after a recent trip out to the Davis Mountains and Big Bend Ranch State Park my son and I decided that we want to hike Guadalupe Peak sometime before next summer. We hiked about 12 miles over 2.5 days and had a great time doing it.

It looks like Guad peak is an 8.4 mile round trip which is about 4x longer than anything we've previously done on a single hike. My son is not exactly a big strong athletic kid but he's an average 12 year old who will be in decent shape from playing basketball and working out in athletics in school. I'm not in great shape but pretty average probably (6' 200-205) and play basketball a couple of times per week(except for right now during Corona). Having never done a hike like this I'm just curious if we really need to prepare for it or if it's something we can just go knock out without much trouble. I've hiked 8 miles in a day just not at any elevation and not uphill for 4.5 miles.

For those who have done it, is it an extremely strenuous hike that's going to require some preparation for or just a long moderate hike?

Also, when is the best time as far as weather and scenery to do the hike?

Finally, should we plan an extra day to explore McKittrick Canyon?

Thanks.

We did it 3 yrs ago. 3 decently fit men in our 30s. Kicked my butt But had a ball. Bring lots of water.

Live out here go to park often. It's not like Everest so don't scare yourself there. The peak trail is actually built really well where you have a good balance between upward climb and mild switchbacks. You'll climb then have a chance to break and so on until you reach top. With that being said I would just plan to take more breaks and bring plenty of water if you're concerned. You'll prolly be fine if you exercise pretty regularly and be sure to stretch.
If you were looking to do another trail the next day (and not too sore) I would definitely recommend getting up to pine top where a few trails converge to get to interior and hitting up bowl trail from there. Everybody goes for peak but the interior of the park is the jewel imho. Don't think I can PM or I'd offer some extra advice. Hope that helped a little.

I did it last September, in the rain for about half the hike. I'm 49 and I have one knee with arthritis and the other had a torn meniscus in 2018. Coming down was hard on my knees. It took me about 8 hours round trip but I stopped and talked with people a lot and took lots of pictures. There were people of all ages on the trail from under 10 to groups of men and women in their 60's.

We've been to the Guads several times. We really like Devils Hall and Pratt's Cabin trail. Easy day hikes.

Short answer: Y'all should be able to do it. Training would help but probably isn't required.

Comparison: I went with my 12yo son and 10yo daughter about 15 months ago. Son is about like yours (regularly active/sports but not a super-athlete). Daughter was not particularly athletic then (a little better now). I was pretty well out of shape then (also a little better now). Son had no trouble. Daughter and I took breaks every 5 minutes for the first two miles (hike starts kind of steep). But we all made it to the top. Took 4-5 hours up and 1.5 hours down. I just kept telling my daughter we could keep going a little farther, till we made it to the top. There is very little elevation loss on the way up, so I knew if we could get to the top, we could get down.

Trail difficulty rating: We went to Glacier NP this summer, and in my planning I found a calculation for how to determine how difficult hikes are. It's not an exact science, but it was really helpful to my family in planning our hikes. The formula is listed below, but if you think of one mile as one point of difficulty, you also have to add two points for every 1,000 ft elevation gain on the hike. So a flat one mile hike would be a difficulty rating of one, but a one mile hike with 500ft elevation gain has a difficulty rating of two. Or said differently, that one mile hike with 500ft elevation is actually equivalent to a flat two mile hike. You use the same energy for both. For my family I think the elevation gain adds a little more than just 2 per 1,000 ft, but 2 is considered the average number, so that's how I calculate.

Trail Difficulty Rating = Mileage + (2 x elevation gain / 1000)
Guadalupe Peak hike: very strenuous 8.5 mile round trip hike with a 3,000ft elevation gain.
Trail Difficulty Rating: 8.5 + (2 x 3,000 / 1000) = 14.5

Recommendations:
Do the hike. Take lots of water and high energy snacks. If hiking soon, start hike early in morning to beat the heat. Get an app like All Trails, subscribe, and download the map to your phone. Knowing where you are and what you have left can be really helpful.

I hiked it in Boy Scouts and then again in my 30s with my girlfriend with a full frame pack/gear. It's very doable. I recommend hiking poles, I find they take the load off your knees. I'd recommend late October for the weather and maple leaves.

On the Peak Trail

Up top

McKittrick Canyon on Oct 31st 2013

My dad got up and down on a bad knee. It's not bad at all. Start early, and bring enough water. My brothers could have made the round trip in 3-4 hours at the time but it can take up to 8 hours if you stop to rest and take pictures a lot. It can be surprisingly cool up top, so maybe pack a light jacket or long sleeve shirt.

Only thing to add is keep in mind that weather can blow in the more amount of time spent on hike. Would leave early enough to be off the mountain before two.

