Hiking Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks

The descriptions of trails and how to get to them will be an asset to those hiking in these amazing parks.

Those of us who are old enough to remember the time before hiking guides were written for smaller parks and wild areas and before the internet know what it was like: you went the first time to find out what you could do there and then you went again to do it. OK for places nearby but what about those trips across the continent? This book gave me everything I needed to get the most out of my brief week in the Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks, places I rather suspect I'll never get to again. The author covers all the maintained trails (and some that aren't, really) that I've heard of, with fairly good detail and guidance as to difficulty. He is clearly a champion hiker himself but no need to fear that you'll be dragged along by hiker machismo: he over-, rather than underrates the difficulty of these trails. But he also gives you all the information you'll need to go bounding out on your own over-demanding marches. For example, I took his day hike out of Dog Canyon up to Lost Peak, then continued along the McKittrick Ridge Trail out to the "snout", just before the plunge down to McKittrick Canyon. Not something he recommended, but I had all the data I needed to make my own decision. The maps are photocopies of the National Geographic maps of these parks, available at their website for about 10 bucks as well as the visitor centers in Carlsbad Caverns & Guadalupe Mountains NP's. Aesthetically, they are perhaps a bit lacking but I found them perfectly readable for the purpose of trail use. You might want to supplement them for bushwhacking, though. I used this book in October of 2004 and found no pressing need for revision, though of course I didn't hike all the trails, just a lot of them. I mentioned the Internet at the outset. This wonderful area does not excite the interest, as measured by internet postings, that such places as the Grand Canyon do. There is a Yahoo group, but there is just not much activity on it. So this book appears to be the only substantial resource out there.

Once of the few places I've found information on the above ground options at Carlsbad.It's given me many alternatives to the Guadelupe Peak, McKittrick Canyon, caves trip I was planning. There seems to be much more to be explored.Maps and photos are a bit unclear - could use some work

This book has just the right amount of information about each park, the trails, key features, preparation checklists, and suggestions. I'm planning a trip to Guadalupe and this book is an invaluable resource, since I've never been to the park, and information about the area is hard-to-find and somewhat limited. I particularly liked the trail stats that accompanied each trail description - the stats include distance, elevation change, time estimates, and key points. Also, many mini-maps are provided which help to illustrate the topic