GUMO or Bust!

[Sagebrusher]

Looks like some REALLY nice weather down there now! Maybe you'd like to go back? LOL

[Al]

Well, this is an extremely exciting trip report! I like the little side stories about the strange characters there too. And what I really like is your humble storytelling. Not afraid to admit your fatigue or things you'd forgot and such.  8)  Really glad y'all are back safe! :D

Randell is a study of what one should bring.  Hand warmers and toe warmers in the day pack.  Much less the ice grips, spare earplugs, etc.  I am quite impressed!   He missed using a hand/toe warmer or two to facilitate flow from his water bladder, but little else.

Al

[dkerr24]

Randall - I know this is an old post I'm digging up, but I've read all the GUMO posts so I can get an idea of what the area is like.  I really enjoyed your story and the awesome winter pics of the area.  Walking into that cloud layer about 1100 ft elev up the Guad Peak trail must have been a little spooky.

I'm planning a 6 day trip out to GUMO in May and plan on hiking as many of the trails as I can.  I don't think I'll need to worry about traction cleats for my hiking boots 

Any problems with vehicle break-ins at any of the entrance areas like Pine Springs, Dog Canyon, McKittrick?

If anyone reading this has any 'must see' areas of the park, please let me know.  My schedule is very open, as I'll be hiking solo and can hike about as much as I want each day.  I've been on a number of Grand Canyon and one BIBE hike, so I'm used to desert hiking and the demands it places on the body.  Water carrying ability will be my only limitation.  I may plan on hiking up the first day just to cache water near Pine Top/Mescalero/Tejas campsites.

This will be my first visit to GUMO, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[randell]

I have never had or heard of anyone having problems with breakins.  I have never done Dog Canyon or McKittrick, but others on the board have.  You will be able to do a lot with six days. 

[presidio]

Any problems with vehicle break-ins at any of the entrance areas like Pine Springs, Dog Canyon, McKittrick?

No. Pine Springs is very public with the visitor center and main campground there and the employees living just across the highway. Dog Canyon is very remote (nice) and little used. You might be the only one there other than the resident employee. McKittrick is day use and the highway gate is locked at night.

If anyone reading this has any 'must see' areas of the park, please let me know.

It's not a hike but you can circumnavigate the entire park on state and county roads, covering about 200 miles, which would include the dead end leg into Dog Canyon. Since DC is just about half way around, you may as well do the full circle and see a lot of country. Split the trip by camping at DC. This is a very remote route on the west side, and there are no services of any kind between Carlsbad and Dell City no matter which way you go, and that is only if you drive the extra miles to Carlsbad as the direct route goes through Dark Canyon which is several miles south of the airport. Have a full gas tank. Driving this will put you across the backbone of the Guadalupes, through El Paso Gap and across the sand and salt flats on the west side. If you take a short detour south along the Rim in the Lincoln NF before dropping off the escarpment, you will have one of the most remarkable views anywhere as you look into the huge valley between the main Guads and the Brokeoff Mtns from a pulloffs along the road. You will be about 2000' up.

The west side will be on unpaved county roads but they usually are in excellent shape (as in you can do 70mph on them) but there are a few gotcha rough spots sprinkled in to eat the unwary who are speeding along. Take your time and enjoy the scenery.

Driving the western side causes you to do some navigation that will not seem right. The county road goes NORTH from El Paso Gap and heads the Brokeoff Mtns before turning south toward Dell City. There is an occasional sign to indicate Dell City, or El Paso Gap if going the other direction. If you are not comfortable in driving through a huge plain with a lot of intersecting roads, and almost no signs or people, the area can be unsettling. I wouldn't do it at night as the first run. For a first trip I would suggest going counterclockwise from El Paso Gap to Dell City. It seems a little easier to navigate going that way. Rule of thumb....you want the road most obviously traveled or best maintained.

If you do the loop, the NM part will be nearly entirely on USFS and BLM land...there is almost no private property out there so if you want to explore side roads and areas, you don't need anyone's permission.

Also, take the 4WD road to the Williams Ranch house. You have to get a gate key from the park. Another place that is little used and a great place to visit.

I've been on a number of Grand Canyon and one BIBE hike, so I'm used to desert hiking.  I may plan on hiking up the first day just to cache water near Pine Top/Mescalero/Tejas campsites.

You will find that parts of GUMO, like the area you indicate above, will remind you a little of the Grand Canyon in the sense that the trails are very steep and climb near-cliff faces. Except for the heat in Big Bend, this is much harder hiking country.

Finally, like all NPs, 90% of the people will be in the Pine Spring area since that's where there's safety and security in numbers and a developed 'wild' experience.

[Al]

Great advice, although if one wants to day hike the peak, Pine Springs is unfortunately the best way to go, or if one wants to hike into the bowl from the southeast.  There are worst things in the world than spending a night in Pine Springs, but I would try to minimize your time there.

