This is the last of the walk reports from our drive to California. On our way home, instead of clinging to I-10, we cut off at El Paso to visit GMNP. This was our first visit to the park.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of the wilder parks in the system. They have a small visitor's center with bathroom. They have some camping facilities. There are no concessions with food, drinks, gasoline, etc.
A number of the visiting trails are convenient to the front entrance. We picked up a map and headed out onto a short-to-medium length hike: The Devil's Hall Trail.This is an out-and-back trail, not a loop. The whole trip is somewhere around 4 miles. (About 6.4 km)
Approaching the park on the highway. The day was coming onto pretty warm, as the hard blue sky and isolated white cloud show.
We carried water bottles with us and were glad we remembered. We had not brought our hiking poles, but they would have come in handy a couple of times.
At the start of the trail, a marker naming the various trails that connect to this point. Where trails diverge, there is a marker indicating which goes where.
After following the trail for some winding about between hills, we found a metal sign advising us that the trail continues on in the dry wash (the creek bed) and I wondered if they close the tail when there's a big rain in the area.
We saw an interesting tree whose roots are going into the rock between the layers of stone.
The wash became extremely rocky. There was some clambering around. (We missed our hiking poles!)
At the end, there was a rock formation called a natural stairway.
It was layers of hard rock, eroded to somewhat resemble a steep marble staircase. As one might expect from the location and kind of rock, the surface was somewhat slick. Past the first little "stairs" there was a pothole, a pool that appears to have no outlet, with some water in it. Proceeding past the pothole, there were a few more steps of "stairs," wider to walk on this time, and then we reached the "Devil's Hall."
The Devil's Hall is a very steep-sided canyon with walls that resemble dressed stone. The park administrators had closed the area beyond the entrance due to "sensitive wildlife," presumably nesting creatures of one kind or another. It is very important to conserve the beauty of the park by not going into prohibited areas.
On the way back, we discovered that the little trail mark symbols we remembered from youth came in very handy to find the return route. Oddly enough, the way back didn't look quite like the way out! If you visit, don't disturb the little rock stacks. They are an important part of making the park enjoyable for anyone who can walk the trail.
Trail mark, meaning "go straight ahead here." The only really tricky part of finding our way back to the parking lot was picking up the trail where the way leaves the wash and goes onto the hillside again. These little rock markers are invaluable!
Due in part to the climbing over and around the various boulders and rocks, the trail took about 2 to 3 hours. At the car, we pulled out a snack (Dukes links) and drank some of our newly refilled water bottles and headed on down the road.
This park is somewhat off the beaten path, and one must fill the gas tank and get drinks/snacks before going as there are no facilities at the park entrance, but it is very enjoyable and well worth the trip.
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