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El Capitan with blooming claret cup cacti

← Texas guide · National Park

A mountain morning in far West Texas.

Guadalupe Mountains · A day that begins with one good stop.

See your first day
Photo: NPS/Bieri · NPS source ↗
02 / TEXAS

Why this place matters

Guadalupe Mountains

Come experience mountains and canyons, desert and dunes, night skies and spectacular vistas within a place unlike any other. Guadalupe Mountains National Park protects the world's most extensive Permian fossil reef, the four highest peaks in Texas, an environmentally diverse collection of flora and fauna, and the stories of lives shaped through conflict, cooperation and survival.

Read the full NPS story ↗
Fall colors in Devil's Hall
Photo: NPS/Flores · NPS source ↗

A flexible first day

Start here. See where it takes you.

These are ways to explore, not a timed itinerary. Check conditions before you set out.

01 · ARRIVE

Choose a trail that matches fitness and forecast.

02 · GO DEEPER

Explore canyon geology or fall color when timing and conditions align.

03 · BEFORE YOU GO

Wind, exposed trails, and limited nearby services can matter.

Check current Guadalupe Mountains access with the National Park Service ↗

Find your bearings

Explore nearby chapters.

Switch stops to see where this chapter sits in the wider state.

Big Bend1Guadalupe Mountains2San Antonio Missions3Padre Island4LBJ Hill Country5Dallas FAA station: 1.7 inches average annual snowfall1Amarillo: 17.2 inches average annual snowfall2

Outline: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic boundary files. Points show guide starting areas and NOAA stations.

Snow markers compare station normals only. They are not a statewide snow cover or forecast map.

NOAA 1991–2020 · monthly normals

A little weather context.

These stations show two parts of the state; neither is a forecast or necessarily local to this site.

Amarillo · average temperatureMonthly mean °F
NOAA station data ↗
Show all 12 monthly values
Amarillo · monthly mean temperature (°F)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Value38.641.849.857.566.876.179.678.170.959.247.438.8

Normal = 1991–2020 average at the named NOAA station. Snowfall is new snow over a month, not snow currently on the ground. A blank NOAA snow series is shown as unavailable, never as zero. See current NOAA snow depth ↗

Weather changes the trip

Let the season shape the day.

Wind, exposed trails, and limited nearby services can matter. The graph above uses a named NOAA station; conditions at this place may differ with elevation and weather. Check the local NWS forecast ↗

Keep exploring Texas

Where next?

Big BendChisos at sunrise. River by evening.Explore →San Antonio MissionsFollow the river between living places.Explore →Padre IslandLet the Gulf choose the pace.Explore →

Connect a San Antonio food and culture day to the Missions, or build a separate Austin, Houston, or Dallas city break. See current events ↗

Make the trip yours

Build around what you want to remember.

Tell WTDO your dates, where you start and how you travel. The first plan is free.

Plan this trip free