Guadalupe Mountains NP - Hike to the Top of Texas (Vlog-Park#30) 

This beautiful video brought back memories- my father used to take me on strenuous hikes and impervious mountain climbs when I was a kid; he would push me hard and force me to hike on despite my mind and my body wanting to give up. At night, I would feel exhausted, and would fall asleep at the dinner table, but I know that he did that for my own good, because he taught me to be determined, training my mind and my body to face hardships later in life. It is one of my goals to go to Texas, see what remains of the legendary frontiers, the deserts, the cowboys, the horizons. Greeting from Italy

I appreciate how you share your faith in these videos.

This is a beautiful watch!!! You're an amazing family guy and an amazing person too!!! 🎉👌🙏

Oh my - what a hike! Shane did amazing! Sweet you shared your trail mix and I would have gone with the motel room too - ha ha! Good choice!

Way to go Shane! You rocked that hike! 😀👍🏻 You too, mom and dad. 😂😉That rock scramble at the top looked tough. I had to laugh when I saw your bag of trail mix, we always have that exact bag in our car or with us on hikes. And your dilemma at the end means you need a camper!!!

Awesome. That's a huge hike! 8 miles. I could barely walk 3 miles on flat ground. Guess I better get in shape lol. I'm a truck driver and passed by Guadalupe mountain for the first time in like 7 years of driving on the way to Lubbock. A spectacular site to see. I always love these lesser known places that aren't as popular or well known as the main stuff.

The highest peak in Texas with a 3000' elevation gain is not a joke! Congratulations on you guys climbing that peak. Another National Park I have not been to yet and appreciate you showing it. Most of the time trips do run smoothly but what happened you guys at the end I'm sure has happened everybody in some way or another. Still a blessing that you're able to travel so much visit America's beautiful national parks. :)

I love that you guys get to all these places that are not always the most visited but definitely cool places to go. I've never even considered that Texas has a highest peak and it looked a lot taller than 3,000 ft. Very rugged. I also really liked following your quest to find a campsite. Dude, that's my BIGGEST fear every time we go camping or backpacking...making sure we have a spot. I have nightmares about that, no joke. I'm a big planner and like to have all that figured out in advance and I stress and stress about it. The NP's always seem to be full up on the weekends so finding campsites is always a challenge. And to answer your question, yep in that situation we would have done the hotel as well. Take care my friend

Great video of hiking up Guadalupe Mountain. I really liked your story line to keep the viewer in suspense. When our family visited Carlsbad Caverns last November, I viewed Guadalupe Mountain NP off in the distance and wished that we had more time to go down and visit the park. Unfortunately, we were heading in the opposite direction.

What incredible views!! Awesome video. 😃👍. Keep the videos coming

I used to work in west Texas and this was the first national park I ever visited and the peak is an amazing hike. I did it mid July which I don’t recommend but I only saw 3 other people the whole time on the mountain and it was very peaceful. I do recommend Mckittrick canyon and the devils hall trail as well for those planning an extended visit.

Amazing views guys! Loved the video! Looks like a place we definitely will be going to in the near future :D that husky voice as well ;) we loved it!

Beautiful share, fantastic national park. Nice video, great hiking, how fun. Thanks for your wonderful hiking day.

Wise man... you made the wife happy with the hotel room! :). All the different terrain on the way up was very cool!

Aw I loved when you were talking with your kiddo, so cool!

Wow, rugged hike especially for son, glad you a made it. Happy Trails!

Love the intro! Keeping us hooked! That is quite the drop off at the 3:05 mark. Good choice picking the warm night in. I know I always look to do the cheapest and economical route, but there has been the odd time where taking the hit in the wallet was the best option.

We have always heard amazing things about this area, will have to for sure check it out sometime! Great video, thanks for taking us along and have a great weekend!

Shane did great! so did you and Julie!! Always good to share with your fellow hikers when you have extra. False peaks are No bueno! Lots of scrambling at the top! Those views though! WOOT! Well done guys! HOTEL!!!! All 2.5 stars! LOl!

