Guadalupe Mountains National Park is in the bottom 15 least popular national parks. I think the fact that the true beauty and grandeur and yes … geologic oohs and ahhs of the park are only accessible by long hikes and potentially overnight trail camping combined with the thinking that it is just a mountain in west Texas keeps it relatively under populated. However, the proximity of the park to Carlsbad Caverns, it’s obvious expression of contribution to the creation of the caverns and the geologic significance of the world’s largest Permian reef uplifted by faulting over 2-miles made it a must see for us on this trip.
Luckily, there are several shorter trails to give visitors a taste of the flora and fauna, the geology and the diversity of the area. To get some exploration in, we picked a 2.5-mile loop trail called the Smith Spring and Manzanita Spring Loop. It was a perfect hiking day; less than 80 degrees F., light to moderate winds from the east and clear. The trail climbs the bank-ramp complex, past a groundwater fed pond on a well maintained, easy to follow trail. There were flowers and views to enjoy. The springs were at the topographic high of the trail (5,947 ft) and were very scenic and refreshing. We opted to go counterclockwise in the loop so that the wind would provide some push up the steeper and rockier portion of the trail.
Another great hike with Joy and Larry and great snacks afterwards with cold Sol beers. Afterwards a quick stop at the park headquarters which had very good information on the wildlife and the geology. After that, we hit the micro-brewery in Carlsbad, NM pizza and beers and a stop for ice cream before ending the day.
