Tejas Trail from Dog Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Yesterday, we headed up to Guadalupe Mountains National Park since it had been too long since we'd been to Dog Canyon in the northernmost reaches of the park.  We stopped at the ranger station before checking in at the trailhead, and we were very glad we did.  It was in the upper 90s and the ranger told us the Tejas trail had the most shade, and he was right.  We were able to hike longer in the heat because most of the trail had the blessing of shade cover. 

This is a trail backpackers take through the park, ending up at Pine Springs or the McKittrick Canyon trailhead, and there's the Tejas backcountry campsites,  6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.  Backpackers need to take all their water with them, because the trail is rich in views and wildlife and adventure, but not water!
Here's a link to the park's map.

You can also bring your horse to this part of the park, as there's a corral at the trailhead in Dog Canyon.  Read more here.

Because Dog Canyon is high country forest, there are different birding opportunities here.  The park's website says the area is a great place to view acorn woodpeckers and the magnificent hummingbird.  The ranger station at Dog Canyon had several hummingbird feeders, providing a great show early and late in the day, especially!