Sports & Outdoors
IconicCarlsbad Caverns National Park
Under $25Descend by trail or elevator into Carlsbad Cavern and walk the Big Room, then watch bats fly out at dusk in summer.
Photo: CarlCarlsonIV, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureIconic
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Hike to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, and explore canyons cut into an ancient Permian fossil reef.
400 Pine Canyon (Pine Springs Visitor Center, off US-62/180) · Salt Flat, TX
About Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park protects what the National Park Service calls the world's most extensive Permian fossil reef, along with the four highest peaks in Texas. The Guadalupe Peak Trail climbs about 3,000 feet over 8.5 miles round trip to the 8,751-foot summit, and spring-fed McKittrick Canyon shelters bigtooth maples. Start at the Pine Springs Visitor Center, and come supplied: there is no restaurant or grocery in the park and no gas for 35 miles in either direction.
- #national park
- #hiking
- #guadalupe peak
- #backpacking
- #desert canyons
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What's around here?
The closest stops to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
29 mi awayMore like this
- Sports & Outdoors
Bat Flight Amphitheater
No admission feeFree evening ranger talk, then watch Brazilian free-tailed bats leave Carlsbad Cavern at dusk.
29 mi awayMore like this
- Attractions
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
Under $25A native wildlife zoo and garden park showing Chihuahuan Desert animals and plants near Carlsbad.
49 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
- Sports & Outdoors
Brantley Lake State Park
Check pricesA desert reservoir park north of Carlsbad offering boating, fishing, camping, and birdwatching.
52 mi awayMore like this
