this hike was life changing for me, a huge accomplishment. i hiked emory peak in Big Bend and Wheeler Peak in NM after this hike. Appreciate all your informative videos, learned a lot about TX parks from you
Oh you hit some good ones! We went to do Wheeler a couple years ago and they closed the National Forest about the time we were leaving for our trip. We'll have to head that way again soon.
Thank you for this video and the one with you hiking to the peak with your Mom! I used both of those to summit last Thursday with no issues. I am 65, large but in good shape. Trekking poles helped me, especially in the tricky parts. Using my arms to help take the weight off of my leg joints made a big difference, especially on the way down. Keep up the good work and thanks for the boost of confidence from both videos!
My wife and I and a friend hiked to the summit two weeks ago. I’m 66 and my wife turned 65 two days before our hike/climb. It was a birthday gift to herself and she did great. Let’s just say I completed it. The wind gusted over 60 mph and it was cold. I probably won’t do it again and right now I never want to.
Cameron this is a great video! My wife and I just made the summit yesterday, and really appreciate all the information in preparation for our hike! It is great information, and spot-on!
Man, I live in el paso and decided to hike this in the winter. The winds were 40 mph and it was freezing but somehow.... I STILL got a sunburn lol. No joke about the sunscreen in this area. Nice video!!
Thank you so much for this update. I drove through here on US 180 four years ago and knew then I would be back to hike it. We are headed to El Paso tomorrow and climbing on Thursday or Friday and are staying in Carlsbad. Your info on basic logistics was so helpful. We are both 65 years old but not at all over weight so hopefully we will make it. Glad u could do this with your mother. I am doing it with my best friend (his wife would not consider it).
I appreciate you watching. Some info from this video is already dated. But if you're staying in Carlsbad, the changes shouldn't pertain to you. It's mostly either the new reservation system for campsites at the park. I hope you guys make it to the top. You're smart giving yourself 2 different days go summit.
Excellent information and well laid out. I’ve yet to hike out to Guadalupe Peak due to the crowds, but maybe I can find a low traffic week to scoot out there.
Good luck. Maybe plan your trip for the next big blizzard. Haha, but seriously one of my trips was not quite miserable but fairly close as there were SO many people on trail. Definitely avoid weekends if possible.
I love this video! I really appreciate all the info! That one thing I was worried about was the overcrowding, I think I will push for a Tuesday hike, hopefully not that many people will be on it. What kind of wildlife will I encounter? That's something I'm excited for also.
Oh the Guadalupe Peak Trail you won't be as likely to see major wildlife like you might see on another trail. You do have a good chance of seeing mule deer closer to Pine Springs or the Guadalupe Peak campsites. You may also see Aoudad from a distance if you're lucky and good eyes. Other than that, maybe small reptiles or tarantulas. Good luck on your hike. Hope you get good weather and it goes well.
So much information, this is a great aid for people planning a big trip out to GUMO. I never thought about using Hunter Peak as an aid for judging elevation progress, I like that tip. The hydration tip is an important one too, all too often I’ve ran into people desert hiking without sufficient water. I really had it lucky when I did the summit a couple of years back. No wind and only saw 5 people on the trail. It was January and a bit chilly, I enjoyed a nice hot oatmeal with the top of Texas all to myself. Who was that shady looking fella next to you in the parking lot? 😜
Great video! Lots of good info. Clint from Not Lost Nomad sent me your way. I’ve been up to the peak many many times and covered most of the 80 miles or so in the park. But haven’t been out there in several years. It’s a magical place!
Yeah, you're right. I love those mountains. Try to get out there 3 or 4 times a year. I hope to finally get back out there in the next few weeks. I've done all the trails as well. I've been trying to get out to some places most people don't visit.
Lots of good information. Hiked the peak on 6/4/21. Beautiful weather with no wind on the peak. Hike itself was *B* *R* *U* *T* *A* *L* . I wished I had watched this video before the hike. Enjoyed camping at the tent site at Pine Springs.
Hahaha. I caught good several days of 60-80 mph winds past March 14-15. 3-4 campers had their poorly staked tents into pieces and few even had their tents blown away. Catching high wind on the peak and McKittirck's Notch were definitely memorable. Awesome guide. Thanks for great info. I wish i saw this video prior to my trip. I am going back for fall colors.
