Guadalupe Mountains National Park
| Guadalupe Mountains National Park | |||
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| Location: | Texas , United States | ||
| Specialty: | Former underwater reef, home to Texas’s highest point | ||
| Next city: | Dell City , Texas | ||
| Surface: | 349.52 km² | ||
| Founding: | September 30, 1972 | ||
| Visitors: | 172,347 (2018) | ||
| Address: | National Park Service: Guadalupe Mountains National Park (official site; English) | ||
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The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a national park in the United States of America and was established on September 30, 1972. It is located in the far west of the US state Texas , on the border with New Mexico and northeast of El Paso . The park's name is taken from the Guadalupe Mountains , an underwater reef that is around 260 to 270 million years old. The park is also known for Texas’s highest peak, Guadalupe Peak , 2,667 meters high . The direct neighbor of the park is the Carlsbad Caverns National Park .
history
Archaeological finds have proven that the area was settled around 10,000 years ago. Hunters united here, followed large herds of animals and began collecting edible plants in this area. This is suggested by finds of projectiles, baskets, pots and rock paintings.
The first European settlers were the Spaniards, who came from the south and crossed the area for the first time in the 16th century. However, they did not initially show any great motivation to settle here. Regardless, they brought horses to the area, which the native Apaches accepted as a great asset to their hunting and hiking activities.
The Mescalero Apaches followed herds of animals and began to use the native agaves for their food in the area around today's park. Fireplaces that were used to grill agaves can still be found in the park today. The Mescaleros stayed in this area until the mid-19th century when they were driven out by the consequences of a new transport route. The Butterfield Overland Mail Route led from Memphis to San Francisco over the 1,687 meter high Guadalupe Pass. In 1858 the Pinery Station was founded near Pine Springs in what is now the National Park. Its aim was to protect the overland transports from raids by the local Indian tribes. Part of the 9th Cavalry Regiment was stationed here especially for this purpose. In the winter of 1869, this unit destroyed two Indian settlements, whereupon their residents were relocated to nearby reservations.
One of the first permanent settlers in the area was Felix McKittrick. The McKittrick Canyon was named after him. He worked here as a cowherd.
The first permanent building in the region was the Frijole Ranch, which was built in 1876 as a post office and meeting point. The Williams Ranch, named after its resident James A. Williams, was added later. All buildings were united under the name Guadalupe Mountain Ranch.
The beauty of McKittrick Canyon led Wallace Pratt, a geologist with the Humble Oil and Gas Company, to buy 2,400 hectares of land in 1921. He used it as a summer residence for his family until he donated it in 1960. As a result, the Guadalupe Mountains National Park was established and opened to the public in 1972.
Geological origin
The Guadalupe Mountains are one of the world's finest examples of a petrified underwater reef . Its age is estimated to be around 260 to 270 million years. At that time, a tropical ocean covered much of what is now Texas and New Mexico . Calcareous mosses, algae and other underwater organisms settled in the water over millions of years and, together with lime, formed the approximately 400-mile long, horseshoe-shaped Capitan Reef . When the ocean later evaporated, this reef sank and disappeared under a massive layer of sediments and minerals. It remained in this state for millions of years until upwelling forces drove some parts out of the ground and exposed them.
Today part of the reef towers as the Guadalupe Mountains over the largely flat eastern Chihuahua Desert. Other parts of the Capitan Reef have also been exposed and are now known as the Apache Mountains and Glass Mountains .
Geography and Landforms
The foot of the Guadalupe Mountains is at an altitude of 1,200 to 1,500 meters above sea level. The highest point is the 2,667 meter high Guadalupe Peak and at the same time the highest point in the US state of Texas . From here the mountain range extends north-east and north-west to New Mexico . The most south-westerly extension of the Guadalupe Mountains is the summit El Capitan , which rises about 1,000 meters from the surrounding area of the Chihuahua Desert . Essentially, the area of the national park can be divided into three types of landscape: desert, valleys and high mountains.
desert
The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is surrounded by the sparsely populated areas of the Chihuahua Desert . This largely arid landscape extends for hundreds of kilometers to the south, reaching far into Mexico . Here only 25 to 50 centimeters of precipitation fall per year and the temperatures rise to well over 35 degrees Celsius. Nevertheless, you can find a diverse flora and fauna here: agaves , prickly pear cacti , coyotes , lizards and snakes use the desert as their habitat.
Valleys
Mild temperatures, shade and wind from the mountain slopes favor a lively development of a rich fauna and flora in the deep, incisive valleys. This can best be observed in McKittrick Canyon , which is a mixture of low and high mountains and desert. Here you can find prickly pear cacti , willow trees , Texan strawberry trees , walnut trees , juniper bushes and golden pines . The animal world is characterized by rabbits , coyotes , porcupines , gray foxes , mule deer , mountain lions and elks .
A local specialty is the Texan strawberry tree with its evergreen leaves and soft, red-brown bark. In autumn, its red fruits provide plenty of food for birds.
