Find a great adventure in an overlooked and much under-appreciated national park in Guadalupe Mountains with kids!
I love Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
For three years, my husband and I lived just two hours away from Guadalupe Mountains, in El Paso, Texas. In fact, our first camping trip together to Guadalupe Mountains! (It was a disaster, but that’s a story for another day.)
More than eight years after we left El Paso, we were thrilled to return to Guadalupe Mountains National Park with our kids and show them our old haunts.
Here are all our favorite things to do in Guadalupe Mountains with kids (or without)!
Hike in McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains with kids
One of our favorite trails to hike in Guadalupe Mountains with kids (and before kids) is the McKittrick Canyon Trail.
The trail begins on the desert floor, then winds up into the canyon. Suddenly, the scenery transforms from yucca and brush into a riparian oasis full of oak, Texas Madrone trees, and an intermittent stream. The change is remarkable and a welcome relief from that first hot, sunny mile in the desert.
You can hike the McKittrick Canyon Trail all the way up the mountains, but the first 2.5 miles are great for kids.
The trail crosses the seasonal stream multiple times. We skipped rocks on the water, marveled at the change of ecosystem, and wondered at the peeling Texas madrone trees.
The trees are sometimes called the “tourist tree” because their bark looks like a tourist’s burnt nose!
When visiting Guadalupe Mountains with kids, we hike to Pratt Cabin and back, for a little less than 5 moderate miles.
Oil geologist Wallace Pratt had the cabin built as a summer vacation home in the early 1930s. Today, the cabin’s shady porch is the perfect place for a picnic break on your hike.
When we visited the Guadalupe Mountains without kids, we’d hike to the Grotto for 7 miles total. The Grotto is another great picnic spot with trees, tables, and neat rocks. It’s a lovely turn-around spot if you’re hiking with older kids, teens, or adults.
Whether you hike to the Grotto or Pratt Cabin, when you’re ready to turn around, you’ll head back the way you came. Be prepared for the heat of the day when you exit the trees and return to the desert.
Hike to Smith Springs in Guadalupe Mountains with kids
For a truly magical trail in Guadalupe Mountains with kids, hike the Smith Spring and Manzanita Spring Loop.
Our most recent trip to Guadalupe Mountains, in 2025, was the first time I had ever hiked this trail. It took my breath away! I couldn’t believe the desert was hiding such an enchanting oasis!
There isn’t a consistent water source in the Guadalupe Mountains, but rain flows through cracks in the limestone and later emerges as springs.
See two of those springs on the Smith Spring and Manzanita Spring Loop.
The loop is 2.5 miles and moderately difficult.
I prefer to hike the loop counterclockwise. That way, you pass Manzanita Spring first.
Manzanita Spring was a periodical source of water to irrigate crops for the Smith family that once lived and ranched here.
Next, the trail continues closer to the foot of the mountain, over boulders and rocks. Be on the lookout for more Texas madrone trees here!
As you head higher into the tree line, you’ll begin to hear the trickling of a stream. Then, you’ll see water!
We visited on a rainy weekend, and the springs were overflowing with water. It was surreal to see so much water when we had just been in a parched desert.
You never would believe such a beautiful oasis existed in these dry mountains without knowing where to look.
The Smith Spring loop just may be my favorite trail in Guadalupe Mountains with kids.
Explore Frijole Ranch in Guadalupe Mountains with kids
The Smith Spring and Manzanita Spring Loop begins at Frijole Ranch.
It’s a former ranch that is open for you to wander after your hike.
Poke around the ranch to learn the history of the region, from the original indigenous inhabitants to the ranchers.
The spring house, which was built to protect and store precious water in the desert, is especially neat!
See Texas’s tallest peak — and its most dramatic
The Guadalupe Mountains are home to Texas’s tallest point, Guadalupe Peak, at 8,751 feet above sea level.
However, Guadalupe Peak isn’t the stunning rocky peak you typically see in photos of the national park.
That peak is actually El Capitan, the southern-most point in the Guadalupe Mountains.
The best way to see El Capitan is to drive west on U.S. Highway 62/180 and pull over at one of the rest areas.
If you’re driving to Guadalupe Mountains National Park from El Paso, you’ll pass by these pull-outs on your way here.
Become a Junior Ranger in Guadalupe Mountains with kids
You can’t visit Guadalupe Mountains with kids without swearing in as a Junior Ranger!
Pick up a free activity book at the Pine Springs Visitor Center, complete the activities, and then turn it in for a Junior Ranger badge!
Bonus: Visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is only 45 minutes from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I highly recommend visiting both in one trip!
Carlsbad Caverns is also in the Guadalupe Mountains range, just across the state line in New Mexico.
Check out my post on all the best things to do at Carlsbad Caverns with kids.
If you’re visiting both national parks in warmer months (like to see the Carlsbad Bat Flights), then I recommend visiting Guadalupe Mountains in the morning and Carlsbad in the afternoon, during the heat of the day.
We spent two days in the area, hiking in Guadalupe in the mornings and adventuring in the cool cave in the afternoon.
It’s fascinating to explore the same mountain range in two different states and two totally different national parks — one above the surface and one below.
Where to stay near Guadalupe Mountains with kids
We stayed at an AirBnb in Carlsbad, New Mexico, when we visited Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains. It made a great home base to visit both parks.
Carlsbad has boomed in the past decade as oil drilling in the Permian Basin has expanded.
There are several new chain hotels that are great for families and several rental houses too.
if you’re flying to the region, El Paso is about three hours from Carlsbad and is likely the best airport to fly into.
When to visit Guadalupe Mountains with kids
Guadalupe Mountains is a desert, so plan accordingly.
Summer is hot. Winter can be cold. And spring can be exceptionally windy. (Remember that disastrous camping trip my now-husband and I took? That was during wild March winds that had people departing the campground at all hours of the night.)
Fall is absolutely stunning here. We visited over Labor Day, and some leaves higher in the mountains were just starting to change the most brilliant red.
If you’re visiting both Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains, I recommend trying to time your trip for late August, September, or early October.
That way you get the best of both worlds!
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