the balsamroot were in full bloom on the sagebrush flats. I then drove up Signal Mountain, which is a small mountain that rises 1000 feet out of the valley floor. The view from the mountain was decent, but was not as great as I had hoped for. Much of the view was to the east and south, with only a small section of the Tetons visible to the west rather than the all-encompassing view I had hoped for.

The view from Signal Mountain

After Signal Mountain my last stop was at Jackson Lake Dam where I had a largely uninterrupted view of the Tetons over Jackson Lake. But the wind was fairly strong over the lake and I didn't spend much time there before heading on to Yellowstone.

Jackson Lake from the dam

Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park

2012-02-17T12:00:00.000-06:00

Date: June 30, 2011

Grinnell Lake from the Grinnell Glacier Trail

The Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana is a popular hike to one of the park's most famous glaciers. The trail begins at the trailhead at the northwest corner of Swiftcurrent Lake or at Swiftcurrent Lake Lodge. It continues a short distance and follows the shores of Lake Josephine as it begins to gain elevation.

Swiftcurrent Lake

You can take a boat across Swiftcurrent Lake, hike to Lake Josephine, and then take a boat across this lake as well. Doing so provides easier access to Grinnell Lake, but this trail doesn't lead to the glacier. A cutoff trail leads from the last boat launch to the Grinnell Glacier Trail, but it is fairly steep, but only for a short distance.

Lake Josephine

The day of my hike started off with a little rain, but as I gained elevation in the valley the rain was at times very strong and windy. About a mile and a half below the glacier, the trail was unexpectedly closed because of a little, snow which was very disappointing after hiking all the way up there, but the views were still great. However, by the time I turned around the rain had died down some, and I saw two bighorn sheep a short distance off the trail.

Grinnell Lake

After I arrived back at the shore of Lake Josephine I thought that I would hike up to Grinnell Lake, but the trail and boardwalk along the upstream side of the lake were about a foot under water. The trail all along the lake had a lot of bear scat on it, and some people I passed said that there were two grizzlies on the trail a short ways down, but I did not see them on my way out.

Glacier lily

The winter prior to my visit had been one of the snowiest ever, and with all of the snowmelt and rain there were waterfalls and cascades all over the place along the Grinnell Glacier Trail.

Between Lake Josephine and Grinnell Lake

View Grinnell Glacier Trail in a larger map

Yellowstone National Park

2012-02-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: northwest Wyoming
Dates: June 27-28, 2011

West Thumb Geyser Basin

This post is a brief description of the areas that I visited during my visit to Yellowstone during June 2011, being my second trip to the park. I entered the park from the southern entrance coming from Jackson and exited to the north at Mammoth Hot Springs. I spent one night in the park at the Grant Village campground, which is the park's largest.

The Grand Prismatic Spring

West Thumb Geyser Basin
Located along the shores of Yellowstone Lake, the West Thumb Geyser Basin is a series of geyser, hot springs, and other thermal features along a short boardwalk directly on the shore of the lake.

A hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin

Midway Geyser Basin
After setting up camp I headed to the Midway Geyser Basin, which is to the north of the Old Faithful area. This basin is home to the enormous Grand Prismatic Spring and a few other hot springs. On my way back I stopped at the Kepler Cascades to the southeast of Old Faithful.

Midway Geyser Basin

Mud Volcano
The next morning I started off by driving along Yellowstone Lake to the Mud Volcano area. Here, among many thermal features, there is a thermal feature of bubbling mud that has apparently erupted like a geyser, hence a mud volcano. In addition to a solitary bison feeding along the path, there was a very calm snowshoe hare sitting on the boardwalk.