That's great. I obviously love the Guads in great weather but it's a fun experience to get some of the supe high winds. We saw lots of tents caving in this last year. The fall colors are great. Almost unbelievable how beautiful and vibrant the colors can be. Early November is such a great time in the range.
Hi Cameron, this was a good idea to do this video. All the info will be beneficial to people going there for the first time. The drawback of your GMNP videos is that they are partly responsible for making the park more crowded!
I definitely understand that they are partially responsible for the increasing crowds. I've pretty much given up on Pine Springs and Guadalupe Peak. Devils Hall was even a little too crowded for me when I did the trail with my mom last year. Luckily those are the areas I domt have much desire to hang around when going out there. The majority of the backcountry is still empty and I love it. I also thought about doing a response to your "Which National Park is Better: Big Bend or Guadalupe Mountains" video you put out a couple years ago.
@@CameronHall88 if you want to do that video that would be great. I know you are going to argue for GMNP. But from my perspective of climbing peaks, BB is much better. I could do a video here comparing Grand Canyon NP and Saguaro NP. And guess what, I would have to conclude that Saguaro is better. While the Grand Canyon does have many peaks in it , they aren't true mountains. So I would go with Sagauro, and 99% of people would think I'm nuts.
I don't necessarily think you're wrong. I just thought it'd be fun to argue the other side of it. I'd love to go to Saguaro at some point. It looks super beautiful. You're near some beautiful desert.
@@CameronHall88 Actually I do have a question (even though you said it in the video) If you camp at Guadalupe Peak Wilderness Campground that's 3.1 miles from the base, and the actual peak is 1 mile below. Does that mean 1 mile below is where the pyramid is? Basically wake up from the peak camp site, walk 1 mile to the pyramid, then walk 1 mile back to pack up and go back down to the base.
The campsites are at 3.1 or 3.2 from the trailhead. Then the peak is 1 mile above that. So you're right in that you can set up camp, summit the peak, and then grab your stuff on your way back down.
Hiked this with torn meniscus in knee to see if I could after not really being able to walk much over the previous month.. It was super easy took only 4 hours Rd trip going very slow.. No scrambling just a simple walk up.. Nice views!
You must be in pretty great shape, Jason. I wouldn't classify it as easy for me, but I don't find it quite as hard as a lot of people make it out to be. 4 hour round trip is pretty much flying on this trail. Good job.
Well not in great shape right now havnt been able to really walk for weeks until a week before the climb and still limping a bit.. Just walked a normal pace and stopped for photos often.. I think if someone wanted to go quickly and was in good shape its like 3 hrs round trip
I have hiked the Guadalupe Mts Natl park at least 3 times when I was younger, we did do Guadalupe peak once....I think it was the time we got snowed on :p
Great information. There's a lot of people at Pine Springs right now. I got here Wednesday evening and the campground was full. The Host informed me that someone changed their mind so I got lucky and got a campsite. I would imagine a lot of people were going up to the peak. I'm at Shumard campsite right now. As you can guess there is no one else here. Saw the lights from Dell City last night. Pretty tough trail coming out here in my opinion, lots of loose rocks on the trail.
Oh wow! That's a great campsite at sunset. Rough trail and tentpads. But its great being all alone at night with the colors on the mountain walls. Super jealous.
Thanks for going into such detail extremely helpful information and super practical, I am planning on doing the hike next year in August as part of extended hiking and camping trip through parts of the US provided by then we can get out of NZ and you answered every question I had and then some cheers
Heading there next week, had a bunch of questions I couldn't find on the website and you answered all of them for me. Appreciate the time you took to make the video. 🙌🙏
@@CameronHall88 if you dont mind some additional questions. We are planning on getting there this coming Monday around 5pm. We want to camp at the peak camping ground. There is a total of 4 of us. Do you think there will be availability up there? I was reading through the comments and it looks like its very popular these days? If not we will probably camp at the blm campsite and heading out early in the morning to the Guadalupe trail head. Also do you know if there is a trail back down to get to devils hall? Thank you for the info!
