Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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| Guadalupe Mountains | |
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Missing image LocMap_Guadalupe_Mountains_National_Park.png Image:LocMap_Guadalupe_Mountains_National_Park.png | |
| Designation | National Park |
| Location | Texas USA |
| Nearest City | El Paso, Texas |
| Coordinates | Template:Coor dm |
| Area | 86,416 acres 34,971 ha |
| Date of Establishment |
October 15, 1966 |
| Visitation | 179,188 (2003) |
| Governing Body | National Park Service |
| IUCN category | II (National Park) |
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet (2,667 m) in elevation. It also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. Visitors can see the ruins of an old stagecoach station near the Pine Springs Visitor Center. The park covers 135 mi˛ (350 km˛) and is in the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns National Park which is located about 80 miles (129 km) to the north in New Mexico.
Guadalupe_Peak_and_El_Capitan.jpg
The park also contains McKittrick Canyon. During the Fall, McKittrick comes alive with a blaze of color from the turning Bigtooth Maples, in stark contrast with the surrounding Chihuahuan desert. A trail in the canyon leads to the cabin of Wallace Pratt, a petroleum geologist who donated the land in order to establish the park.
For detail on the area's geology see Delaware Basin.
External links
- Official site: Guadalupe Mountains National Park (http://www.nps.gov/gumo/index.htm)
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park (http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/parks/Guadalupe-Mountains-National-Park) - National Parks Gallery
- Photos of Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.guadalupe-mountains.html)
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