Guadalupe Mountains National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas, from the park's alerts, hours, and campground listings. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new. A rainstorm can make the Salt Basin Dunes road unsafe and the Devil's Hall wash dangerous, so check the park's own alerts and forecast the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • The park store is cashless. Since August 14, 2025, it takes major credit and debit cards and mobile payments, but not cash. (NPS)
  • Devil's Hall is a strenuous hike. The park rates it strenuous: the wash section means rock scrambling on loose gravel and rock, and it's dangerous when wet or when water is running. (NPS)
  • No closures. The park isn't listing any closures or news releases as of October 25, 2026.

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open year-round. Entrance is $10 per person 16 and older, good for one to seven consecutive days. Holders of an Annual, Senior, Military, 4th grade, or Access pass can bring in three adults free. (NPS)
  • Pine Springs: the visitor center is open daily, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The campground, trailhead, and parking are open around the clock.
  • McKittrick Canyon: day use only, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time. The highway gate is locked at 5 p.m., and everyone has to be out by then. The contact station is staffed only now and then, but its restrooms are open daily.
  • Frijole Ranch: open sunrise to sunset.
  • Salt Basin Dunes: day use only, sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, with no camping. The access road is clay, and the park says it's dangerously slippery and unsafe when wet.
  • Dog Canyon: open around the clock. The ranger station is staffed intermittently.
  • Camping: Pine Springs (35 sites) and Dog Canyon (15 sites) campgrounds are open year-round, and every site is reservable, at $20 a night. Overnight trips into the wilderness campgrounds need a Wilderness Use Permit, available up to one day ahead or reserved in advance. (Recreation.gov)

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving): Pine Springs Visitor Center and Dog Canyon Ranger Station are closed. Both also close Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
  • Nothing else is scheduled. The park hasn't announced any seasonal closures, construction, or reopenings.

What this means for your trip

Nothing on the list closes a trail or a road, so a standard visit (Guadalupe Peak, McKittrick Canyon, Devil's Hall, the Frijole Ranch area) works as planned. The catch is weather. If it has rained, skip the Devil's Hall wash and pick a trail that doesn't run up a canyon bottom, and save Salt Basin Dunes for a dry day, since the park calls its clay road unsafe when wet. The Pine Springs trails are right by the visitor center if you need a fallback.

Watch the clock in McKittrick Canyon. Late-fall days are short, the gate locks at 5 p.m. sharp, and the park warns that your phone may show the wrong time here because the park runs on Mountain Time. Wear a watch set to Mountain Time and start back with time to spare.

For campers, there's no first-come, first-served option at Pine Springs or Dog Canyon, so book before you drive out. Bring a card for the park store, since it won't take cash.

Before you go

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Guadalupe Mountains National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.