Pine Tree Visitor Center and McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
11/07/2024	1 mile	45 minutes	65'	1.6 mph	711.6 miles
Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
11/07/2024	1 mile	54 minutes	264'	1.1 mph	712.6 miles

Parking: 

• Pine Tree Visitor Center
• McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center

Map:

• Gaia GPS app
• Park brochure

Directions:

• Pine Tree - Follow signs for the Pinery Trail and hike to the Pinery Station Ruins. Return the same way.
• McKittrick Canyon - Follow signs for Nature Loop trail

My foot was too sore today to do much hiking. Tara and Dian went for a hike from the Pine Tree visitor center. They saw what looked like bighorn sheep. We found out later that they weren't - they are some type of animal which is considered an invasive species, introduced by humans. The park purposefully doesn't mention them on their website. I sat in the car and sketched while they hiked.

At 10am, I went inside the visitor center for a ranger talk on the geology of the park. I was the only one who showed up, so I got a private talk. My geology knowledge is very sparse, but I did get answers to some questions I had. I also showed the park rangers photos of fossils and an insect I had found to have them identify them. The park is known for its large number of fossils. They aren't showy fossils, but there they are all over.

When Tara and Dian got back from their hike, I joined them on a short trail from the Pine Tree visitor center. Then we drove to the McKittrick Canyon visitor center and did another short nature trail walk. I braced my ankle and took pain drugs, so I did okay. I'm disappointed with my foot, but still had a good day.

Fossils!

McKittrick Canyon visitor center (currently unstaffed)

Prickly Pear Cactus