A hot spring in the Midway Geyser Basin

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
If there is one place you stop at in Yellowstone, it should be Artist Point overlooking the canyon and the Lower Falls. I also hiked the trail (mostly a metal staircase) down into the canyon just above the base of the Lower Falls. This trail loses and then gains about 500 vertical feet in a short distance, but is worth the trip.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Lower Falls from Artist Point

Mount Washburn
At 10,243 feet high Mount Washburn is the location of one of Yellowstone fire lookouts to the north of Canyon Village. You can hike Chittenden Road to the summit of the mountain or take the trail from Dunraven Pass. I chose to start at Dunraven Pass, which used to be an access road, so the trail is not that steep, although it does gain about 1,400 feet. There was still a lot of snow on the ground at the trailhead, so I began hiking anyway even though the Chittenden Road had been plowed. There were a couple of sections on the top of the ridge where I had to climb over, around, and then down very steep and precarious snow banks. The view from the summit were great, and you can go into the fire lookout to get a break from the wind.

Looking east from the south ridge of Mount Washburn (summit at left)

Mammoth Hot Springs
On my way out of the park I made a quick stop at Mammoth Hot Springs, but did not spend much time walking around because it was very crowded.

Looking northwest from Mount Washburn

Minidoka Ranger District, Sawtooth National Forest

2012-02-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: southern Idaho and northern Utah
Dates: June 20-23, 2011

The Minidoka Ranger District is the lesser known and visited section of Sawtooth National Forest in southern Idaho and northern Utah, far from the forest's namesake Sawtooth Mountains. In this district there are several trails on the maps, but many are poorly maintained and seldom used, making them difficult to follow.

Balsamroot and an old cabin

The are several road throughout the forest here, all are dirt/gravel and most require four wheel drive or high clearance. During early summer the area can be quite green with pleasant temperatures, but dries out quickly towards mid summer. This is a great area for riding mountain bikes and other off road vehicles, where doing so is permitted.

The mountains here are not spectacular, but may reach of 10,000 feet, and you can drive to the summit of Mount Harrison, the site of a plane crash in 1945 and a little known ski hill. The Independence Lakes and Lake Cleveland are popular (relatively speaking) alpine lake destinations.

City of Rocks National Reserve

2012-02-11T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: Almo, Idaho
Date: June 23, 2011

The City of Rocks National Reserve in southern Idaho is one of the best rock climbing destinations anywhere. There are over 700 routes up the granite spires here, most of which range from 100-300 feet high, but can be as much as 600 feet.

City of Rocks

There are well maintained dirt/gravel roads and campgrounds in the reserve, which is a unit of the National Park System, but managed by Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. There are few trails in the reserve, but access to most climbing destinations is not difficult.

The reserve is near the Minidoka Ranger District of Sawtooth National Forest and Castle Rocks State Park in addition to being surrounded by BLM land.

City of Rocks

Grand Circle

2012-02-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

The Grand Circle of the Southwest United States is an informal region encompassing five states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada) where there is a very large concentration of national parks, monuments, and scenic byways.

Bryce Canyon

Abbreviations:
NHP = National Historic or Historical Park
NHS = National Historic or Historical Site
NM = National Monument (not New Mexico)
NP = National Park
NRA = National Recreation Area
SP = State Park

Zion

Many people touring the Grand Circle start in Las Vegas and focus on eight places:

Among the other places often included in the trip are:

Places that are more distant from the core of the trip or less visited are:

Aztec Ruins NM
Bandelier NM
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Canyon de Chelly NM
Chaco Culture NHP
Colorado NM
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Curecanti NRA
Durango & Silverton Railroad
El Malpais NM
El Morro NM
Four Corners
Grand Canyon-Parashant NM
Great Basin NP
Great Sand Dunes NP
Green River SP
Hubbell Trading Post NHS
Meteor Crater, Arizona
Montezuma Caste NM
Navajo Bridge
Pecos NHP
Petrified Forest NP
Petroglyph NM
Pipe Spring NM
Quail Creek SP
Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
San Juan Mountains
Sunset Crater Volcano NM
Valles Caldera National Preserve
Vermillion Cliffs NM
Walnut Canyon NM
Wupatki NM
Yucca House NM

Four Corners

2012-02-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Date: April 11, 2011

The Four Corners Monument is at the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The monument is on and managed by the Navajo Indian Reservation. There is a small fee to enter the monument, which can be accessed via a road that passes through the northwest corner of New Mexico on its way from Colorado to Arizona. The closest town of considerable size is Cortez, Colorado to the northeast. The monument is a fairly new plaza with the intersection between the states clearly marked.