There are some incredibly steep section! But the views are amazing! Loved the hike!

Great job guys, that was a serious hike. Well done and great video! I think you made the right call, btw - always hard to bite that bullet, but sometimes, thats what needs to be done :)

Wow wish I could have joined you guys!!! It looks so beautiful!

A great hike.....and well documented. Enjoyed it!

I hiked this trail when I left Oklahoma in March of 2000. I had to turn back just as I started getting into the trees. The wind was blowing at least 80mph and I had to hunker down near the edge of the valley. I will always regret not pushing further, but I had California in my sights! I've lived just outside of Yosemite National Park ever since!

I think I would have gone for the motel too, I’m sure the big hike was much more enjoyable for having bit the bullet! Loved seeing Guadalupe Peak. Trails were closed due to fire when I made the trip out there, but White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns were still worth the trip. Wondering if we will be seeing those from you next! Great job to your son, that’s a huge hike for a 9 year old!

that nice! ive hiked the peak 2 times before and the view is amazing! thanks for the video!

It was fun to revisit this video after finishing up our first visit to this park. We hit up this area for five days after Big Bend. We also went through some trials and tribulations during our visit as well. Tent and weather related. Wind was almost non-stop our entire time there with gusts up to 85 mph at times. I too was nervous about securing a campsite due to there only being 20 sites as well as being first come-first served. We arrived on a Monday afternoon and didn’t have any issues but come Friday it was getting quite competitive with people looking for available sites. Our final day there, we decided to head out early and get a head start on the next day. Made someone’s day on a Friday evening when they spotted us packing up. As for the park, gorgeous scenery and really enjoyed it. Definitely a hiking park and you have to work for it here. Kids were pretty wiped out by this portion of our trip, so my wife was amazing and let me do some solo hiking. I did Devil’s Hall and Guadalupe Peak by myself and we did a small portion of McKittrick Canyon as a family. McKittrick Canyon was really nice and would like to return to hike further back on this trail. The highlight for me, and probably everyone, was summitting Guadalupe Peak. It was a tough trail but had great views along the way and varied terrain which kept it interesting. I would say this was the hardest hike I have completed to date but I think I did pretty well. I made it up in 2 hours 40 minutes. Toughest part for me was just my breathing. Legs were fine but I would just get winded so easily. I am happy and blessed to have been able to visit this park and witness the summit. One quick comment and question for you. Where do you think this ranks on the hardest hikes you have completed? Also, we visited Sitting Bull Falls which is a recreation area in adjacent Lincoln National Forest. It was awesome! It is a spring fed waterfall with nice pools that you can dip your toes or swim in. Very refreshing (i.e., freezing!). Everyone loved it.

Great Video, Thanks for making this, it came out Great!!

Awesome video! 3,000ft elevation is a lot! Kudos to the three of you and particularly to your son! 👏 The view from the top is absolutely amazing on camera. It probably was a thousand time better in real! 😍 For the option for sleeping, we would have gone for either 1 or 3. Too late for camping!

Hooray switchbacks! And heck yea Shane (great name btw). Definitely sounded windy up there! Definitely going on our list haha. Beautiful views, thanks for sharing and taking us along! - Shane

I loved this adventure. You have quite the team with you. God does not make women much tougher than Julie! And way to go Shane! Well done, nice trip to the top!

As someone who just started hiking, I feel motivated to hike this trail. Amazing views!!!

We've never been to Texas but have seen a few vlogs there and are getting the feel it's pretty stunning. We love a good hike and would love to get out in that national park - bit ropey there by the edge! The changing landscapes do make it so interesting and love how americans are so open and friendly to each other.....not quite that in the UK! You made it - and wasn't it worth it, amazing views. Ha...that was a tough situation....definitely wouldn't want to be putting a tent up in the dark so that option is out, the room was expensive but you are doing a big hike the next day so sleep/rest important....be a bit cramped in the car but is tempting to do that. Great video....now supporting you back 🙂

Good job Shane!!! I would have gone with the hotel too! Great hike!