Al

[RichardM]

Great advice, although if one wants to day hike the peak, Pine Springs is unfortunately the best way to go, or if one wants to hike into the bowl from the southeast.  There are worst things in the world than spending a night in Pine Springs, but I would try to minimize your time there.

...and if you thought the wind was rough at TM1, wait'll you spend a night or more in the Pine Springs campground.

[oldfatman]

In October 1999, one of the rangers at Pine Springs told me they get fifth wheels trailers turned over several times a year from the winds there. 

[Al]

It may or may not be windy at Pine Springs but when it is, it can really be windy.  GUMO routinely has the highest winds in Texas.

Al

[mountaindocdanny]

I almost prefer the LNF portion of the Guads. I just got back from a trip there this weekend and will try and post a trip report. Great place to bushwack, mountain bike or explore in a high clearance or 4WD vehicle. The road into this area on FR 540 is in very good shape. A good resource to this area is the LNF website http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/lincoln/recreation/d3-hiking.shtml.

I would add to Presidio's list of should not miss places Sitting Bull Falls. This is accessed off of NM 137 and is a neat area with lots of trails exploring the surrounding canyons. I would spend a lot more time in the Guads if I didn't have so many other places I still want to explore.

[dkerr24]

Wow, I figured as long as this section of the site had gone unposted, I wouldn't get many responses...  Awesome advice from all!  I'll minimize my time at Pine Springs.  I only want to camp there 1 night so I can day hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak.  I'll probably only use Pine springs as the staging area to get up into the bowl area.

And thanks Presidio for the recommendation about the loop drive around the area.  Unfortunately, I'm driving a very street-only Toyota Matrix for the gas savings over a 4WD rental.  MapQuest reports its a bit over 625 miles each way from my home, and this is a bit of an 'extra' vacation for me, so I'm trying to minimize expenses.  But I definitely want to drive around to Dog Canyon and use that as another staging area to see that side of the park.  And thanks for the advice about keeping the tank full.  I can get around 400 miles range out of the Matrix.

I'm guessing May could still bring unusual weather in that area, but I'll mainly plan for warm-weather/rain gear.  But I'll have plenty of cold-weather stuff in the car, just in case.

Any advice for the best protected sites (from wind) in the Park?  Tejas?

I will post a trip report w/pics once I get back.  Thanks again for the helpful and quick responses :)

[presidio]

It may or may not be windy at Pine Springs but when it is, it can really be windy.  GUMO routinely has the highest winds in Texas.

Al

Especially in the Spring, winds in Guadalupe Pass (that's where the highway is folks) ROUTINELY will hit 70mph. It has exceeded 100 mph on occasion. When it's ripping like that, it also is very fierce on the ridgetops.

[presidio]

I would add to Presidio's list of should not miss places Sitting Bull Falls. This is accessed off of NM 137 and is a neat area with lots of trails exploring the surrounding canyons.

Yep, I forgot that one...probably a freudian slip since it is a fee area and is rather busy when the weather is nice. Actually, Last Chance Canyon which is just before the SBF entrance station is virtually unused.

If you've never been to SBF it certainly is worth seeing.

[presidio]

And thanks Presidio for the recommendation about the loop drive around the area.  Unfortunately, I'm driving a very street-only Toyota Matrix for the gas savings over a 4WD rental.  MapQuest reports its a bit over 625 miles each way from my home, and this is a bit of an 'extra' vacation for me, so I'm trying to minimize expenses.  But I definitely want to drive around to Dog Canyon and use that as another staging area to see that side of the park.  And thanks for the advice about keeping the tank full.  I can get around 400 miles range out of the Matrix.

The roads are good enough for passenger cars, though you need to be careful with lower clearance. These are broad, well-maintained roads with a few rocky sections (the roughest, which is easily traversable, is a few miles from El Paso Gap)....not the two-track beaten-in route you might otherwise expect in that area. The eastern side of the loop is paved all the way to Dog Canyon. The unpaved western part from El Paso Gap to Dell City is about 50 miles.

I'm guessing May could still bring unusual weather in that area, but I'll mainly plan for warm-weather/rain gear.  But I'll have plenty of cold-weather stuff in the car, just in case.

Good idea.

Any advice for the best protected sites (from wind) in the Park?  Tejas?

There aren't any 

[jeffblaylock]

Presidio is correct. There are no sheltered campsites in the Guadalupes. Make sure you stake your tent down before you set it up, take guy lines, and know where to attach them.

In around 2000, I was camped at Pine Top, and the wind was howling as it does. I was sipping water out of my bottle, staring east, when I heard the distinctive sound of some guys swearing AND panicking. Sure enough, I watched a freestanding, fully assembled dome tent tumble through the air, batted around by the gusts like a cheap child's kite, until it disappeared over the ridge. I figure it ended up in Midland later that day.