Grand Canyon National Park

2012-02-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: northern Arizona
Date: January 4, 2011

I spent a couple hours in the Grand Canyon, and being one of the most popular national parks it definitely deserves more and is a popular destination all year.

I only stopped at several viewpoints along the South Rim, and with recent snowfall the road along parts of the rim was covered in snow but still could be driven. So here are some pictures from the Grand Canyon.

Moab, UT

2012-02-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

Dates: April 12-15, 2011

Castle Valley

Moab, Utah is a popular destination for all sorts of outdoor activities, and most people visit Arches and Canyonlands national parks, which I covered in other posts. While everything there is to do in Moab is beyond the possibilities of what I can cover, I will cover three areas I visited.

The canyons along the Colorado River

First is the area along route 279 west-southwest of town along the Colorado River. The road closely follows the river into the canyons before dead-ending at an industrial facility. This is one of the best and easiest areas to experience being in the canyons by car, and this makes the surrounding cliffs popular climbing destinations. Along the road there is a place to stop where you can see a giant rock that has broken off the cliffs and exposes several dinosaur tracks on its surface.

Dinosaur tracks

The second area is a drive I went on east of town that formed a loop beginning by following the Colorado upstream through the canyons along route 128 before turning towards Castle Valley. This road then ascends up into the La Sal Mountains, which reach over 12,600 feet in Manti-La Sal National Forest. The road here provides great views and access to the mountains, although there was still snow along the road at over 8,000 feet.

La Sal Mountains

The third place was the Scott M. Matheson Wetland Preserve, which was protected by the Nature Conservancy in the town of Moab along the Colorado River. There are few flat trails and boardwalks around the wetlands here where you can observe over 200 birds species. I couldn't find many birds the afternoon of my visit, but there was a fairly large flock of white-faced ibises.

White-faced ibises

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

2012-02-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: Page, Arizona

Date: April 9, 2011

Horseshoe Bend

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area includes the area around Lake Powell in northern Arizona and southern Utah formed by the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Upstream of Glen Canyon is Canyonlands National Park while Grand Canyon National Park is downstream.

Lake Powell

Lake Powell is a popular boating destination in Page, Arizona. I only stopped at the Glen Canyon Dam and at Horseshoe Bend a short distance downstream of the dam. To get to the Horseshoe Bend overlook you must take a short trail that can be a little difficult because of the combination of sandy conditions and some elevation gain.

Glen Canyon Dam

Big Bend National Park

2012-01-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: southwest Texas
Dates: January 10-11, 2012

Burro Mesa

Big Bend National Park is an 800,000 acre expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande in Texas. The park is centered around the Chisos Mountains, the only mountain range that is entirely within a national park as well as the southernmost range in the United States.

Chisos Mountains

I had hoped to stay several days and do some backpacking in the Chisos, but unfortunately that will have to wait until a later date.

Chisos Mountains

The first place I stopped in the park was the Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail. This is an easy one mile round trail through a dry wash to the 100'+ pouroff that becomes a waterfall after heavy rains. The cliffs along this trail are fairly colorful and an interesting lesson in geology.

Boquillas Canyon

After setting up my campsite at the Chisos Basin Campground, I hiked along the trails leading from the campground that provided good view of the Window before sunset.

Casa Grande Peak

Boquillas Canyon

I also hiked the Boquillas Canyon Trail, which is the canyon downstream of Rio Grande Village. This is also an easy trail that is about one mile round trip that follows the river a short distance into the canyon until you can walk no further. I was surprised how small and calm the Rio Grande was, especially in this deep canyon.

