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Shockaloe Trail Bienville National Forest

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4 Mile Trail Yosemite National Park

March 10, 2012 Comments (2) Trails

Guadalupe Peak Trail – This is Texas?

  • Scenic Beauty: 3.75
  • Difficulty: 4.0
  • Steepness: 4.0
  • Technicality: 3.75
  • Dog Friendly: No
  • Water: No
  • Location:  Guadalupe Mountains National Park – Far West Texas

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Gotta hand it to my friend Jason.  Just when I think I’m getting to know Texas he pulls out another trump card.  This means I’m off to check out what he’s talking about.  Well… I have to because he’s never wrong.

This time, as we were headed out of Waco Tanks he tells us we have go to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in far  West Texas.  And, he was right… as usual.  Camping was only $8 per night and the hiking was worth way more than that.  The focus for many is the Guadalupe Peak Trail.  It takes you to the highest point in Texas, 8749 feet and it make you pay a little price to get there.  There’s a 3000 foot ascent in roughly 4 miles.  At 750′ per mile that’s right on the edge of running for me.  Sections of the trail I was able to run but other parts it was power hiking for sure.  The last few hundred really make you work to get there.  I clocked a round trip time of 2:05 with a 1:22 ascent.

The trail itself is in good condition and definitely more technical that you normally find in National Parks.  I loved that and wish more National Park trails were like this.  The fist mile and a half consists of a steep climb that had me power hiking a lot along some nice switchbacks.  The middle section flattens out a bit as you round the mountain but as I mentioned before, the last few hundred feet are no joke.

If you’re a hiker or trail runner and you’re in El Paso, it’s well work a day or two trip out there.  You’ll be surprised that this exists in Texas.  Thanks again Jason.

 

2 Responses to Guadalupe Peak Trail – This is Texas?

  1. JD says:

    Glad you were able to make it out there, not an easy place to get to but worth the trip. Shame you didn’t have a clear day on the summit:

    https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZRZwaiitGbw/TAUopVcPopI/AAAAAAAAAdc/AKdm8p7sVt8/s903/GUMO+10+121.JPG

  2. Lynn says:

    Awesome son you got to love all the outdoor stuff…enough to last you a lifetime

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