Parks / Heartland to the Chihuahuan Desert
Guadalupe Mountains
Stop 8 of 51 on the loop. Stay in Carlsbad NM, give it 2 nights, and plan the day around Pine Springs / Guadalupe Peak area.
- State
- TX
- Stay in
- Carlsbad NM
- Nights on this route
- 2
- Month on this route
- April
- Don't miss
- Pine Springs / Guadalupe Peak area
- Getting here
- 270 mi from Terlingua TX, about 5 h 41 min.
- Next stop
- Carlsbad Caverns, same base.
About the Park
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.
Description from the National Park Service.
Where to Stay
On this route you sleep in Carlsbad NM. Gateway towns have more lodging, groceries and fuel than the park itself. If you want an in-park lodge instead, the busiest parks book up as early as 13 months out.
Entrance Fees
- $10 Per person (walk or bike in)
An $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers entry at every national park; on a trip like this it pays for itself after three parks. Fees from the NPS, checked 2026-10-18.
Nearby Parks
- Carlsbad Caverns same base
- White Sands about 106 mi as the crow flies
- Big Bend about 217 mi as the crow flies
Official site: https://www.nps.gov/gumo/. Route data checked 2026-10-19.