Sierra del Carmen

The distances in Big Bend are vast, and travel on the roads takes a long time because of the 45 mph speed limit. Between Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village the views stretch from the Chisos Mountains to the higher Sierra del Carmen in Mexico. Along Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive the road traverses more interesting topography while providing views of the Chisos and all the way to Santa Elena Canyon.

Javelina

Big Bend has incredible biodiversity, including many species not commonly found in the United States. These include 1,200 plants, 450 birds, 75 mammals, and 56 reptiles.

Tumacácori National Historical Park

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: Tumacácori, Arizona
Date: February 20, 2011

Mission San Jose de Tumacácori

Just of Interstate 19 south of Tucson, Tumacácori National Historical Park protects three Spanish mission communities. The only section I visited was the Mission San Jose de Tumacácori, which dates to the 18th century.

The mission here was established in 1691 as a Jesuit mission. At the site you are able to explore the ground and the mission and its buildings as well as the museum.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: southern Utah
Date: April 17, 2011

Calf Creek Canyon

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is another area that I only briefly visited, but would like to spend more time in. Located between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon national parks and created in 1996, Grand Staircase encompasses nearly two million acres of Bureau of Land Management lands, making it the largest national monument.

Grand Staircase-Escalante

With so much land, there are countless recreation opportunities here often with far fewer visitors than in the nearby national parks. This is a landscape of plateaus and canyons, including slot canyons, natural arches, badlands, and waterfalls.

Calf Creek Canyon

For most people, their experience with the monument is along state route 12, which runs through the monument and has been designated an All-American Highway. My favorite views along this road where to the east of and overlooking Calf Creek Canyon.

Cactus in bloom

Zion National Park

2012-01-24T12:00:00.000-06:00

I have written several posts about my hikes during the three months I spent in Zion National Park, so I am using this post as a collection point for those posts and as an overview of the park.

The upper east canyon

Zion is located is southwest Utah and has incredible topographic variation, ranging from less than 3,700 feet to over 8,700 feet. The red rock canyons of Zion are in many places cliffs that rise as much as 3,800 feet straight up from the valley floor.

The Subway

Most people who visit the park see the park from Zion Canyon, where the town of Springdale, the visitor center, park headquarters, lodge, campgrounds, and most popular trails are located. Spring and fall are the most pleasant times to visit the park, but April through October visitation is so high and parking so limited in the canyon that personal vehicles are not permitted on the park road. Two free shuttle routes operate in the canyon. One goes from the visitor center up the canyon to several stops within the park. The second operates in the town of Springdale, and with limited parking in the park it is strongly recommended that you take the shuttle from in town to the visitor center and then board the second shuttle. The shuttle system has greatly relieved congestion in the park.

Zion Canyon

Zion is a leader among the national parks in sustainability, through is environmentally friendly architecture at the visitor center and other facilities, recycling efforts, shuttle system, photovoltaic solar panels, and sustainable landscaping, among many others.

The Watchman and Pa'rus trail in Zion Canyon

The wildlife in Zion Canyon is nothing spectacular and for most people consists of very docile mule deer, although many birds and reptiles can also be seen in the canyon. Mountain lions, elk, black bears, and California condors are rare sights in the park.

Court of the Patriarchs

My posts about Zion include:

El Malpais National Monument

2012-01-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: western New Mexico
Date: February 25, 2011

El Malpais National Monument is a landscape featuring many volcanic features including cinder cones, craters, lava flows, caves, and other formations. Much of the area is a landscape similar to Craters of the Moon National Monument, but perhaps with more diverse features and fewer people.

Collapsed lava caves at Junction Cave

I only stopped at the Junction Cave area, where the caves have been closed recreational use. Just west of here is the Bandera Crater ice caves, which are privately owned and open to the public. There are few trails in the monument, and on the eastern side of the monument are most scenic areas: the Sandstone Bluffs and La Ventana Natural Arch.

While the national monument is managed by the National Park Service, much of the surrounding land is managed as the El Malpais National Conservation Area by the Bureau of Land Management. A short distance west of the monument is El Morro National Monument.

