Parking
Start at Dog Canyon Trailhead in the park’s remote northern district. The trailhead has auto and bus/RV parking and accessible parking; potable water is available here.
Overview
About Lost Peak Saddle
Why go
- West and south views from the saddle
- A less-traveled north-end route
Heads up
- Rocky footing on a 1,386-foot climb
- The route ends below the summit
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Guadalupe Mountains map
Full mapElevation6,302–7,789 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
1 active Guadalupe Mountains alert
- CautionDevil’s Hall wash dangerous when wetThe Devil’s Hall hike is strenuous, and its wash section is dangerous when wet or if water is present. - The wash requires rock scrambling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Guadalupe Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Lost Peak Saddle, narrated.
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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Dog Canyon: A Meadow Walk and Wildlife0:00 / 0:35
“Dog Canyon is ahead, a wooded base for exploring the park's northern side.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Guadalupe Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- McKittrick Canyon: A Walk to Pratt Cabin
- The Madrone’s Peeling Trunk
- 22 audio storiesacross Guadalupe Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Aoudad, Mule Deer, Wild Turkey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 32 trails, 34 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lost Peak Saddle
A hike to the saddle, not the summitLost Peak Saddle is a 6.
Lost Peak Saddle is a 6.4-mile out-and-back from Dog Canyon Trailhead on the Tejas Trail, climbing through upper Dog Canyon to a saddle below Lost Peak and returning the same way. The park calls it moderate, with about 1,386 feet of elevation change; allow 3–6 hours, with roughly 4½ hours a fair plan for a steady hike with a break. It’s a good half-day for a quieter northern route with a clear destination. There is no trail to Lost Peak’s summit.
Up through upper Dog CanyonFollow the Tejas Trail south from the trailhead.
Follow the Tejas Trail south from the trailhead. It runs along the canyon side before climbing toward the ridge. Expect a real uphill walk on loose and hardened rock, not a smooth path: the tread varies from two to six feet wide, and hiking poles can help on the rocky sections.
Stop at the hitching postAfter just over three miles, the trail reaches Lost Peak Saddle, marked by a hitching post.
After just over three miles, the trail reaches Lost Peak Saddle, marked by a hitching post. The Tejas Trail turns southeast toward McKittrick Ridge and starts dropping quickly. Turn around at the saddle for this hike; carrying on would put you on a different route. The open views west and south are the payoff. For a photo, frame Lost Peak’s pale limestone edge against the broad valley rather than pointing straight into the rock.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Guadalupe Mountains
33 sightingsAoudadMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
162 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
34 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
37 sightingsDiamondback RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 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.
