We initially stayed at Chosa Campground to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Its location gave us the bonus opportunity to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Part of the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns, the Guadalupe Mountains host a stunning array of different microbiomes, thanks to the natural springs and mountain terrain shading areas from the intense New Mexican sun. Each visitor center acts as a gateway to unique and diverse areas.
While we were there, we decided to hike a few trails. We started at the McKittrick Canyon Visitors Center and hiked a 1-mile nature trail just outside the center. Then we drove to the Pine Springs Visitors Center and hiked the Foothills Trail. We had not been doing much hiking and may have overestimated our abilities. We hoped to make a loop of our hike by following the Frijole Trail back. However, the Foothills Trail, while offering beautiful views of the Guadalupe mountains and encounters with wildlife, was a bit more than we could handle. The trail wound through rocky scrambles and sandy washes, making the walking much more difficult. The park guide even recommends trekking poles, which we didn’t have.
Guadalupe Mountains Hiking is Rough but Beautiful
The family made it to the Frijole Trailhead, and Mom, being in the best shape and wearing the best boots, took the Foothills Trail back to the Pine Springs area to get the car. (We were also worried about missing closing time, and our car being locked inside the parking lot!) While Mom was away, the rest of us took the opportunity to explore the Frijole Trailhead a bit. The Frijole Trailhead was supposed to host a small museum built out of the remains of the Frijole Ranch.
However, the museum was closed. The area did have pamphlets outside the museum with a lot of information about the history of the area, the ranch, its influence on the region, and the park. We were able to walk around the ranch, read about the various buildings on the signs, and identify some of the buildings based on the sketches in the pamphlet. Frijole Ranch is also the trailhead for a small ADA hike that Dad failed to get the kids interested in so we barely explored it.
Overall, this was an amazing gem of a National Park, not crowded and easily overlooked. Maybe when we’re all in better shape and better-shod we’ll circle back to visit again!
