We went on a day hike to McKittrick Canyon at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park back in July of 2016. I loved this trail because the landscape and foliage changed so much throughout the hike. It is supposed to be really beautiful in the fall when the trees change color. I would like to go back someday and experience that.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is in West Texas and right on the border of Texas and New Mexico. It’s not far from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. You can find information on the state park on their website. Here are links to the park map and trails map.
The McKittrick Canyon
We started our hike at the McKittrick Canyon trail head and hiked all the way to The Grotto, which is a 6.8 roundtrip moderate hike. This hike was a fun experience because we got to see some desert area, a hidden pocket of trees, a creek, the Pratt cabin with a nice area to take a break, and the grotto. It was a great variety of things to see. It was also nice because once we got into the actual canyon, there was a good amount of shade to protect us from the desert sun. The trail goes on to more interesting points but we were too tired to go any further. Maybe next time. I added a slideshow of photos that I took during our hike so you can get some ideas on what it looks like!
Wow, that looks like quite a hike. What gorgeous views.
How fun! I did a day trip near there on my way to Oklahoma from Arizona! I want to go back and see Carlsbad Caverns!
Carlsbad Caverns are fun! The environment is something unique to experience. And the formations are pretty cool. They are only caves I’ve ever been in.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing your trip. I read so much about American National Parks and my dream is to hike such trails! What an adventure it must be!
It was a lot of fun! I haven’t been hiking in a couple of years. Hopefully I can get back into it. I hope you can hike soon too! Start at a state or national park in your area if you have any!