I was in the same situation as you in February at Guadalupe. We chose to pop up our GO trailer in the rest stop. It was noisy, but free and slept okay. Clean bathrooms though!

Very nice video and beautiful place!!! Thumbs up!!!

Enjoyed seeing this one--had planned to hike up Guadalupe Peak back at the beginning of January this year, but on that morning the rangers said the winds up top were reported at 70 mph+, so that nixed that plan. Did a lower elevation hike instead that still had tears streaming down my face from the wind, ha.

Finally I am planning this trip (going next week) so I had to watch your video again (helpful, thank you!). I was exactly afraid that we need to have a reservation in advance and the only option was group campsite and we got it! the only thing is that I am in quite bad shape right now so I will be super slow on the hike. Btw. when did you make this hike? I love to see you guys going, especially how you encouraged your son and how he made it to the top. Inspiration for me what to say to my girls (they complain a lot :) - but they are not going with me this time. Thanks for an inspiration and sharing your experience. Hope you are doing great Randy!

loved the video! I’m doing some research for a upcoming hike in October (waiting for the 100 degree days to go away) and to answer your question I would have gone with the room too, I’ve slept outdoors when the temp was 25 degrees down in Marfa......not recommended!

You know I am a Texan and you are visiting all the places I want to go.....something is just not right about that :) Great Video thank you for sharing

My son and I are planning this hike soon, have to do it or we can claim to be real Texans ! LOL Thanks for another great video of National Parks, very inspiring and beautiful.

Oh Man, decisions, decisions...Wow! Way to go Shane! That's a tough hike but he pulled it off! Awesome. At that time of night I probably would have gotten a room as well. Was that White City were the hotel is? Literally nothing else around there.I remember us seeing Guadalupe and Carlsbad in one day and having to drive all the way to Alpine TX to our hotel. The only food along the way was in Van Horn TX and we were starving. At the time it can be stressful but looking back on it now provides great memories. Life on the road!

Finally, I got to this video I was looking forward to so much (spent 6 weeks in Europe not having a chance to get to youtube much). This is still on my bucket list and what I have seen is really cool. I have to go there definitely. The cliffs at some part of the hike is pretty high, were you afraid about your son? But the views are so amazing, I think it might be even better than Big bend, what do you think ? I am glad your son didn't gave up, he did amazing job! To answer your question - this late at night I would probably end up in the hotel room too, even though I normally prefer camping outdoors. Great trip and great video, love it! Thanks for sharing your adventure, have a great weekend guys!

Motel room for sure! Otherwise the hike could have been a lot less pleasant. Cliff part of trail makes my palms sweat just thinking about it...challenging, but rewarding hike!

I voted for the campground. Then I saw your choice and realized how cheap I am. We didn't hike that hike, but did do another that was enjoyable. When we visited, there was a bonafide campground but they also used a parking lot for "no-utilities" camping. I think it was the parking lot for the trailhead that you hiked. I didn't see that one in your video? Another great installment!

I've been watching videos of people hiking Guadalupe Peak all morning now - and your videos has really brought out the fact that there are some quite difficult and perilous parts of the hike, which other people didn't include. I live in New Mexico, and have been considering this hike, wondering whether or not I could make it at my 70+ years, with some minor physical limitations. Hhhmmm....

This is oil field country, hotels are expensive, trucks everywhere. I live in Carlsbad!

Sharing your trail mix With fellow hikers and your trip with us! THANK YOU! America’s Parks fans realized when we follow Shane up the Guadalupe Mountains National Park trail, he is the master hiker! 40° . . . Yes, you made the right choice on that warm bed for the night (Julie knows best).

lovely hike

That is a heck of a hike.

Have you ever done backpacking? If so, may I recommend McKittrick Ridge trail in the Guadalupe mountains during mid fall. It's considered one of the most beautiful trails filled with fall colors, but you have to call the ranger station to see if the trees are turning colors. And the views once you start climbing is worth the arduous experience.

