• Front cover in a vintage screen-print poster style: El Capitan, the sheer limestone cliff at the south end of the Guadalupe Mountains, glowing pink and gold above green foothills and a desert valley, framed by yuccas, pale boulders, and dark shrubs under a teal sky, above the title Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
  • Sample page from the Guadalupe Mountains National Park guide, wildlife chapter. Entry: Collared peccary, with how to recognize it, where and when to see it, and a photograph.
  • Sample page from the Guadalupe Mountains National Park guide, a day itinerary with times, distances, and a photograph: South McKittrick Canyon from the climb.
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Brian Russ Guides

Guadalupe Mountains National Park: History, Highlights, and One- to Three-Day Adventures

Guadalupe Mountains National Park: History, Highlights, and One- to Three-Day Adventures

$2.99 USD
$2.99 USD
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In far West Texas, a limestone wall rises out of the desert to El Capitan, Guadalupe Peak, and the highest ground in the state. This guide helps you plan one, two, or three days there: when to start the big climbs, how to work around the wind, and where to find shade, water, and fall color.

What's inside

  • Nine ready-made itineraries: one, two, and three days, each at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, from Frijole Ranch and the McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail to the Grotto, the Salt Basin Dunes, Dog Canyon, Devil's Hall, the Bowl, and Guadalupe Peak, each with a weather backup
  • The park's history, from the Mescalero Apache homeland and the Butterfield stage at the Pinery to ranchers, Judge Hunter's elk, and the geologist who gave away McKittrick Canyon
  • Sightseeing highlights: El Capitan, Guadalupe Peak, McKittrick Canyon, the Permian reef, the springs, the Bowl, the Salt Basin Dunes, and Dog Canyon
  • A wildlife chapter profiling 15 animals, from mule deer and javelinas to acorn woodpeckers, crevice spiny lizards, and tarantulas, each with a photograph and notes on where and when to look
  • Trip planning for seasons, high winds, Mountain Time, fees, campsites and wilderness permits, canyon gate hours, water and fuel, safety, accessibility, and pets
  • 37 photographs and 6 orientation maps

What you'll receive

  • EPUB ebook (Guadalupe_Mountains_National_Park_Brian_D_Russ.epub, about 14 MB) for Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and most e-reader apps. Kindle readers can send it to their library with Amazon's Send to Kindle.
  • PDF (Guadalupe_Mountains_National_Park_Brian_D_Russ.pdf, 105 pages including the cover, about 30 MB) for any device, and for printing pages. It opens on the illustrated cover.

Your download link arrives by email right after purchase.

Edition

First illustrated edition, October 2026, with research completed October 2026. Wind, trail conditions, and canyon gate hours change, so check the park's current alerts before you travel.

Start early, carry a gallon of water, and save an evening for El Capitan.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
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