Junction Cave

Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000-06:00

Date: April 18, 2011

The Kolob Canyons are located in the northwestern section of Zion National Park, far and not easily accessed from Zion Canyon, which along with its colder winter weather kept me from seeing more of it. However, the canyons are easily accessed from exit 40 on Interstate 15, where the Kolob Canyons Road leads to a visitor center as well as trailheads and viewpoints.

The view from the Kolob Terrace Road

Because I was pressed for time when I visited, I simply drove the road and went to the viewpoint. However, the Taylor Creek Trail leads to Double Arch Alcove. The La Verkin Creek Trail goes to the enormous Kolob Arch and connects to the Hop Valley Trail, which goes to the Kolob Terrace Road at Firepit Knoll, forming a network of interconnected trails in the park.

Saguaro National Park

2012-01-18T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: Tucson, Arizona
Date: February 20, 2011

Saguaro

Saguaro National Park is divided among two units, one east and one west of Tucson. The park is named for the saguaro, the large cactus characteristic of the Sonoran desert.

The view from higher along the road

I only visited the eastern section of the park where there is a one way loop road through some of the lower elevations of the park. There are few maintained trail close to this road, although washes also act as trails, and I only walked around the short paved loop Desert Ecology trail. On this trail I saw several plants and animals I had not seen before, including the pyrrhuloxia and curve-billed thrasher. After this trail the road does gain some elevation where you can get decent views of the Tucson valley.

Pyrrhuloxia

A more extensive network of trails exists in the higher elevation areas that are managed as wilderness well to the east of the Cactus Forest Drive.

West Rim Trail, Zion National Park

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-06:00

Date: January 15, 2011

Cathedral Mountain

The West Rim Trail in Zion National Park goes from the Grotto in Zion Canyon to Lava Point on the Kolob Plateau. But on my hike in mid January I stopped below Cabin Spring after hiking from the Grotto.

Zion Canyon and the Great White Throne

The route follows the same as that to Angel's Landing up to Scout Lookout via Refrigerator Canyon. From here it travels a short distance along the top of the cliffs before descending a little ways into a small canyon and crossing a bridge. The trail skirts along the base of Cathedral Mountain and up Telephone Canyon before ascending up to Cabin Spring.

Looking towards the Narrows

During my hike, there was about of foot of fairly fresh snow on the trail and no tracks of previous visitors, which made for fairly difficult travel across the slickrock. So after going a couple miles I decided to turn around and visit another time, which I have yet to do.

Telephone Canyon (Cabin Spring is on top of this mesa)

Mojave National Preserve

2012-01-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

Location: southeast California
Date: February 18, 2011

Mojave National Preserve is located between Interstates 40 and 15 in California, and my only experience in it was a drive across it from north to south on my way to Joshua Tree National Park. I wish that I had more time to visit the preserve, but unfortunately that was not the case.

The southern section of the preserve

The primary thing that I noticed in the preserve were the large number of Joshua trees in the area. The Joshua trees appeared to be in much denser stand here than in Joshua Tree National Park. The trees are characteristic of the Mojave desert, which the preserve protects a large portion of.

The other significant feature were the Kelso sand dunes, which at up to 650 feet high I noticed from miles away. I stopped for a break in my driving at the Kelso train depot, which has been turned into the preserve's visitor center.

The Kelso Dunes from four miles to the east

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000-05:00

Location: near Carlsbad, New Mexico

Date: November 5, 2011

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico just north of the Texas border in the Chihuahuan Desert. The Guadalupe Mountains are an ancient limestone reef, once at the bottom of an inland sea, making them very conducive to the formation of caves. Carlsbad Caverns National Park has 116 known caves, the showpiece of which is of course Carlsbad Caverns. There are additional caves in the area just to the south of the park in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Just inside the natural entrance

The park is located about 35 miles southwest of the town of Carlsbad New Mexico. There is a seven mile park road from the highway at Whites City that travels through a small canyon to the top of the ridge where the visitor center and cavern entrance are located The area along the road was recently burned, and there are several pullouts for you to stop and look at the surroundings. Shortly after entering the park I noticed a small cave entrance off the side of the road, and on second look I noticed several bighorn sheep standing at the entrance to the cave. Some of the sheep went in and out of the cave in the short time I watched them.

