Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Geology of Guadalupe Mountains

Guadalupe Mountains National Park preserves the rugged spirit and remote wilderness of the American West. Here, in the ancient Guadalupe Mountains that tower so majestically into the Texas sky, you can delight in grand views, diverse landscapes, and small pleasures.

The Guadalupe Mountains are part of one of the finest examples of an ancient marine fossil reef on Earth. Geologists visit from around the world to marvel at this extraordinary natural phenomenon. Calcareous sponges, algae, and other lime-secreting marine organisms, along with lime precipitated from the seawater, built up to form the 400-mile-long, horseshoe-shaped Capitan Reef.This ancient reef complex now towers above the Texas desert in the Guadalupe Mountains. Other parts of the geology of the reef is exposed in the Apache Mountains and the Glass Mountains.

Nde Apache, Pioneers, Ranchers and Military 

Nde (Mescalero Apaches), westward-bound pioneers, explorers, stagecoach drivers, U.S. Army troops, ranchers, and conservationists are all part of the colorful history of the Guadalupe Mountains. Until the mid-1800s these remote highlands were the exclusive domain of Nde Apache, who hunted and camped here. Later came explorers and pioneers, who welcomed the imposing sight of the Guadalupe peaks rising boldly out of the Texas desert not only as an important landmark but also for the water and shelter the mountains provided. But cultures conflicted and the Nde did not welcome the intrusion of new people into their domain. In 1849 the U.S. Army began a campaign against them that was to last three decades. The Guadalupes became the only sanctuary from the soldiers and a staging ground for their own attacks. By 1880 the last of the Nde had been driven out of the Guadalupes.

Amidst this conflict, Butterfield stagecoaches began carrying mail through the Guadalupes on the nation’s first transcontinental mail route.

In the years that followed, ranches developed around the Guadalupes. Wallace Pratt, a petroleum geologist charmed by the beauty and geology of the Guadalupes, purchased land in McKittrick Canyon in the 1930s. In 1959 Pratt donated his land to the National Park Service to be protected and enjoyed by others. Additional land was purchased from J. C. Hunter, and in 1972 Guadalupe Mountains National Park was created by an act of Congress.

The Chihuahuan Desert

The bloom of a cactus flower…the thunder-and-light show of a summer storm…the howl of a coyote at dusk…a lizard basking in the warm morning sun….

Surrounding the Guadalupe Mountains are the sparsely populated plains of the Chihuahuan Desert. This vast arid realm extends south for hundreds of miles into Mexico. The Chihuahuan Desert receives between 10 and 20 inches of rain a year; in the summer, temperatures rise to 90 degrees F and above. Although it can look barren at first glance, the desert is full of life. Many of the Chihuahuan Desert’s most common plants and animals are found in the park. Agaves, prickly pear cacti, walking-stick chollas, yuccas, and sotol are abundant, and lizards, snakes, coyotes, and mule deer are seen frequently. Adaptation to this demanding environment is the key to survival.

Like many other reptiles, the collared lizard escapes the midday heat by concentrating most of its daily activities in the cooler morning and evening hours. Snakes and many mammals move about more frequently at night.

McKittrick Canyon

The reflection of tall trees in a sparkling pool…rugged walls of rock sheltering a streamside woodland…a mule deer browsing quietly at the edge of patch of woods…brightly colored autumn leaves rustling in the wind….

The deep, sheet-sided canyons of the Guadalupe Mountains shelter an impressive diversity of plants and animals. This variety of life is displayed in its greatest splendor in McKittrick Canyon, which has been described as "the most beautiful spot in Texas." Lying as it does between the desert below and the highlands above, McKittrick, like other canyons, has a mix of life that is part desert, part canyon woodland, and part highland forest. Prickly pear cacti, agaves, willows, terns, Texas madrones, Texas walnuts, alligator junipers, and ponderosa pines all grow in the canyon. Wildlife includes jackrabbits, coyotes, porcupines, grey foxes, mule deer, mountain lions, and elk.

Moderate temperatures and protection from the sun and wind provided by the high cliffs nurture this canyon community. McKittrick Canyon’s unique, spring-fed stream is bordered by gray oak, velvet ash, and bigtooth maple. Mule deer drink from its pools. In late October and early November the foliage turns to brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges, creating a scene reminiscent of more northern woods. McKittrick Canyon exudes a lushness that is rare in this part of Texas.

Among the trees found in the canyons is the rare and picturesque Texas madrone. It is easily identified by its smooth reddish bark and evergreen leaves. Clusters of white flowers appear in early spring. In autumn, brilliant red berry-like fruit ripen, providing food for birds.

Elk and The Highlands

The solitude of a mountaintop pine-fir forest…the bugle of a bull elk in autumn…sweeping views from rocky 8,000-foot-high peaks…tracks that tell of a mountain lion’s passing….

In the mountain highcountry of the Guadalupes thrives a dense forest of ponderosa pine, southwestern white pine, Douglas fir, and aspen. This conifer forest is a relic of about 15,000 years ago when the prevailing climate throughout Texas was cooler and moister. As the climate warmed, fragments of this forest survived in the higher elevations of mountains such as the Guadalupes. The forest is especially lush in the Bowl, a two-mile-wide depression atop the Guadalupe Mountains. Throughout this highland wilderness roam elk, mule deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, vultures, mountain lions, black bears, golden eagles, and peregrine falcons.

Elk range throughout the highcountry and down into the canyons and lower slopes of the Guadalupes. An estimated 50 to 70 elk inhabit the park. The herd grew from groups of animals brought from Wyoming and South Dakota in the 1920s. The original population, which probably was never very large, was hunted to extinction in the early 1900s.