Campground · Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Five tent sites, 3.7 miles on foot from Dog Canyon.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Guadalupe Mountains Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Guadalupe Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Marcus Wilderness Campground is a primitive, five-site tent camp reached only on foot from Dog Canyon. The approach is 3.7 miles, so plan on carrying your gear in for an overnight rather than treating this as a roadside stop. The route crosses grassy ground and Manzanita Ridge, where it looks into West Dog Canyon, then descends to about the elevation where you started.
The tent pads sit among pinyon and juniper, which provide shade and shelter from the wind. There is no potable water, toilet or trash collection at camp, so carry in all your water and pack out your waste. Use one of the hardened tent pads.
Wildlife
33 sightingsAoudadMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
163 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
34 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
39 sightingsDiamondback RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
43 sightingsBlack-tailed RattlesnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Guadalupe Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingManzanita Ridge Route1.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA faint ridge connector from Tejas to Bush Mountain.
ModerateLost Peak Saddle6.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayWest and south views, with no trail to Lost Peak's summit.
ChallengingMcKittrick Ridge from Dog Canyon14.8 mi · 10 hr · 2.6 mi awayA 14.8-mile out-and-back to open views from McKittrick Ridge.ChallengingLost Peak–Marcus Loop13.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayA big northern loop, where Lost Peak gives way to grassland.
ChallengingBush Mountain–Blue Ridge–Marcus Loop16.4 mi · 11 hr · 2.6 mi awayA full-day high-country loop with a route-finding sting.
ModerateMarcus Overlook5.2 mi · 4 hr · 2.7 mi awayA rocky high-country hike to broad southern and western views.
EasyIndian Meadow Nature Trail0.8 mi · 38 min · 2.7 mi awayA short nature loop through Dog Canyon's varied habitats.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayLost PeakA rocky summit with broad western views and an unmarked final approach.
Campground · 2.3 mi awayBlue Ridge Wilderness CampgroundA five-site walk-in camp among ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayMescalero Wilderness CampgroundAn eight-site, walk-in tent camp on the Tejas Trail.
Campground · 2.8 mi awayDog Canyon CampgroundA quiet northern base for hikes into the park's high country.
Visitor center · 2.8 mi awayDog Canyon Ranger StationA practical stop in the park’s remote northern district.
Campground · 3.4 mi awayTejas Wilderness CampgroundA shaded camp worth the walk if you can carry your water.
Sight · 3.6 mi awayBush MountainTexas’s second-highest peak, reached by backcountry trail.
Campground · 3.8 mi awayBush Mountain Wilderness CampgroundA demanding hike to five tent pads and western sunset views.Parkwolf’s Guadalupe Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