Bighorn sheep at their cave

Before entering the cavern you should purchase a ticket for $6 (or present your pass), which is good for three days. If you have visited any other caves or areas where bats roost recently you should ensure that everything you are taking into the cave has been cleaned recently. This is important because of white-nose syndrome, which is a fungus that has been decimating bat populations in parts of the United States and Canada.

In the Big Room

There are two miles of paved trails with railings in Carlsbad Caverns that can be walked on your own. To enter the cave, the main portion of which is at 700 feet below the surface, you can either take the elevator to the bottom or walk down the natural entrance. I strongly recommend starting at the visitor center and walking down the natural entrance because this first mile of trail takes you through the main corridor with its incredibly high ceilings, but the trail can be steep.

The Rock of Ages

After the one mile walk from the natural entrance you reach the location near where the elevator takes you to. From here you can walk the one mile loop trail through the Big Room, which at nearly 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 350 feet high is the seventh largest underground chamber in the world. The trail through the Big Room is mostly flat and takes you by features such as the Hall of Giants, Rock of Ages, Bottomless Pit, Top of the Cross, and Crystal Spring Dome. After your hike you can stop at the underground cafe and ride the elevator back to the top.

In the Big Room

There are several other guided tours that the park offers in Carlsbad Cavern for an additional fee year round. All of these tours take you to places that you cannot go on your own and vary in difficulty from walking on paved trails with railings to crawling on your belly through tight places. In another section of the park is Slaughter Canyon Cave, which you can also take a guided tour of. The park also has many miles of hiking trails and opportunities for backcountry camping as well as an unpaved scenic loop drive through the desert.

In the Main Corridor

Devil's Hall, TX

2011-11-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

Distance: 4.2 miles (6.8 km) round trip
Elevation Gain: ~750 ft (229 m)
Date: November 5, 2011

The trail through Spring Canyon

The Devil's Hall trail is a 2.1 mile long trail in Spring Canyon of Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas. The park is an exposed limestone reef with unique ecological features in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert, and its best known feature is Guadalupe Peak.

Spring Canyon from the Hiker's Stairway

The trail departs the Pine Springs trailhead, where water is available and must be carried in. The first mile of the trail is fairly flat and traverses the lower and fairly wide section of Spring Canyon. Then the canyon narrows and the trail begins to follow the streambed, which more than likely will be dry no matter when you visit. As you move up the canyon you will begin to see trees such as bigtooth maple and gray oak that you will not see anywhere else in the region except for these canyons.

The lower section of Spring Canyon

Nearly two miles into the hike you reach a short narrow section called the Hiker's Stairway where the streambed becomes exposed bedrock and forms a series of steps. A short distance after the Hiker's Stairway you will reach the Devil's Hall. This is where the streambed becomes a very narrow canyon with steep walls for about 100 feet. The trail ends on the upstream end of Devil's Hall.

Devil's Hall

Spring Canyon

While any time of year is suitable for hiking this trail, the time of my visit in early November was probably the best because the trees in the canyon were at the peak of their fall colors. The colors of the few trees in the canyon were unreal when viewed up close against the brown backdrop of the rest of the park.

Spring Canyon

View Devil's Hall Trail in a larger map

Guadalupe Peak, TX

2011-11-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Summit elevation: 8,751 ft (2,667 m)
Distance: 8.4 miles (13.5 km) round trip
Elevation gain: 2,950 ft (899 m)
Class: 1
Date: November 4-5, 2011

Guadalupe Peak at left from the backcountry campground

Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 feet is the highest point in Texas and located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in far west Texas just south of the New Mexico border and about 100 miles east of El Paso. Guadalupe Peak sits at the southern edge of the Guadalupe Mountains, which is an exposed ancient limestone reef, which has led to the formation of the 116 known caves just to the north in Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Hunter Peak at right from the Guadalupe Peak trail

The Guadalupe Peak trail begins at the trailhead by the Pine Springs campground and steadily gains elevation for all 4.2 miles to the summit. Water is available at the trailhead, and it is important that you take at least one gallon per person per day with you from this point as there is no water along the trial. The park is in the Chihuahuan Desert, so conditions are very dry, windy, and depending on the season, hot.