I would call when you're getting fairly close if you can get service. I wouldn't expect a backcountry campsite that late in the day. But you might get lucky since it's a weekday. If you have experience in offtrail route finding, it is possible to go off trail down into Devils Hall from Guadalupe Peak. If not, the only shortcut over to Devils Hall from the Guadalupe Peak trail is the Guadalupe Peak horse trail. It may cut off a mile or so.
That's awesome. Should be a good time of year. Especially if you go toward the end of September or don't mind the heat toward the start of the hike. If you can make it on a weekday, it'd be even better to avoid the crowd.
Another great video. Can't wait to do that hike. About how much weight do you carry up there if you stay at the primitive campsites close to the summit?
Thank you Cameron for another great video. It was very informative and helpful. My son and I are planning a trip to Guad. In November, and your videos are a great way to plan our trip. I have not been to Guad. Since the mid 1980’s, so I am looking forward to returning. P.S. I just bought the REI Basecamp 6. Thanks for the review on that also.
Thanks a lot. I have a ton of videos about the park on my channel. I hope your trip turns out well. If you have any other questions, I am more than happy to answer them.
Perfect timing for this video. I am just planning a hike of the Guadalupe Peak and visiting Carlsbad at the start of May, so this has all of the logistics info that I was looking for.
Can't wait attempting my second time this weekend. First time I went was a week after winter storm in 2021. Made it halfway but mountain was still icy and had snow, had to turn around not safe.
I think the half way point is the wood bridge. It can be divided into three parts. The first part is very steep switchbacks. The second part is moderate with only a small amount of elevation climb. The third part is steep again with it ending at the summit. I have watched a lot of people nit get to the end of the first section. Great informational video. Thanks for putting it out.
Thanks for adding on Richard. The first section is tough. I need to update this video as some aspects, mostly from the park's perspective, have changed.
great video and we are so grateful that you pay attention to so many important factors in a short video. we are headed to GNP a week from today and hope to summit the peak. I am 68 and my partner is 73, so we will be on a mission to get up and back without hurting ourselves! what is your advice about wind and a safe wind speed for the climb? we gave ourselves two days to choose from to make the hike, will take the best of the two based on conditions when we arrive
That's a good idea having multiple days to choose from. I have backpacked at the park in some VERY high winds. That being said, day hiking the peak wouldn't be much fun to me in anything over 40 mph. My mom who is in her late 50s was literally blown over on the peak and the winds weren't even that high. There are certain areas of the trail that are fairly exposed. Hopefully you'll catch some good weather for your trip and wind will not be an issue. It sure makes the experience better.
Great info on this video. I'll be doing the hike for the first time in 2 weeks. A bit off topic question, but what hiking pants do you use or recommend. TIA
Thanks a lot for watching. I dont know if I'll be much help on the pants suggestion. I just use Magellan brand pants from Academy. They work fine for me. I used to always wear the zip of style but I found I very rarely used them as shorts. So I started using their regular hiking pants.
@@CameronHall88 no worries. I have a pair of light weight pants that I found at Sam's club. I don't like the pockets seems to small for my cell phone. I'll look the Magellan brand next time in academy's.
@@CameronHall88 bought me a pair of the Magellan pants. I must say they are very one of the most comfortable pants I've worn. I'll be doing the peak on Friday. Hope the weather is good.
Getting there is half the battle. So you have an advantage over a lot of the state. Good luck on your hike. It's strenuous but getting to the top is not all that challenging if you are in decent shape. Every Texan should do it at least once.
Thank you for the great info, wish I would have watched the video before I hike the peak yesterday!! 🤣 I watch one of your videos about the GRT, how close can you get to the Dark Canyon Lookout Tower to cashe water? The GRT NP map shows a water cashe box on the natl forest and Carlsbad Caverns NP boarder, how can you cashe water there without hiking a very long distance?
You can drive all the way to Dark Canyon Lookout if you have 4wd. There were a couple cars there the day we were there. You would have to hike a water cache into the box at the Carlsbad Caverns NP trailhead. Itd be pretty far out of the way. It'd be a lot easier to cache in the NF if you have 4wd. If I had to do over again I would hike bigger miles and try to make it between water sources at Agua Dulce and a couple other cattle troughs.
Thank you!! I don’t have 4WD but I have a pick up. Looking on the map it looks like I can at least get within 2 miles and then hike in the water to the tower. I think I can do the hike in 3 to 4 days heading East. So that should make water less of a problem.
