McKittrick Canyon Trail to The Notch

McKittrick Canyon Trail to The Notch is a 9-mile out-and-back from the visitor center to a gap in McKittrick Ridge. The canyon floor makes up the easier first stretch; the route then climbs steeply to broad views into South McKittrick Canyon. Allow 5 to 7 hours. The park map lists 4.5 miles each way and 1,092 feet of elevation change. Turn around at The Notch; the trail continues beyond it toward the backcountry campground.

The trail starts behind the visitor center on a broad, pale gravel path through open desert scrub. The lower approach is mostly gentle and exposed, with little shade for the first couple of miles. Washes and creek channels cross the route and may be dry. Farther in, the canyon narrows and becomes greener, with more trees and shade near the stream. Beyond Pratt Cabin, gravel gives way to narrower dirt trail with rocks and more uneven footing.

A signed spur around 2.4 miles in leads through a stone gate to Pratt Cabin, a stone ranch house with a porch and picnic tables; it may not be open to enter. The Grotto is another signed spur near the uphill route junction, around 3.5 miles from the start. Weathered limestone forms a cave-like alcove beside picnic tables. These are optional stops. For The Notch, stay on the uphill ridge route at the junction; the Hunter Line Shack branch is separate. Pratt or Grotto makes a shorter canyon walk if you skip the ridge climb.

Past the Grotto area, the grade changes quickly. Steep switchbacks climb McKittrick Ridge over boulders and uneven, step-like rock. The final quarter-mile is the steepest, narrowest and rockiest section, with little relief. Turn back at Pratt or the Grotto if the sustained ascent is not what you want. The route profile rises steadily toward the end.

The Notch is a cleft in the ridge where the view opens across South McKittrick Canyon in both directions. This is the turnaround and the main payoff for the climb. The trail continues beyond it toward the backcountry campground, but that longer wilderness route is outside this description. From the rocky ledge, the canyon floor and opposing ridges help show how deeply the stream has cut into the ancient reef.

Park at the McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center; the trail begins behind the building. Restrooms and accessible parking are at the trailhead. Park admission is required. This canyon section is day use only, and hikers must be out before the access gate closes, so check the current schedule before setting a start time. Pets are prohibited on park trails. The exposed lower approach and long climb make water and enough daylight important for the full outing.

The gray limestone walls belong to the Capitan Reef, built about 260 million years ago in the Delaware Sea. Sponges, algae and other marine life formed the reef in warm, shallow water. Burial, uplift and erosion eventually exposed it as the steep walls around McKittrick Canyon. From The Notch, the rock layers are easier to see across the canyon than from its shaded floor.

Kansas petroleum geologist Wallace E. Pratt first visited the canyon in 1921. He later bought the McCombs property and built Pratt Cabin in the early 1930s, naming his ranch Madroñal for the madrone trees. Neighbor J. C. Hunter Sr. advocated for a park, and land and preservation work associated with Hunter and Pratt helped establish Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The cabin spur gives this hike a small, tangible link to that history.

Bigtooth maples add fall color along the stream, especially in late October. Madrones have peeling red bark, white spring flowers and red berries later in the year. These trees stand out against the surrounding desert and help explain why the canyon floor feels different from the open approach and ridge above it.