Great stuff. Thanks everyone! I think we're going to try to squeeze it in one weekend in October.

My wife and I did it this past weekend. Good shoes and hiking poles will help tremendously! Also, lots of water. If you have an extra day, check out Carlsbad Caverns. It is only 20 minutes from Guadalupe Mountains NP and definitely worth it!

Where are you all staying close to the peak? Camping? Or hotel?

We took a bunch of school kids out there and did it June 2019. The hardest part was the beginning then it gets easier after that. We were passed up by a couple of 7-10 year olds and their parents on the way up and down. It's not as strenuous or intimidating as you may think.

I took binoculars on my hike, which was a waste. Up at the top there were tons of flies for some reason. Luckily I had packed my Crocs in my backpack and wore them for the hike back down.

As we wrapped it up, we were greeted by a rattlesnake in the parking lot.

You can do it. I've been going since I was your son's age. Most recently last Fall with my 72 year old Dad one last time. SanAntone is right, the first part of the ascent is the toughest but it gets much easier. Poles are not a bad idea especially on the way down.

7-9 hours. Where a ton of sunscreen. Bring a pen to write your names on the log at top. In October it could be stupid cold up there, so bring tons of layers. It's a hard hike, but very rewarding, and worth the effort.

McKittrock in October would be awesome. Second the side trip to Carlsbad. Especially they've opened back up the private cave tours by then.

I did it in the mid-1990's. I was in my 20s, pudgy, and out of shape. Take plenty of water, and you should be fine. We got passed on the trail by a couple of German dudes on vacation who were in the German army. They smoked us. I felt like a typic pudgy ugly American getting embarrassed in my own country. The trip down was harder than I expected. My shoes were a little small and my big toe keep pressing against the inside of my shoe. I lost a toenail due to that.

Definitely take advantage of McKittrick Canyon.

Every Texan should have Guadalupe Peak on their bucket list.

The trail itself is super technical, so lots of uneven footing and loose rock. It is mostly exposed, so start early. I'll probably windy AF at the top. It's a little longer, but you can take a more gentle climb or descent by taking the horse trail for the first section instead of the steep hiking trail. I've been up and down several times, doing everything from just meandering to doing a round trip in 2.5 hours. If you take your time and rest in the shade, its completely do-able. Just do your homework on time of year, b/c it can get miserable with the wind at certain times of year.

I also agree with the above that the bowl/interior of the park is the jewel, but you either have to put in some really long miles or overnight to really experience it, IMO.

We did it early August last year. Wife, 10 and 13 year old sons, and me. Again, take water and wear shoes with good grip. I didn't anticipate how slippery some of the rock was. My poor 10 year old bit it a few times.

There was a dude coming down as we were going up. Maybe 8am. He was wearing flip flops and had started like 3am to get to the top before sun up.

It shouldn't be too hard. But you will be tired after. 8.5 miles and 3k feet of gain. Biggest issue is the tall steps on the lower half. Start early so you aren't in full sun exposure on the climb at the bottom.

By comparison my son has done many that hard. He isn't a badass. He just is a kid with energy. A couple for comparison:


Chasm Lake in RMNP at age 6. That was 8.5 miles and 2500 feet of gain and ended up at 11,823 feet.




Then here is Hallet Peak also in RMNP. at age 8. That was 9.2 miles and 3,254 feet of gain and ended up at 12,713 feet.

Try and catch a sunrise on the summit.

I did the Bright Angel trail of the Grand Canyon from the rim to the river and back in one long summer day when I was 7. Apparently I complained a lot about stopping to rest but wouldn't sit still when we did stop.

That's 15.6 miles and 4460 feet drop, and it was mid July too. Kids are more capable than we give them credit for regarding endurance.

Also did the big loop from Chisos basin to the South Rim and back when I was about 5 or so. Roughly 14 miles and 2000 feet elevation with some up and down in there.

Just get them walking and keep pointing out nature along the way to keep them interested in moving forward and seeing more and power through any whining.

Motel in Whites City NM next to Carlsbad Caverns or Van Horn, TX are the closest options

Unless you leave extremely early, when you're on the way up you'll start meeting people who are on their way back down. If you look as exhausted and despairing as I do halfway up a mountain, most all of them will say something like "you're almost there!", or "just one more switchback!"

This is because hikers are dirty liars. You're not even close.


It's actually because hikers are really helpful and encouraging, and also because going down is much faster and easier than going up so it does feel like they just left the peak.

Ulrich said:

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Unless you leave extremely early, when you're on the way up you'll start meeting people who are on their way back down. If you look as exhausted and despairing as I do halfway up a mountain, most all of them will say something like "you're almost there!", or "just one more switchback!"

This is because hikers are dirty liars. You're not even close.


