Ascent of Guadalupe Peak on 2014-05-24| Other People: | Solo Ascent
| | Date: | Saturday, May 24, 2014 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Guadalupe Peak | | Location: | USA-Texas | | Elevation: | 8749 ft / 2666 m |
Ascent Trip ReportGot a late start out of Van Horn after getting in late from Big Bend the night before and having to address some car issues. Showed up at Guadalupe Mountains National Park around 1pm and found the TH parking lot full. Parked at the visitor center and tacked on an extra third of a mile getting to the TH.
Ominous dark storm clouds threatened over the mountain (name?) that the trail leads over, and I was sure I would have to take shelter at least a few times on the trail. The storm never came - just light drizzle that made the hike up through the foothills and cliffs section of the hike nicer. This is by far the most difficult part of the hike. Once you get on the crest, the trail levels out until you hit the final ascent of the peak. The "5 sections" of the hike described by the previous TR are spot on.
This is a well maintained trail and I saw approximately 100 hikers on it ranging in age from 6 to 60+. It is fairly steep for a bit, but nothing the experienced hiker should have any problems with. I'll rate it a Class 1+ for the moderate rockiness and sections of "exposure" (i.e. you could go over a cliff if you stray off the trail).
The summit is rockier than the cover photo on this page suggests. Perhaps it looks more like that earlier in the spring. There is an ammo box for a summit log at the top. Nice views of the entire Guadalupe Mountains range.
Got in a bit of trail running on the way down and was able to be up and down in under 5 hours including plenty of time on the summit. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 3227 ft / 983 m | | Extra Gain: | 100 ft / 30 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 9.2 mi / 14.8 km | | Route: | Guadalupe Peak Trail | | Trailhead: | Visitor Center 5722 ft / 1744 m | | Grade/Class: | Class 1+ | | Quality: | 6 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Maintained Trail | | Weather: | Drizzle, Pleasant, Calm, Partly Cloudy | | Ascent Statistics | | Time: | 2 Hours 10 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 1 Hours 49 Minutes |
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