Guadalupe Peak from the backcountry campground

While Guadalupe Peak can easily be done as a day hike, there is a backcountry campground on a ridge at 8,150 feet 3.2 miles from the trailhead and one mile from the summit. There is a three night stay limit at this campground, but even staying this long can be difficult because of the amount of water you would have to carry in.

Sunset from Guadalupe Peak

I left the trailhead around 2:30 pm and reached the backcountry campground around 5:00 pm. After setting up camp and eating some food, I hiked up the last mile to the summit in 20 minutes just in time to see the sunset from the top. A large metal pyramid serves as a monument at the high point and views can be wide-ranging depending on how much dust is in the air. It was completely dark by the time I returned to the campground, and as the night progressed the wind steadily picked up although it had been calm at the summit. While the individual campsites are somewhat sheltered from the wind, the noise from wind blowing through the trees was enough to wake me up regularly.

The high point monument

I woke up around 7:00 the next morning in time to see sunrise, which was not as remotely spectacular as sunset was. The temperature over the night was warmer than I had expected, probably in the upper 40s. The winds continued to pick up as I hiked back to the trailhead, and by the time I left the park in the afternoon they were gusting at 65 miles per hour in the valley. After a break I hiked to Devil's Hall.

Guadalupe Mountains from the backcountry campground

As you ascend the Guadalupe Mountains you will encounter that are very uncharacteristic of the Chihuahuan Desert including Ponderosa pines and Douglass firs. The high elevations even have a small elk herd in addition to mountain lions and rare black bears.

El Capitan from Guadalupe Peak

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Black Mesa, OK

2011-10-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

Summit elevation: 4,973 ft (1,516 m)
Distance: ~8.5 miles (41 km) round trip
Elevation gain: ~800 ft (701 m)
Class: 1
Date: October 11, 2011

Looking north from the trail up Black Mesa

Black Mesa is a mesa found primarily in Colorado, but also New Mexico and Oklahoma. It reaches an elevation of 5,712 feet in Colorado, but just north of the small town of Kenton it is the highest point in Oklahoma at 4,973 feet.

The trail at the base of Black Mesa

Oklahoma's high point is located within the Black Mesa Nature Preserve and is accessed via a trailhead that is few miles north of Kenton (the high point is not within Black Mesa State Park). The trail follows an old dirt road all the way to the summit and is completely impassible to vehicles in some sections, although you cannot take any vehicles on any part of the trail.

Looking northwest from the trail up Black Mesa

The first 2.5 miles are a flat and relatively uninteresting trail along the base of the mesa that traverses dry and sparse juniper woodland/grassland. The next half mile ascends the mesa and provides great views of the surprising topography of the area, which includes several mesas and valleys. The last section of the trail crosses the flat top of the mesa until it reaches the summit where a monument and bench are located. If you hike just 300 yards south of the high point you reach the southern edge of Black Mesa and get good views of the Kenton valley.

Looking at the Black Mesa high point monument from the east

The Oklahoma high point is located in Cimarron County, which is the only county in the United States to border four states. The high point monument gives distances to the bordering states: Kansas 53 miles ENE, Texas 31 miles S, Colorado 4.7 miles N, and New Mexico 1,299 feet W (an easy walk across the top of the mesa).

The view to the south from Black Mesa

There are not many businesses in Kenton, and the closest larger towns are Boise City, Oklahoma to the east and Clayton, New Mexico to the south-southwest. The drive from either of these cities is unexciting and characteristic of the plains: very flat. But just before you reach the Kenton area the topography becomes surprisingly variable.

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