It's actually because hikers are really helpful and encouraging, and also because going down is much faster and easier than going up so it does feel like they just left the peak.

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Ran into this in RMNP last year, took my 8yo and 5yo up to Emerald Lake, in a snow storm. Lots of "great job boys, almost there"... for about two hours.

Yeah, when we crossed the bridge going up we thought we were almost there. Then another hour later...

Observation Point at Zion was my worst one. It's a steep climb, but the real problem was that I'm afraid of heights and whoever decided to build that trail had a heck of an imagination. There's a mile or two or hundred where the trail is a ledge on a cliff just wide enough for two people to pass, and that's where everyone you meet starts reassuring you.

Glad I did it, but when I go again I'm taking the back way.

My husband and I hiked Guadalupe Peak this Spring Break with my father-in-law. I work out regularly but had started doing some elevation training a few months before because elevation always kicks my butt. I can run half marathons on flat ground but anything with a hill and I'm dying. If you are willing to go slower and not mind being passed on the trail, you can make it up, it will just take time.

I will reiterate what everyone else said and take some hiking poles. They saved my knees on the way down. And sunscreen. It wasn't a hot day in March but I definitely got burned.

As SanAntoneAg mentioned, there are some false summits. You think, surely the top is right there, and then the trail starts winding you in the opposite direction and you realize you still have a way to go. We took sandwiches to eat at the top and enjoy the scenery. You've walked all that way so you might as well sit and enjoy it. We did not have the fly problem as someone mentioned.

We had originally planned to camp out there but we arrived around 3pm in the afternoon and all the campsites were taken, so we ended up staying in White's City as someone else mentioned. It's nothing fancy, but worth not having to drive too far. And then at that point, you are literally minutes from the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns.

Do they still have an ammo box at the summit with a journal inside to sign your name?

Ulrich said:

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Observation Point at Zion was my worst one. It's a steep climb, but the real problem was that I'm afraid of heights and whoever decided to build that trail had a heck of an imagination. There's a mile or two or hundred where the trail is a ledge on a cliff just wide enough for two people to pass, and that's where everyone you meet starts reassuring you.

Glad I did it, but when I go again I'm taking the back way.

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At least it wasn't Angel's Landing.

Yes they do!

Marauder Blue 6 said:

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Ulrich said:

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Observation Point at Zion was my worst one. It's a steep climb, but the real problem was that I'm afraid of heights and whoever decided to build that trail had a heck of an imagination. There's a mile or two or hundred where the trail is a ledge on a cliff just wide enough for two people to pass, and that's where everyone you meet starts reassuring you.

Glad I did it, but when I go again I'm taking the back way.

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At least it wasn't Angel's Landing.

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I turned around when I saw the spot where it cuts through the cliff. I never really expected to make it to the top, but I thought maybe it wouldn't be as bad as it looked in pictures.

Thanks again for all of the info. We're going to Dinosaur Valley State Park in the morning to hike 4 miles or so before it gets horribly hot as we start doing some longer hikes around here to start getting ready. Actually it will probably be horribly hot when we get there first thing in the morning but we'll pack a load of water.

since we had a break of cool weather we decided to go ahead and do the hike this weekend. Didn't get a chance to prepare as much as I wanted but went anyway and I'm a wuss and in worse shape than I thought I was.

The hike was amazing but absolutely kicked my rear end up and down the mountain. We made it up and back in 6 hours which included a 20 minute break at the top and lots of breaks for my son to take pictures of animals, views and insects with his new camera(ok I admit I kept encouraging him to stop and take pics of everything we passed so that I could have more breaks).

Going up I was really struggling at the beginning and had a hard time catching my breath and started to get a headache. After .7 miles I had to take a break and my son let me know that he was "really disappointed" in me lol but I recovered enough to keep going. That first mile is really tough. Going up was very difficult. Going down was easier but much more painful on my feet, quads and knees. I should have listened to the advice to bring trekking poles.

We celebrated our accomplishment by eating at Carniceria San Juan de los Lagos in Carlsbad which was really good. Some of the best tacos I've had since back when I lived in southern Mexico for a couple of years.

We're going back in the morning to hike McKittrick Canyon. Might try to go to the Grotto or may just go to the cabin and back. We've got a 6.5 hour drive home so don't want to be there all day again.

next hiking goal is to conquer Wheeler Peak in NM.

Hells yeah. Glad you made it up. Just keep going and I'm sure you will look back at this and laugh at how hard you thought it was! Yeah those 18 inch steps kill the knees but most trails have better steps than that.

Way to go dad. Outstanding use of the weekend!

Congratulations on the summit.

As a point of contemplation, let's all remember that the late Clayton Williams summited Guadalupe Peak on his 70th birthday.

Happy trails!