Guadalupe Mountains National Park facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Guadalupe Mountains National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, as seen from Hunter Peak
Guadalupe Mountains National Park Location in Texas Show map of Texas Guadalupe Mountains National Park Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Culberson County and Hudspeth County, Texas, United States
Nearest city	Dell City, Texas
Area	86,367 acres (349.51 km²)
Established	September 30, 1972
Visitors	172,347 (in 2018)
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a special place in the Guadalupe Mountains of Texas. It's located east of El Paso. This park is home to Guadalupe Peak, which is the highest point in all of Texas! It stands tall at about 8,749 feet (2,667 meters). Another famous peak is El Capitan. Long ago, travelers used El Capitan as a guide on their journeys.

The park covers a huge area of about 86,367 acres (349.5 square kilometers). It's in the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north in New Mexico.

You can find old ruins of a stagecoach station near the Pine Springs visitor center. There's also the restored Frijole Ranch, which has a small museum about the area's history. It's also where a trail to Smith Spring begins.

If you like hiking, the Guadalupe Peak Trail is a great adventure. It climbs over 3,000 feet (914 meters) through forests of pinyon pine and Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir. From the top, you get amazing views of El Capitan and the vast Chihuahuan Desert.

Another popular spot is McKittrick Canyon. A trail there leads to a stone cabin built in the 1930s. This was the vacation home of Wallace Pratt, a geologist who later gave this land to the park. Dog Canyon, on the northern edge of the park, can be reached from Carlsbad, New Mexico or Dell City, Texas. You can go camping at Pine Springs and Dog Canyon. There's even a public corral for horses if you want to bring your own!

On the west side of the park, near Dell City, you can find unique Gypsum sand dunes. A rugged road for four-wheel drive vehicles leads to the historic Williams Ranch.

History of the Guadalupe Mountains
Geography of the Park
- Water and Limestone
Climate in the Guadalupe Mountains
- Weather Patterns
Ecology: Plants and Animals
- Plant Life
- Animal Life
Images for kids
See also

History of the Guadalupe Mountains

Park map (click map to enlarge)

The Guadalupe Mountains are very old! Scientists believe they formed about 272 to 260 million years ago. These mountains have seen a lot of history over thousands of years.

Ancient People and Early Settlers

Archaeological finds show that people have lived here for over 10,000 years. They used the many caves and rock shelters. These early people were hunter-gatherers. They hunted large animals and collected plants for food. We know this from the tools, baskets, pottery, and rock art they left behind.

The first Europeans arrived in the 1500s. They were Spanish explorers. They didn't settle much, but they brought horses. This changed life for the local tribes, like the Apaches. Horses helped them hunt and travel. The Mescalero Apaches lived in these mountains for a long time. They hunted game and harvested agave plants for food and fiber. You can still find old agave roasting pits in the park today.

Frijole Ranch House

Travelers and Conflicts

By the mid-1800s, many American immigrants were traveling west through this area. In 1858, a place called Pinery Station was built near Pine Springs. This was a stop for the Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach service that delivered mail. The stagecoaches crossed Guadalupe Pass, which is about 5,534 feet (1,687 meters) high.

The US Army's 9th Cavalry Regiment was sent to the area. Their job was to protect settlers and the mail route from raids. Over time, the Mescalero Apaches were moved out of the area to reservations.

Ranches and Park Creation

Felix McKittrick was one of the first European ranchers here in the 1870s. McKittrick Canyon is likely named after him. The Frijole Ranch was built in 1876 by the Rader brothers. It was the main building in the area for a long time. It even served as a post office from 1916 to 1942. Today, the Frijole Ranch has been restored and is a museum. The Williams Ranch House was built in 1908.

Wallace Pratt Lodge

A man named Wallace Pratt was a geologist. He loved the beauty of McKittrick Canyon. In 1921, he bought land there and built two summer homes. He and his family used them until 1960. Wallace Pratt later donated about 6,000 acres (24 square kilometers) of McKittrick Canyon. This land became a key part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The park officially opened to the public in September 1972.

Geography of the Park

McKittrick Canyon from a distance

The Guadalupe Mountains are famous for Guadalupe Peak, which is the highest point in Texas. It reaches an elevation of 8,751 feet (2,667 meters). The mountain range stretches from Texas into New Mexico. It ends near Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. To the southwest, it ends near El Capitan, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of El Paso.

These mountains rise more than 3,000 feet (914 meters) above the dry Chihuahuan Desert floor. The Guadalupe Mountains are surrounded by flat plains to the east and north.

Water and Limestone

The mountains are mostly made of limestone. This rock formed from an ancient reef in a shallow sea millions of years ago. Because of the limestone, there isn't much surface water in the higher areas. The most important stream is McKittrick Creek, which flows through McKittrick Canyon.

The elevation at the base of the mountains ranges from about 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) on the west side to 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) on the east. Several peaks in the southern part of the park are higher than 8,000 feet (2,438 meters).

Manzanita Spring

Climate in the Guadalupe Mountains

The climate here is a Cold Desert Climate. This means it's generally dry, but the higher elevations can get quite cold.

Weather Patterns

Summers in the Guadalupe Mountains are usually hot. Autumns are calm and mild, which is a great time to visit. Winters and early spring can be cool to cold. Sometimes, there are snowstorms, sleet, freezing rain, or fog. Strong winds are common from winter through spring.

In late summer, the park gets "monsoons." These are periods of heavy thunderstorms. Even in summer, the nights are cool.

Ecology: Plants and Animals

McKittrick Canyon Trail

Guadalupe Mountains National Park has three main types of natural areas, called ecosystems.

Plant Life

Chihuahuan Desert: On the western side, you'll see dry salt flats, creosote bushes, and honey mesquite.
Low Elevations: The eastern side has grasslands, pinyon pine, and juniper trees.
Canyons: Inside canyons like McKittrick, Bear, and Pine Springs, you'll find different trees. These include bigtooth maple, velvet ash, and chinkapin oak. These trees get water from springs fed by mountain streams.
High Elevations: Above 7,000 feet (2,134 meters), there are forests of ponderosa pine, Arizona pine, southwestern white pine, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, and alligator juniper. You might even spot small groups of quaking aspen trees.