I climbed this on April Fool’s Day, 2006. The top half had some of the strongest winds I’ve ever felt. Just relentlessly strong. But man, what a view. Felt like you could see all the way to Guadalajara.

Good job Shane. 🙌🏾 and family

I did that hike and loved it!

Is so nice there!

Nice views dudes. 😎

That cliff was unreal. How long was that trail so close to the edge? Great video!!

This was the trail that almost killed me. I have some chronic health issues yet I hike a lot. I went solo and forgot to pack enough carbs and water. Eight miles isn't much for me but I did not factor in the aridness and extreme heat. By the time I made it back down after summiting, I realized that I was going into acute renal failure. I prayed all the way back to closest ER. Ended up being across from a hotel. Decided to try to stabilize myself yet knowing that I was in close enough proximity to real help. Baruch Hashem that I was able to get stable.

Im curious, so how long did it take to just get up to the peak as far as hours. And then how long was the whole hike in general. The sign says before starting the trail that its atleast 8 hours? Give or take depending on the person lol and another thing im curious about, is there signal for cell phones? Like at the bottom once you are ready to leave. I have att so im curious since i will be headed back home the moment im done hiking. Don't wanna get lost lol.

I climbed it in September of 1972! First night there was a huge electrical storm! I had to take cover in a cave! I was 20 years old...

Lovely video. How long did it take you to reach the peak?

I would have already had a room or campsite reserved lol 😉 We stayed in Van Horn at the motel 8 for 69$ a couple of months ago on our way back from Arizona 😁

How long did the hike take you? We are planning on going with our daughter (11 yo) and wander if it would be too much for her. Thank you! Love your channel.

cool stuff

Glad you chose the room. The walking poles you use...are they a fixed type or the telescopic type and which is best. I'm gathering info for my assault on the Grand Canyon.

Wise choice 👍

I did that mountain las year was really good, we did 6 hours, after that we when to see Marfa lights, I recommend if you have time go and see those lights

How many hours did it take to hike up and go back? I'm trying to go in two weeks and Im trying to prep

Hello. Wondering if you trained for this hike? I have a 9 year old that will be joining me during our trip. I honestly didn't think he could do it but I guess I was wrong. Wondering if you could tell me about his experience before this hard hike. :) Thank you.

Good job staying at the hotel. Are you guys from Texas?

Mom should wear sunglasses. Save her eyes from the glare. Thank you for the video

Thinking about making this hike. Where did you guys find a hotel at?

I’m terrified of heights, the only part that looked super scary was when you told your son to stick to the side. Is there a lot of that?

Shane is the best👏👏👏

What month did you make the hike?

How long did it take to get to the peak?

Is that the only point with drop off and I’m guessing you come back the same way? .. does it feel wider than it looks? Lol

Love our good attitude in adversity.

I would’ve paid the $149 for the hotel. Much worth it.

Must be from California?

Not the North part of Texas, but good clip.

3000 feet elevation is not that high. I think its at 8, 751 feet

My wife turns 65 on 11/8/22. I just turned 66. We are hiking to the summit with our friend Susan (also 65) on 11/10. Pray for us!

Guadalupe has the best primitive campsite.

Proper choice. Shane is quite a guy.

Good decision. I will do the same.

I would've been in the campground, $149 is pushing it lol

Hotel. No regerts!

Bite the bullet👍🏻

Should of stayed in Van Horn!!!

Stay at the TS....

I know that there is free camping available on BLM land between the two national parks (Guadalupe and Carlsbad)

trump rallies are a blast. nice video

Trump Rally!!!! LMAO!

Pickups in the parking lot means a lot of hard working oilfield workers so I guess its like a Trump rally (Real people with real jobs) And you are lucky they had a room and $149 a night is cheap for the area and at this time. Most are $350 plus a night because of the oilfield boom. That close to Carlsbad NM you are lucky they even had a room.