Thanks. Glad it helped. A few things at the park are changing. They now do reservations at Pine Springs and Dog Canyon front country campgrounds. And very soon they will be making Guadalupe Peak campsites by reservation. You can check their website for more details. Good luck on your trip.
I appreciate all the advice in this video! I'm planning on climbing the peak next month (February). One question - at 26:10 you suggest going to the bathroom before starting the hike because there aren't many places to get off trail enough to be out of site. Using the trailhead bathroom certainty seems like sound advice, but you also recommended bringing at least 3 liters or water so I am just wondering, do people seriously "hold it" for the entire hike? I am not a shy person, I'm just wondering what the protocol is up there. Thanks.
The desert usually tends to dry you out as you hike. Just because you drink a lot doesn't mean you arent losing it through sweat and your breath. I'm not saying there is no where to go. But don't expect any privacy. Good luck on your hike. If you can get a day without much wind, it shouldn't be too bad.
I would arrive by no later than 9:30 am mountain time. You have to give people from the previous night time to pack up and leave. I have had good luck in the past year between 8am and 9:30. That being said, a couple days I saw sites still available in early afternoon but other days none left by 10am. Obviously Friday, Saturday, and holidays will be the busiest times. Good luck with your trip. If you aren't going specifically just to do Guadalupe Peak, Dog Canyon campground really is the better campground at the park.
Couldn't make it to the top on my first try last April. :( Got about 300ft from the top, but there's a nasty/scary turn that freaked me out. Attempt #2 this weekend!
Guadalupe Mountains is a great national park for hiking. Being a wilderness park means it is less developed than some of the bigger parks and gives you a great chance of finding solitude in the mountains.
Hi! When it comes to the wind, do the trails ever close or do the ranger stations ever suggest not climbing to Guadalupe Peak because of the winds? If it is 60mph winds, does that mean both at the base of the trail and up at the peak it's windy all day or does it ever lighten up depending on where you are at?
I don't think they actually ever close the trails for wind. But they will strongly suggest you don't hike. But its up to you. The only reason the trail will close will be for something big like fire, flood, etc. I will say, I've been in some hellacious winds out there. Sometimes it's kind of fun. Other times it's terrible. The peak trail is really exposed to the wind for about 2/3 of the trail. So if it's real windy, you'll definitely know it.
One thing revealing about the wind is the parking spots for the camp host RVs have chain hold-downs anchored into the pad! On the positive side, the local weather service always has good details on current conditions and forecasts. Mountains tend to amplify the natural winds from fronts and troughs moving around, which they do in West Texas a lot, especially in the spring. Also, keep a heads up for thunderstorms, don't want to be on top of a peak like that during a thunderstorm!
Not many Texans know that we have mountains. When people think of Texas, what comes to mind is the coast and central Texas with rolling hills but not a dam mountain. I live in the RGV and I want to climb if. Why not?
I’m on a bachelor party with some friends that hike a lot and I am out of shape and have never hiked, we are doing this tomorrow and god I am so nervous and worried about it.
@@IIOrangeJuiceII so I made it up to the very last set of switchbacks before the very top, about 30 mins from the top and I got altitude poisoning, a problem ranger came by and urged me to go back down so I did, I was really disappointed I didn’t make it and was so close, but it was very very beautiful, even though I almost died haha. I am 6”0 300lbs haven’t done much since I played football in high school a couple years ago so I am bad out of shape, had to stop every other switchback to breath it was rough but very very beautiful, it made me want to do more so bad, so I have started a journey to lose weight, I was 320 at the time and I’ve lost 20 pounds so far and still dropping so I can make it to the top next time!
It definitely varies. You're most likely going to need it. The last time I summitted was last November and it was cold and windy. A week later, people were standing on the summit in shorts and t shirts. I think you'd definitely be fine wearing pants. And I would definitely at least bring a jacket. Even if you get a random warm day. It can be much winder and much colder on the summit itself.
@@CameronHall88 Appreciate the response. Will pack accordingly for both scenarios! Your guide was so helpful. We are staying in Carlsbad and gonna hit the peak and caverns on the same weekend!
