Guadalupe Wilderness Gear Checklist
Every campsite in the Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness sits at least three miles and 2,000 feet above a trailhead, and not one of them has water. That sets the whole pack: a gallon per person per day hauled uphill, a tent that survives wind that reaches 60 to 70 mph, a stove because fires are banned, and a toilet bag the park checks before it hands over your permit.
What shapes your gear on Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness
- The climb
- The park says every wilderness campground needs a hike of at least three miles with a climb of at least 2,000 feet, over rocky ground. Most trips begin with more than 2,000 feet of gain on exposed desert trail, and the park says to allow one hour per mile going up. Pine Springs to Tejas is listed at 5.5 miles with a 2,300 foot climb, and Pine Springs to Blue Ridge at 7.8 miles.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking, Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Suggested Wilderness Itineraries
- Water
- The park states that there are no water sources in the backcountry. It advises one gallon per person per day at about 8 pounds a gallon, which makes a two night trip roughly 24 pounds of water. You can fill up at Pine Springs Visitor Center and Campground, McKittrick Visitor Center, and Dog Canyon Ranger Station and Campground.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety
- Why trips are short
- The park says water weight limits most trips to one or two nights, and its itinerary page says most are three days or less. Hikers on a forum agree. One said the usual answer is a one or two night trip that crisscrosses to Dog Canyon for a refill.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Campgrounds, Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Suggested Wilderness Itineraries and Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014)
- Wind
- Forum hikers describe the wind as the main danger on top. One has watched it shred a tent and says it can push you around. Another BPL member says 60 to 70 mph is not unusual. Shelter varies by camp, with Tejas named as the best protected and the Guadalupe Peak camp as exposed.
From Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012) and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains shelter thread (2008)
- Permit and cost
- The park charges a $6 reservation fee per overnight permit plus $6 per person per night. A reservation turns into a permit in person at Pine Springs Visitor Center, and the park asks you to arrive by 3:30 p.m. with a driver's license, your itinerary and your vehicle's plate number.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations
- Parking
- A wilderness permit does not guarantee a parking space. In peak times, the park says, the campgrounds at Pine Springs and Dog Canyon fill quickly, and it encourages carpooling and planning a vehicle shuttle if you exit at a different trailhead.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety
What the agency requires on Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness
A landfill-safe commercial toilet bag system
Every overnight permit holder must carry at least one bag per person per night, and the park asks to see that you have them before it issues the permit.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations
A stove that burns containerized fuel
Ground fires and wood fires, charcoal included, are prohibited anywhere in the park. Only containerized fuel stoves are allowed.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety
A tent set up on bare ground inside a designated site
Camping is allowed only inside designated sites, with tents on bare ground. Hammocks, slacklines, tarps and similar devices tied to natural or manmade features are prohibited.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations
A Wilderness Use Permit
You need it before you sleep at any wilderness campsite, and it is issued in person at Pine Springs Visitor Center.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking
What hikers carry on Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness
A gallon of water per person per day, plus a backup plan
The park and every hiker agree on the gallon. One BPL member carried a gallon a day on all of his trips, even in cool weather, and said it was about right. Another group on a three day trip carried 2.5 to 3 gallons each and drank it all. A hiker planning for mild temperatures with no cooking said 3 liters a day was enough for him.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety, Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014) and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains group trip planning thread (2012)
A route that touches the water points
Hikers cut the carry by planning around Pine Springs and Dog Canyon, the two places with water at the ends of the loops. One group linked campgrounds so it could stop for water and still sleep in the backcountry. A forum reply suggested lollipop loops around the basin that return to the same trailhead.
From Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains group trip planning thread (2012), Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014) and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety
A strong tent with many guy-out points
The park suggests a sturdy, lightweight tent for wind and precipitation. A BPL member advised one with multiple poles, lots of guy-out points and strong fabric, and said a tarp on the Guadalupe Peak ridge would flap all night. Short retaining walls on the tent pads and windbreaks built by earlier campers help a little.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains shelter thread (2008)
A plan for wind at the peak camp
A BPL member who has camped at both says the Guadalupe Peak site is only fair, exposed, and noisy from nearby roads. His view is that the peak is better done as a day hike. A different member also called it unprotected from wind and warned that winds that reached about 85 mph were in a forecast that December.
From Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012)
Shoes for 3-foot trails of fist-sized rock
The park recommends boots with good ankle support and trekking poles. A hiker who has done half the park's trails prefers trail runners with a shank because boots are heavy, and says the typical trail is three feet wide and made of tennis ball sized rocks. So there is disagreement, and the common thread is protection from the rock.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012)
A topographic map and a compass
The park says its brochure map is not good enough for overnight travel and recommends a topo map and compass, and warns that lesser used trails in the north may be hard to follow. One BPL member said his group lost the trail in brush on the rarely used Bush Mountain to Blue Ridge section and had to clear fallen trees.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012)
Layers for cold nights and a hat and sunglasses for the day
The park wants a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen against the year-round desert sun. Hikers report the opposite at night. One had a 45 degree night in the mountains, and a member warned a December group that it would be cold.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety, Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014) and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012)
A first aid kit with tweezers for spines
The park spells out its own list for this desert terrain: tweezers for spines, blister pads, compresses for deep cuts and a triangle bandage.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety
4 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness
Cooking fires and firewood
Fires are banned across the park, so a hiker who wants one has to cross into the neighboring national forest, as one BPL member noted. Everyone else leaves the grate and the wood at home and carries a stove.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012)
A tarp or hammock
The park bans anything tied to natural or manmade features, and a BPL member who sleeps under a tarp elsewhere still would not pitch one on the ridge, since it can flap all night or blow off the mountain.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains shelter thread (2008)
A day-one plan that is too long for a heavy pack
Hikers on the forum warn that a heavy pack and a gallon of water make the standard mileage hard. One said 10 to 15 miles a day is reasonable, and the park says that rugged terrain and lack of water limit distance.
From Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014), Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012)
Only one itinerary
The park tells hikers to carry a backup itinerary. A BPL group planning a long loop built alternates in case the campground they wanted was already taken.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains group trip planning thread (2012)
Gear questions for Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness
Is there water on the Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness trails?
No. The park says there are no water sources in the backcountry, so everything is carried in. You can top up at Pine Springs, McKittrick Visitor Center and Dog Canyon. A BPL member adds that the McKittrick Canyon creek is off limits as a source.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014)
How much water do you need for the Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness?
The park advises one gallon per person per day, about 8 pounds. Hikers on the forum mostly agree, and one group carrying 2.5 to 3 gallons each on a three day trip drank all of it.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety and Backpacking Light forum: guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014)
Are campfires allowed in the Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness?
No. Ground fires and wood fires are prohibited everywhere in the park, and only containerized fuel stoves are allowed.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Backpacking Preparation and Safety
Do you need a toilet bag in the Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness?
Yes. Overnight permit holders must carry a commercial landfill-safe toilet bag system, at least one bag per person per night, and show proof before the permit is issued.
From Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS): Wilderness Camping Regulations
Which Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness campsite is best protected from wind?
One BPL member who has hiked half the park's trails named Tejas as the only camp with good wind protection, after a 50 mph night there. Another member called the Guadalupe Peak site unprotected. Watch for falling branches at Tejas.
From Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012) and Backpacking Light forum: Guadalupe Mountains shelter thread (2008)
Sources
- Backpacking · Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Backpacking Preparation and Safety · Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Wilderness Camping Regulations · Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Wilderness Campgrounds · Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Suggested Wilderness Itineraries · Guadalupe Mountains National Park (NPS) · Agency
- guadalupe mountains (water and routes thread, 2014) · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread
- Guadalupe Mountains trip planning thread (wind, 2012) · Backpacking Light forum, Q Smith · Forum thread
- Guadalupe Mountains shelter thread (2008) · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread
- Guadalupe Mountains group trip planning thread (2012) · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread