I decided to get out of town for the long holiday weekend and after taking an additional day of vacation made a nice four day weekend. Drove out 500 miles to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

I know some people are thinking that camping in August in Texas is insane and worse in the desert. But since the campground for the park is at 5700' elevation the temps were warm days but cool nights around 55 or so-and that is great sleeping weather.

August is also the "monsoon season" is the southwest. All that tropical hurricane activity pushes moisture and rain into the desert. In fact it is often considered the 5th season as it is like a second spring. There were wildflowers galore and all the trees and grasses looked very healthy. I even got rained on at times over two days. And there is nothing like the smell of rain in the desert.

There is a variety of sights and topography around the park and I explore them all. From the mountains, to high lush grasslands, to rocky boulder fields, to salt flats, to sand dunes, this is a park with things to see and photograph.

The main highway in the area, US 180 , runs right at the edge of the park. Then there are a couple of old county roads, and some gravel roads that get you to other places. Finally the park has a couple of high clearance 4x4 roads that they do not really publish, but if you ask the rangers at the visitor center, they will pull out a book and key from under the desk and let you go there.

One of those is the Williams Ranch road. This is a tough one. It really will push the Element to the limt, mostly based on ground clearance. I have taken my E back over half way, but I am there to photograph sights along the way, not get to the old ranch house itself.

The second is the Salt Basin Sand Dunes. A 45 mile drive gets you to a potentially mud/slop prone road that crosses flat salty soil to a field of pure white gypsum sand (just like at White Sands, NM).

Did both this trip.

Also did several nice hikes in the mountains, including getting soaked on a very exposed open platform. Just glad it was rain and not a thunderstorm. I got up at 4am one morning and drove down the salt flats west of the park. Walked way out onto them and did some night photography. They glowed silver under the moonlight and were really neat. Stayed fo rthe sunrise, but that moonlit glow was the best part of the morning.

Also did some drives on some of the old ranch roads in the area. There are a couple of small farms west of the park that grow chile peppers and managed to get a few pics there too.

The Element was a out here. I did use my tent rather than sleep in the E, but I always keep in the passanger rear seat just in case.

Was another good trip.

Some pics:

First off, what most people think of Texas. In some parts of the state this is corect, but west of the Pecos River are 29 mountain ranges. A couple of images of Guadalupe Range. The Guadalupes are an uplifted reef. Actually they are the largest exposed reef in the world. They end in a sheer cliff called El Capitan and it really does look like the prow of a ship. Some close up of the cliffs and lastly a sunrise one morning.

Three different views of the Guadalupes from different areas. The peaks top out at about 8900'. The high grasslands are about 5700' and are quite lush. The western side of the mountains drop to about 3500'. It is there you find the salt flats and north of there the sand dunes. Have to hike in to the sand dunes.

BTW the camera is a 4x5.

A few shots of the E. The first one is on the road to Frijole Ranch, whiuch is a super neat old ranch house. The second image is of the Sierra Diablo mountains which are about 20 miles SW of the Guadalupes. Last one is a fun imae out the window. The Element looks good, even in shadows!

An image of my camera on the salt flats in the night. A very surreal place. A hidden desert spring. This is a harsh land and because it is a limestone reef the water goes right into the ground. There are no high country streams or lakes here. The water pops out at springs when it reaches an impearmeable rock layer. This spring is quite lush with pines, maples, madrone, and oaks. A 20 acre oasis in the desert. Then another pic of the sand. The dunes get to be about 70 feet tallor so. Really a neat place and very very quiet here.

VERY NICE ! :cool:

A last few pics. As I was driving south to Van Horn I encountered several horses, mules, and cows. Here is one of the better images.

Then in Van Horn I stopped at Chuys. After eating camp food for a few days a good plate of huevos rancheros sounded great. Chuys is home to the John Madden (yes that John Madden) Haul of Fame. See the sign and John's chair. Food is good. Stop in if you are ever on I-10 east of El Paso.

nice. realy cool pictures.

Great pics as always. Man I miss the S.W. can't wait to get out of here:sad:. Drew:sad:

Great pics!

Nice pictures..........
and camping in Texas in Aug.........you are nuts!!!!

