Full Day in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

On Monday, March 31st, we rose early to get ready for a hike in the morning. This was the view from our campsite, which was basically in a parking lot. Still, the views were fantastic.

We were limited to how far we could travel within the park due to range anxiety (headwinds and a gain in elevation to get in the park had eaten up the cushion we had, and this is a remote park - we needed to be conservative with our driving to ensure we could get to the next charging station in the town of Carlsbad, NM). We opted for a loop trail that began and ended at a historic ranch site and visited 2 natural springs, which are precious resources in this arid climate. Once we were off the short, paved portion of the trail and into the real hike, I regretted leaving my trekking poles in the car. I just need to learn to always take them with me! This hike had lots of loose stones and rocks - much different from the NC hikes we are used to where there is a lot of moist soil to hold rocks in place. The hike took us through a variety of landscapes; this was an area that the US Cavalry chased the Apache into when they were trying to eliminate them. It was easy to see how the Apache could effectively hide in this terrain, especially with their intimate knowledge of the land.

At the beginning of the hike - the route would take to the base of the escarpment where the water started to come out of the rocks.

The beginning/end point of the trail. Unfortunately, we couldn't get into
the ranch house.

Manzanita Spring, easily reached on a paved trail only about .4 miles long. It was nice to see some hikes that were handicap accessible.

As we started to climb, we walked along a dry gully. There was a lot of plant life in the gully that manages to survive on the spare rain they get each year (about 14 inches).

We loved seeing all of the different flora in the desert climate. Our favorite tree was the Texas Madrone. It had really interesting red bark that stood out. They also had interesting shapes.

The view looking back as we climbed to Smith Spring.

Our view forward as we climbed to the spring.

Ubiquitous selfie - notice I have my hair tucked in my hat and my cheeks are rosy. We were working to get to the spring, and it was warming up.

Look closely and you can see the small fossils in this rock. You could see these everywhere!

This placard at the spring was really informative. Unfortunately, I enjoyed being in the shade so much that I forgot to get any pictures of the actual spring area, which is a literal oasis. 

Very cool shapes in this dead tree that had been partially burnt.

The view as you enter the park.

After the hike, we made our picnic lunch under some shelters that were nearby. We enjoyed the views from there for a while before returning to our campsite. We did another short hike, then spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out. I ended up cooking dinner in the back of the car again because the winds started to pick up late in the day, though only gusting to around 30mph. We cleaned up for dinner, got ready for bed and were tucked in before 8pm! I don't ever remember going to bed that early. That wind really wore me out, so I was ready to be safely in the car.