Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX
A faint ridge connector from Tejas to Bush Mountain.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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!!!!”
Trail guide
Manzanita Ridge Route is a 1.4-mile, point-to-point connector from Tejas Trail to Bush Mountain Trail in the park’s high country. It begins at the Tejas junction near Lost Peak and finishes on Bush Mountain; 1.4 miles is only this segment, not your full outing or a return trip. The route does not continue to Marcus Overlook. It is a remote link for a longer backcountry itinerary, not a standalone day hike.
A 2025 hiker reported little discernible tread and cairns too intermittent to follow reliably. The route crosses open, rocky ground; that hiker described stepping on stones to avoid thorny shrubs. The sampled profile drops about 670 feet overall, with roughly 330 feet of smaller climbs. Allow about 1.5 hours for the named segment; that is an estimate and excludes the Tejas approach, the exit, and any return.
Dog Canyon Campground is a road access for the Tejas Trail; the Manzanita junction near Lost Peak is about 3.3 miles along that trail. The route ends on Bush Mountain Trail, not at a parking area, so plan your onward route or return before starting. The corridor is absent from current park trail descriptions and has been described as unmaintained. The park requires a permit before off-trail hiking; ask park staff whether this route and your approach are currently allowed and obtain the required permit before leaving maintained trails. Tread and cairns are not reliable navigation. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateLost Peak Saddle6.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayWest and south views, with no trail to Lost Peak's summit.
ChallengingMcKittrick Ridge from Dog Canyon14.8 mi · 10 hr · 2.1 mi awayA 14.8-mile out-and-back to open views from McKittrick Ridge.ChallengingLost Peak–Marcus Loop13.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA big northern loop, where Lost Peak gives way to grassland.
ChallengingBush Mountain–Blue Ridge–Marcus Loop16.4 mi · 11 hr · 2.1 mi awayA full-day high-country loop with a route-finding sting.
ModerateMarcus Overlook5.2 mi · 4 hr · 2.1 mi awayA rocky high-country hike to broad southern and western views.
EasyIndian Meadow Nature Trail0.8 mi · 38 min · 2.2 mi awayA short nature loop through Dog Canyon's varied habitats.
ChallengingGuadalupe Peak Trail8.4 mi · 7 hr · 5.2 mi awayClimb 3,000 feet to the highest point in Texas.
ModerateSmith Spring Trail Loop2.3 mi · 1.5 hr · 5.2 mi awayA desert loop to a shady spring and tiny waterfall.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayLost PeakA rocky summit with broad western views and an unmarked final approach.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayMescalero Wilderness CampgroundAn eight-site, walk-in tent camp on the Tejas Trail.
Campground · 1.6 mi awayMarcus Wilderness CampgroundFive tent sites, 3.7 miles on foot from Dog Canyon.
Campground · 1.8 mi awayBlue Ridge Wilderness CampgroundA five-site walk-in camp among ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.
Campground · 2.2 mi awayTejas Wilderness CampgroundA shaded camp worth the walk if you can carry your water.
Campground · 2.2 mi awayDog Canyon CampgroundA quiet northern base for hikes into the park's high country.
Visitor center · 2.3 mi awayDog Canyon Ranger StationA practical stop in the park’s remote northern district.
Campground · 2.7 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.