Great pics. I hope to travel down there sometime.

Cool...heading out there in about 6 weeks. Meeting up w/the inlaws & their 5th wheel with our 3 y.o. in tow, so no "real" camping. Gonna try to do a day or 2 in Big Bend too. Had no idea about the salt flats & the gypsum dunes. Guess I need to hit REI for a guidebook :) Got any you like?

You think 3rd/4th week of Oct is too early for Mckitrick to start changing? I know it's packed on the weekends so I want to try there mid-week.

Ha...I thought "Haul" of fame was a typo 'til I saw the pic of the sign. Is there a dish w/that name on the menu?

Cool...heading out there in about 6 weeks. Meeting up w/the inlaws & their 5th wheel with our 3 y.o. in tow, so no "real" camping. Gonna try to do a day or 2 in Big Bend too. Had no idea about the salt flats & the gypsum dunes. Guess I need to hit REI for a guidebook :) Got any you like?

You think 3rd/4th week of Oct is too early for Mckitrick to start changing? I know it's packed on the weekends so I want to try there mid-week.

Ha...I thought "Haul" of fame was a typo 'til I saw the pic of the sign. Is there a dish w/that name on the menu?

October is a great month in both BBNP and GMNP. The weather is cooler and the leaves start to change. I usually goto McKittrick the weekend before Halloween and have always seen color. I would guess you can get color after about the 15th but the best color is closer to the end of the month. Call the park and they can give you color info right before you get there. And do goto McKittrick on a weekday. On a weekend I would hike to Smith Spring or upto Devils Hall. Will be less people there and still some neat color.

If you are there in early October you can find colorful aspen trees up around Cloudcroft, NM which is only about 2-3 hours from the Guadalupes. They lose their color by the end of October though. No fall color but Carlsbad is a great walk on a bad weather day as it is always 58 degrees in the caverns.

The salt flats are right on US 180 about 15 miles west of the park HQ. Cannot miss them and there is a pull out for them. Not a fun place if it is really windy, but magical at twilight if it is still.

The sand dunes are a long drive from HQ, but ask them about checking out a key and they will give you a map too. Again, it needs to be still or the blowing grit is no fun. Remember that there is about a 1.5 mile walk into the dunes down an old trail. Best light on the dunes is around sunset but that means hiking out in the dark. If you goto the sandunes, drive out to the little town of Dell City and there is gas and a cafe there. Rositas is a great little hole in the wall for some Tex-Mex.

Speaking of food-there are no Madden specials on the menu at Chuys but plenty of football stuff graces the walls.

It is a super neat place in the Guadalupes, just remember that there is no gas, food, or lodging for 40 miles in any direction.

Not aware of any great guidebooks, but might look for the one Lawrence Parent did on hikes or parks of Texas. He is a great photographer and has published a few guidebooks through Falcon (I think).

Have fun!

A couple more images. My E at the salt flats and the chile pepper fields near Dell City.

I live in El Paso and get to Guadalupe Mts quite often. But I hadn't ever heard of the spring shown in your photo. What is it called? How does one get to it? Have you ever been to Sitting Bull Falls on the backside of the park? It is a very nice falls in the middle of the desert. You get there by going north of Carlsbad City on the road to Roswell and turning to the left on a hard road but not sure of the route number. It is part of the park also. There are some pictures of it on line you can Google.

I live in El Paso and get to Guadalupe Mts quite often. But I hadn't ever heard of the spring shown in your photo. What is it called? How does one get to it? Have you ever been to Sitting Bull Falls on the backside of the park? It is a very nice falls in the middle of the desert. You get there by going north of Carlsbad City on the road to Roswell and turning to the left on a hard road but not sure of the route number. It is part of the park also. There are some pictures of it on line you can Google.

The springs I pictured were Smith Spring. You can get there from the trailhead at Frijole Ranch. There is also the Frijole Springs at the ranch house, Manzanita Spring is on the trail to Smith. There is also Pine Springs which is on the hill not far from the bottom of Bear Canyon. There are two big pine trees and an old tank is there too.

I have not been to the falls but know how to get there. I have camped a couple of times at Dog Canyon on the north side of the park and you take the highway past SB falls to get there. If you like the Guadalupes, that is a great destination. Since it is higher than the Pine Springs area, it is a great trailhead to backpack into the mountains from.

