Campground · Guadalupe Mountains National Park
An eight-site, walk-in tent camp on the Tejas Trail.
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.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Mescalero Wilderness Campground is an eight-site, tent-only backcountry camp on the Tejas Trail, set among ponderosa pines and brush on a slope above a small drainage. Every site has a hardened tent pad. It is a hike-in stop, not a drive-up campground: the camp is 6.2 miles from Pine Springs Trailhead and 4.7 miles from Dog Canyon.
A wilderness-use permit is required. There is no drinking water, toilet, shower, trash collection or staff onsite, so carry all your water and pack out your trash. Bring the required commercial toilet bags, one per person per night. The camp is accessible only on foot and is not wheelchair accessible; pets are prohibited on trails and in the backcountry, and cooking fires are not allowed. Use a containerized-fuel stove.
This is a useful base for hikers linking high-country routes and a good choice if you want a more secluded-feeling night among the pines. Listen for wild turkeys in the distance, but treat that as a possible encounter, not a promise. The tradeoff is a long walk in with every essential you need for the night.
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 · 1.1 mi awayA faint ridge connector from Tejas to Bush Mountain.
ModerateLost Peak Saddle6.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayWest and south views, with no trail to Lost Peak's summit.
ChallengingMcKittrick Ridge from Dog Canyon14.8 mi · 10 hr · 2.9 mi awayA 14.8-mile out-and-back to open views from McKittrick Ridge.ChallengingLost Peak–Marcus Loop13.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA big northern loop, where Lost Peak gives way to grassland.
ChallengingBush Mountain–Blue Ridge–Marcus Loop16.4 mi · 11 hr · 2.9 mi awayA full-day high-country loop with a route-finding sting.
ModerateMarcus Overlook5.2 mi · 4 hr · 3 mi awayA rocky high-country hike to broad southern and western views.
EasyIndian Meadow Nature Trail0.8 mi · 38 min · 3.1 mi awayA short nature loop through Dog Canyon's varied habitats.
ChallengingGuadalupe Peak Trail8.4 mi · 7 hr · 4 mi awayClimb 3,000 feet to the highest point in Texas.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayTejas Wilderness CampgroundA shaded camp worth the walk if you can carry your water.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayLost PeakA rocky summit with broad western views and an unmarked final approach.
Campground · 1.4 mi awayBlue Ridge Wilderness CampgroundA five-site walk-in camp among ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.
Campground · 2.3 mi awayPine Top Wilderness CampgroundEight high-country tent pads near the Bowl, reached by a steep climb.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayBush MountainTexas’s second-highest peak, reached by backcountry trail.
Campground · 2.5 mi awayBush Mountain Wilderness CampgroundA demanding hike to five tent pads and western sunset views.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayMarcus Wilderness CampgroundFive tent sites, 3.7 miles on foot from Dog Canyon.
Campground · 2.8 mi awayMcKittrick Ridge Wilderness CampgroundEight remote tent sites on the ridge, reached by a steep backpack.Parkwolf’s Guadalupe Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
