kguess

hi all,
i'm planning to go to guadalupe mountains nat park on march 5 for a week. i've been told by the rangers that march is the busiest month and the middle two weeks of march the busiest weeks. i've checked spring break times for texas colleges & school districts (at least, the majority of them, which have that info online) and the vast majority are the week of the 13th or 20th. so i'm thinking the week of the 6th won't be so bad. i'm wondering if anyone has any experience with GMNP at that time of year. the rangers won't commit to anything other than what i attributed to them above. thanks!

kevin

toejam

I say go for it. Be at the visitor center as soon as they open the doors and you'll probably find spots available up the mountain. It gets cold and windy there and you have to carry all water, or re-supply in McKittrick or Dog Canyon. But it should be a good time to go. Be willing to walk lots of miles and climb many thousands of feet.

kguess

i know about the miles & feet. so do you think there's a good chance the the campsites at pine springs will all be taken? that's what i'm concerned about. it's one thing to camp at pine springs and hike from there. it's quite another to backpack to a campsite with all our gear and food for a couple of nights. we need to decide if that's we need to be prepared to do.

thanks for the encouragement, though. i think we're going, regardless.

kevin

toejam

It's first come-first served. Don't try to find a spot on Saturday.

CyberCelt

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is off the beaten path. I would worry about the weather more than crowds. There could be freezing rain and snow, so pack accordingly.

Few years ago, we drove out to the Davis Mountains during Spring break. We did not encounter crowds. There are miles and miles of Texas ... enough for everyone.

Check out AmericanSouthwest website. Lots of good information by someone who has been there.

Take your camera and bring back some awesome pictures.

Later:
I decided to write a blogpost on Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Lots of good links for you. I am jealous now.

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CyberCelt

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