Guadalupe Mountains National Park

 

In a state as big as Texas, there is plenty of room for the classic national park that most Americans think of as a place to preserve. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is that kind of place. The park was established just a few months after the Chamizal National Memorial was established in El Paso.

 

At Guadalupe Mountains National Park visitors can climb to the top of Texas. At 8,751 feet this is the highest point in the state. These arid mountains hole the remains of an ancient reef, a window in to life here centuries ago.

“This is the world’s best example of an exposed fossil reef,” said Park Ranger Michael Haynie. “There’s an entire seascape lifted thousands of feet above the Chihuahuan desert.”

Visitors can imagine what this area would have looked like during the Permian Period 260 to 270 million years ago. A former seascape that still hosts sponge fossils, calcareous algae, brachiopods and other sea life that built this reef.

If these mountains could talk, they would definitely tell interesting stories about this rugged landscape with a surprising secret. These mountains shelter hidden canyons with lush forests with spring-fed creeks and trees that show off their fall colors.

Visitors come here to explore the maples, wildlife and the beauty of the wilderness.

For more information about Guadalupe Mountains National Park.