el capitan

Even though it's not the highest peak, it juts out in front of the others demanding viewers be captivated by it's presence. Though I didn't climb El Capitan, I saw it from below and above, and it presents a perfect photo op.

When visiting any natural wonder, one has to prepare for weather. I've included a few photos here, most of which show that weather conditions will always affect the views and access in this park.The Salt Basin and El Capitan trails are accessible from Pine Springs trail head, but even the rangers don't walk the extra 5 miles, instead accessing the Salt Basin trail from the southern entrance at the now defunct Guadalupe Canyon road, opposite a gravel parking lot just south of hwy 62/180, about 1.2 miles 'north' of the 2 sided rest area. There are a pair of turnstiles restricting vehicular access, but welcoming hikers at this entrance.I visited this area 2 times in a 3 week span in the summer of 2014, with varied success at attaining photographs. The first visit gave good sunset colors along the Salt Basin trail, but with heavy haze. The second visit gave good highway photos, with heavy storms brewing, and then gave some good views from the trails, but without the reds and oranges of a west TX sunset, having a heavy cloud cover to the west.This southern section of the park sees fewer visitors than Mc Kittrick and Guadalupe Peak because of advertizing, not because of value. Give it a look. Weather willing, you will not be disappointed

The ride up to El Capitan is long and lonesome, but once there, it provides an awesome view of the tallest point in Texas. The highways have improved since my last visit and they have now built a welcome center there. Good job.

Loved it, you can see the peak for a 100 miles and the closer you get the more impressive it is. Take time to leave the road and the trails to soak up the desert scenery. It's awesome.

We did a circle tour of National Parks and Monuments, and as Guadalupe Mountains National Park is just a short drive south of Carlsbad, we stopped. We were surprised to find out that this park is not open to cars, but only for hikers. We are not hikers, so our visit to the visitor center was quite short. A short drive south of the park entrance you will be able to pull off and see great views of El Capitan.

Known as the least known places in Texas, El Capitan is an amazing peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Cause it's very high above sea level, the temperature in the park is low. You should wear warm clothes if you are going to hike.

We arrived 7/15 and it was probably the coldest and rainiest July ever. My 12 year old son and I hiked a couple of hours but had to turn back. We will be back!!!! The young lady at the desk was very helpfull. Make sure you don't skip Carlsbad Caverns an hour or so away.

Quite the stunning sight to see El Capitan sticking up out of the desert. We stopped at the visitor's center, and the view is good from there. A better view though is stopping at the pull-out alongside the highway, south of the visitor's center. I took several pictures of my kids with El Capitan behind them in the distance, and plan to use one of the pictures for Christmas cards.

Got to the campground, but it was full. Ranger said we could camp up at the moutain campground. My Grandson and I were game, so off we went with our back pack. No water, bathrooms, but most important no people. We set up our tents and watched the most beautiful sun set ever. Thought that was the best part until the next morning. When the sun came up my Granson said Wow it looks like a picture. One couple had climbed up in the dark and enjoyed it with us. We then hiked the rest of the way to the top you will love it. You get to write your name in a book at the top of Texas, really cool.

Rising abruptly over 4000 ft. above the salt plains below, El Capitan stands like a giant sentinal over west Texas about 100 miles west of El Paso. It's 1000+ ft. vertical walls provide a dramatic scene unrivaled in Texas for those passing by on Highway 180/62 from El Paso, TX to Carlsbad, NM. For the best views from a vehicle, drive about 8 miles west on 180/62 towards El Paso. The peak is the 8th highest peak in Texas, but resides about a mile from Texas highest peak, Guadalupe Peak. While Guadalupe Peak has a trail to the summit, no trail exists to the summit of El Capitan. For the adventurous, a rugged bushwhack over to the summit can be done from the slopes of Guadalupe Peak. Inexperienced hikers should not attempt to climb this peak. One other way of viewing El Capitan would be to hike the El Capitan trail from Pine Springs Campground. The trail circles around the base of the peak with spectacular views looking up at the cliffs. The trail is fairly rough but easy and will require a hike of about 3 miles (6 miles round trip) to get the best views. The trail continues on around the peak for another 3 miles and then terminates at Williams Ranch below Guadalupe Peak at approximately mile 9.

We stopped by the park on our way to El Paso after visiting Carlsbad Caverns. The visitors center is very nice and you get clear views of both El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in TX. There are several trails right from the vistors center and you can look for wildlife etc. The center has a good geology & ecology exhibit about the area and several stuffed animals you might see in the park.I was so impressed with El Capitan and the peak that I'm coming back to climb them as well as visit Mckittrick Canyon which I hear is beautiful.The flora/fauna is pretty neat in the area too, because you come out of basically a desert and are all of a sudden in an "Alpine" enviroment. I put it in quotes because it's not quite like Colorado, but it's worth a visit.

テキサス州とニューメキシコ州の境にあるマイナーな国立公園ですが、訪れた10月はカエデの紅葉が綺麗でした。テキサス州のエルパソからカールスバット国立公園に行くときに立ち寄るスポットだと思いました。