Beaches
Photo: Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
About
The Guadalupe Mountains of far West Texas began as a reef about 265 million years ago, built by sponges and algae along 400 miles of shoreline in a tropical sea. There's no scenic drive into the high country, so Guadalupe Peak takes a very strenuous hike from Pine Springs with about 3,000 feet of climbing. McKittrick Canyon draws thousands in late October and early November, when the leaves turn. It closes at 5 p.m. Mountain Time, and its gate on US 62/180 is locked every evening. Fill up before you come, since there's no gas in the park or within 35 miles of the visitor center.
Highlights
Guadalupe Peak, 8,751 ft, highest in TexasEl Capitan, a limestone cliffMcKittrick Canyon, late October colorWorld's most extensive Permian fossil reefWhite gypsum dunes, remote west sideNo gas within 35 miles
Related places
More in Texas
Others worth the drive in Texas.
Canyons & deserts