About Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Other than the October leaf viewing season which springs McKittrick Canyon into vibrant color, the Guadalupe Mountains is the loneliest park outside of Alaska. A wilderness park with few amenities, the sites more than make up for any lack of comforts. The park’s signature peak, El Capitan, is an 8,085 foot limestone giant that can be seen far across West Texas’ desert plains. A hiker’s paradise with many trails such as those winding through the Bowl are lined with ponderosa pine and Douglas fir while those in the lush oasis of Smith Spring are filled with jade green madrone trees, maidenhair ferns and red monkey flowers. Of course no visit here would be complete without a trip to Hiker’s Staircase in Pine Spring Canyon. Though people may be scarce, the park is inhabited by many creatures such as elk, big-eared mule deer, mountain lions, black bears and the occasional rattlesnake.