And if you are up that way the little store in Queen cooks up a pretty good cheeseburger.

Thanks for the info. Have you been into the Slaughter Canyon cave that is quite nice, every bit as nice as Carlsbad cavern? It is part of the Carlsbad system, but not the main cave. It is not improved so you have to carry a hand light and can get muddy. But you never have to crawl or get through any real tight spots; you do go down a steep incline using a rope once. They only allow so many people a day in and they go in as guided groups only. I went with my sons Boy Scout troop. It is a hike just getting to the entrance. I believe you can arrange it through the Carlsbad National Park service. How far would it be to walk to the Smith springs from the ranch? I want to camp in my Element at the Guadeloupe welcome center camp ground and then walk to the peak one morning. I did it once before but not with the Element. Is that medium or large format you are working with?

Thanks for the info. Have you been into the Slaughter Canyon cave that is quite nice, every bit as nice as Carlsbad cavern? It is part of the Carlsbad system, but not the main cave. It is not improved so you have to carry a hand light and can get muddy. But you never have to crawl or get through any real tight spots; you do go down a steep incline using a rope once. They only allow so many people a day in and they go in as guided groups only. I went with my sons Boy Scout troop. It is a hike just getting to the entrance. I believe you can arrange it through the Carlsbad National Park service. How far would it be to walk to the Smith springs from the ranch? I want to camp in my Element at the Guadeloupe welcome center camp ground and then walk to the peak one morning. I did it once before but not with the Element. Is that medium or large format you are working with?

I have not been in the Slaughter Canyon cave. I know they have a few "rough" caves you can visit, but I have just done the regular Carlsbad walk. When I am out here, I guess I am more interested in the sights aboove ground.

Smith spring is about a 1.5 mile round trip walk from Frijole with a couple hundered ft of elevation. It is a nice loop walk that takes you past Smith and then down by Manzinita.

I always tent camp, but did see someone with a modified bed platform in an E last fall when I was there. The peak is a long day, but fun.

My camera is a large format 4x5 view camera. Mine is made by Arca-Swiss and more of a modern monorail than the usual wooden folding camera.

Hi There!

I live in El Paso and go through the Guadalupes a lot...one question for you..
Can you tent camp on the Salt Basin Sand Dunes? Or anywhere on the 4x4 road that you mentioned? I have camped at Dog Canyon and Pine Springs, but never the back country...Don't feel like dragging all the camping stuff to the middle of nowhere, but would love to drive out there.
I'm also a photographer and looking for new vistas of the Guadalupe mountains..
Thank you!!

Stacy

Hi There!

I live in El Paso and go through the Guadalupes a lot...one question for you..
Can you tent camp on the Salt Basin Sand Dunes? Or anywhere on the 4x4 road that you mentioned? I have camped at Dog Canyon and Pine Springs, but never the back country...Don't feel like dragging all the camping stuff to the middle of nowhere, but would love to drive out there.
I'm also a photographer and looking for new vistas of the Guadalupe mountains..
Thank you!!

Stacy

That would be a big no. There are the two campgrounds at Pine Springs and Dog Canyon. There are some backcountry campsites you have to backpack into but nothing you can drive.

You could have someone drive you into Williams Ranch and you could walk the mile to Shumard campsite but you cannot leave a vehicle overnight at Williams. The sand dunes are off limits for any camping.

I have gone into the backcountry and if you can backpack it is well worth the hike. Especially Guadalupe Peak or any of the sites in the Bowl.

One thing you could do is camp in the Lincoln National Forest on the ridge above Dog Canyon. There is a turnoff between the park and the little town of Queen that follows forest rd 540 along the ridge back south. At the end of it are some undeveloped "campsites" that are really just dirt parking spaces on the side of the road in the trees. There are alot of pines up there so fairly wooded. I think you can connect on trails back through there and see into upper North McKittrick Canyon and also a trail that connects to the Wilderness Ridge area.

Here is a pic from the road along the ridge looking down into Dog Canyon. The other is looking north along the ridge into NM. One of the overlooks is called "5 points Vista".