High mountains
In the high mountain ranges of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park there is a dense forest, consisting of yellow pine , white pine , Douglas fir and aspens . This developed around 15,000 years ago when the climate in this region was much warmer and more humid. In the course of global warming, a large part of it has disappeared, but parts of it have survived in the higher elevations. The forest in the “Bowl”, a plateau approximately 4 kilometers wide, is particularly lush. Here include elk , mule deer , turkeys , vultures , mountain lions , black bears , golden eagles and peregrine falcons at home.
The original elk population in the national park was never particularly large, but was completely eradicated by hunting activities in the early 20th century. Today's populations all come from a small group of animals brought here from Wyoming and South Dakota in the 1920s . It is estimated that 30 to 40 animals live in the park today.
climate
The Guadalupe Mountains have relatively high temperatures in summer, mild autumn days and cold winters. Snow storms, freezing rain and fog are not uncommon in winter. Rain showers in late summer often trigger thunderstorms. The nights are usually cold, even in summer.
tourism
The park does not have a central entrance gate and toll station, as is common in most national parks in the USA. Coming from the south ( El Paso ) or east ( Whites City ) the park can be reached via the US-180. The central point of contact is the Pine Springs Visitor Center. Here you pay the daily fee if you don't have an annual pass. You can also get your wild camping permit here. A smaller part of the park with the Dog Canyon can only be reached from the north on New Mexico State Road NM-137. It is not connected to the rest of the park's road network.
There is no food supply in the park. The closest limited -sale store is at the entrance gate to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Whites City. There is also a gas station here. The park also has no showers, should you plan an overnight stay here.
Popular activities in the national park include hiking and camping.
Hiking trails
The park has excellent hiking trails with a length of more than 130 km with different degrees of difficulty. You have to watch out for cacti, snakes and scorpions.
Guadalupe Peak
The path to the highest point in Texas (2,667 meters above sea level) is very steep and classified as difficult, but it is well developed. Some sections lead along high cliffs. The difference in height between start and finish is around 1,000 meters. The way there and back (same route) is approximately 9.5 kilometers. You should plan six to eight hours for this. The path should be avoided on windy or thunderstorm days.
Devils Hall Trail
The path leads along the riverbed of the Pine Spring Canyon, over some rocks up to the so-called Devils Hall. The stony path has only a slight rise in altitude and leads through maple and pine forests , past typical vegetation of the Chihuahua desert . The total of seven kilometers there and back takes about three to five hours.
The Bowl
After an increase in altitude of around 750 meters, you will be greeted by a dense coniferous forest that covers the numerous cliffs and valleys. The route is classified as difficult and you should plan eight to ten hours for the 15 kilometers.
McKittrick Canyon
The hike in the picturesque McKittrick Canyon leads along a river bed, first in the landscape of the Chihuahua Desert and later, with increasing altitude, into a densely forested valley. The destination of the way is the Pratt Lodge. The way there and back is about eight kilometers. From here a hiking trail leads deeper into the valley to the Pratt Cabin and a grotto.
More hiking trails
- El Capitan
- Frijole Foothill Trail
- Permian Reef Trail
- The Pinery Trail
- Smith Spring Trail
camping
The national park has two campsites that are accessible by car: Pine Spring Campground and Dog Canyon Campground. Another ten places can be reached via hiking trails. All places are “first come, first served”, which means that they cannot be reserved. You must therefore try to find a free space on site as early as possible. Due to some forest fires in the past, campfires are prohibited in the entire park, but the use of gas cartridges is permitted.
Attractions
In addition to numerous hiking trails and campsites, the park has some small museums and former ranches that are intended to bring the life of the former residents of this region closer.
The Frijole Ranch History Museum shows how people used to live in the Guadalupe Mountains. The facility includes a small school building, sleeping quarters, a stable and a spring. There is also a picnic area nearby. In summer 2016 the facility was closed for renovation work.
The Pinery are the remains of a station on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from Memphis to San Francisco. It ran right through the Guadalupe Mountains. The facility is accessible from the Pine Springs Visitor Center via an approximately one kilometer paved path.
Somewhat remote from the center of the park and only accessible by four-wheel drive is the former Williams Ranch . The dirt road uses the former route of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in some sections . To enter the building you need a key and a permit, which can be obtained from the Pine Springs Visitor Center.
Web links
- National Park Service: Guadalupe Mountains National Park (official site; English)
- US National Parks Net: Guadalupe Mountains National Park (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e National Park Service: Guadalupe Mountains National Park Map , GPO: 2016-393-466 / 30689, Last updated 2016
- ↑ a b Day Hikes - Guadalupe Mountains National Park (US National Park Service) In: nps.gov , accessed January 9, 2018.
- ↑ Camping - Guadalupe Mountains National Park (US National Park Service) In: nps.gov , accessed January 9, 2018.
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