The Highest Peak in Texas is a Hiker’s Dream & Near El Paso

The beautiful thing about El Paso, Texas is that even though we're a desert town, there is no shortage of places to hike to bask in the beauty of nature. While the Franklin Mountains are a favorite for us, there's another spot that hikers love to go: the Guadalupe Mountains State Park, home of the Guadalupe Peak. And it is indeed the HIGHEST peak in all of Texas.

Where is Guadalupe Peak & how big is it?

Called the "Top of Texas', the Guadalupe Peak is located in Pine Springs, Texas within Culberson County. For us in El Paso; it's about 115 miles away (roughly a 2 hour drive). The highest peak of the mountain reaches 8,751 feet. In fact, many of the highest peaks in Texas are found within the Guadalupe Mountain range; seven of which make up the top 10. The 3 peaks are ones you find in the Davis Mountains located in Fort Davis: Baldy Peak, Mount Livermore & Peak 8040.

Before you go hiking, here's what you need to know

• The trail can be very steep & very rough; it can take about 6-8 hours to complete. So the experts recommend that you wear very sturdy hiking boots with good grip.
• If you have medical conditions that are affected by altitude changes, don't go.
• Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen (the desert heat can be very unforgiving),
• Keep an eye on the weather: afternoon thunderstorms are very common & strong winds can reach up to 40 mph.
• Bring shade as there is very little up on the mountains.
• And of course make sure you have the Eleven Essential Items on a hike.

If you DO go, the views can be breathtaking...

Knowing me, I'll most likely never be able to handle such an intense hike. But if you do, make sure to take in the views & be safe traveling back down.

If you want more stories of hiking trails in El Paso, one leads you to the site of a 1950's plane crash.

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