So, if I have a issues with heights I should stay away? I've hiked at Davis Mountains and Balancing Rock at Big Bend. I semi-freak out but I'm able to push thru.
@ev_p if you can push through, the couple sections with exposure are pretty short and are wide enough that you can stay relatively far from any sort of edge. I'd say it's a non issue for most hikers.
Did they change the rules on hammocks at GMNP? Watched your older video on the Guadalupe peak site and you talked about spots for hammocks but looking at the park website it says they aren’t allowed.
@@CameronHall88 Thanks for the quick response. Planning on doing Guadalupe peak, McKittrick and Wilderness Ridge in November and my buddy was interested in hammocking Guadalupe peak in particular. Guess that’s out now. Love your videos. I use them to prep for all of my trips.
Thanks I appreciate it. The only real way to be able to hammock near the park is to hike up Permian Reef, pass the Wilderness Ridge campsites, and camp just past the state border. There are a couple good campsites within the first three quarters of a mile after the state line. Other than that, it's a shame the park decided to go the way they did on hammocks. The only place I could personally see them being any sort of issue would be Pine Springs or maybe Guadalupe Peak campsites.
Some definitely do. But I'd say the VAST majority do not. The chances of you seeing a large mammal such as a mountain lion or a bear in GUMO is so incredibly low, that you'd be one of the very few people ever who have been lucky enough to see one. And there are so many people that do the Guadalupe Peak trail that there aren't a lot of opportunities for you to be completely alone with a random stranger. I've never met anyone on trail at the park that made me wish I had had a weapon when I didn't.
@@vtxrider838 you don't need a permit to hike the actual mountain. Only if you are backpacking (camping) on Guadalupe Peak. You just have to pay an entrance fee into the park if you are dayhiking.
I did sunrise hikes twice. I started at 3:30am barely made it but It was fun. Coming down is faster but it’s slipping. Coming down in dark after sunset would be dangerous for me. U think? I am going back on memorial weekend.
I've seen lots of people coming down by headlamp. It can definitely be done. Would probably just take a bit longer than usual. I've come down Tejas in the dark and it really wasn't too bad. Good luck on your hike!
Unfortunately, no. Guadalupe Mountains now requires you to carry WAG Bags instead of digging a hole. And while I am not a fan of the WAG Bag policy at the park as a whole, they are needed at the Guadalupe Mountains campsite as it is extremely rocky there and the campsites are heavily used.
Some people do. But I'd say 98% of people are hiking. And the other 2% is divided between runners or horse riders. I've never personally seen any of either in my 4 trips to the top. But I have read about some really fast running times. The only problem now is the trail has become fairly crowded so that may slow you down unless you leave really early in the morning or really late in the afternoon.
Studying the Statistics of Guadalupe Peak, the Length of the Hike is 21,648 feet and a Rise in Elevation of 2,906 feet. This gives a Hypotenuse of 21,843 feet which results in a sine of 0.13, the arcsine of which is 8 degrees. Enough of the Theoretical Trigonometry. All that is important is that the average calculated incline is 8 degrees. This raises the practical question, is 8 degrees a steep incline???
For a dayhike, it's a good idea to bring a gallon or 3.5 liters. Especially during summer. In winter you might get away with slightly less. For an overnight, I'd consider bringing 4 or 5 liters.
I watched another YT video on here where a guy took up the entire page writing just a few words 🤦🏻♂️ It’s a ledger. Not a place to draw a small mural on.
I'm not sure if they've put them back, but the park had taken them down completely. They gave other reasons, but I'm almost certain it's because people started trashing the books and boxes they were in. And would completely fill a book up within a few days. It just started being too much to deal with.
@UltralightOutdoors oh I didn't know this was a recent change. Just thought I'd add it. You give so much info I figured it was an oversight and I thought I'd pitch in for anyone going. Your video was great.
@@CameronHall88 Sorry to be snarky but I find it sad that even outdoorsy men like you have been so pummeled by this awful speech pattern that it's becoming second nature for so much of humanity. Yes, even foreign speakers of English now believe this is the proper way to speak. It's an annoying, misleading, tentative habit that men of all people should avoid like the plague.
Awesome. Glad it helped out. I've spent quite a bit of time all around Guadalupe Mountains. So if you have anymore questions you can't find answers to, let me know.
