Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail
Distance: 2.5 miles (round trip)
Location: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Date: March 28, 2014
The Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail is an alternate trail for hiking the very bottom section of the route to Guadalupe Peak. As is in the name, it is for horses since they are not allowed on the first 0.7 miles of the Guadalupe Peak Trail (but people are allowed on the horse trail). On the afternoon I arrived in the park on the day before hiking to Bush Mountain, I made a 2.5 mile loop hike by combining the first mile to Devil's Hall, 0.8 miles of the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail, and then finishing with 0.7 miles on the Guadalupe Peak Trail.
The first mile to Devil's Hall is relatively flat, but once you reach the junction with the horse trail, you begin a steady climb, although it isn't all that steep. The views from the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail are fairly good and include Pine Spring Canyon and Hunter Peak. The overall elevation gain is about 500 feet, and you reach the highest point at the intersection of the horse trail and the main Guadalupe Peak Trail. The return from this point is all downhill and less than half the distance of the hike up. After making this short hike I went to Frijole Ranch and Manzanita Spring.
© Copyright 2017 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.
Location: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
Date: March 28, 2014
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| Hunter Peak from the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail |
The Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail is an alternate trail for hiking the very bottom section of the route to Guadalupe Peak. As is in the name, it is for horses since they are not allowed on the first 0.7 miles of the Guadalupe Peak Trail (but people are allowed on the horse trail). On the afternoon I arrived in the park on the day before hiking to Bush Mountain, I made a 2.5 mile loop hike by combining the first mile to Devil's Hall, 0.8 miles of the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail, and then finishing with 0.7 miles on the Guadalupe Peak Trail.
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| Looking east out of Pine Spring Canyon along the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail |
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| Hunter Peak from the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail |
The first mile to Devil's Hall is relatively flat, but once you reach the junction with the horse trail, you begin a steady climb, although it isn't all that steep. The views from the Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail are fairly good and include Pine Spring Canyon and Hunter Peak. The overall elevation gain is about 500 feet, and you reach the highest point at the intersection of the horse trail and the main Guadalupe Peak Trail. The return from this point is all downhill and less than half the distance of the hike up. After making this short hike I went to Frijole Ranch and Manzanita Spring.
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| Texas madrone blossoms |
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| Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail |
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© Copyright 2017 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.
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