Apr 11, 2016 — This loop starts at the lesser-visited northern end of Guadalupe Mountains National Park from the Dog Canyon Trailhead. I wanted to see a different side of the park that wasn't all about summit views, and the result was a nice hike through a pretty Texas landscape with minimal tree cover, more of a quintessential snippet of the rolling hills of Texas.
I set out on the Tejas Trail (listed as the Dog Canyon Trail in some places), which heads along the side of the canyon before ascending to the ridge above. I took a quick detour to Lost Peak (just a little bump off the trail), before continuing south along the pretty ridgeline. The Tejas Trail reached a junction with the McKittrick Canyon Trail, where I kept right. I took another right onto the Blue Ridge Trail and followed this briefly. This section of the loop heads through some nice tree cover before heading north and descending along the Marcus Trail. The Marcus Trail descends to lower than the trailhead and then curves east to ascend a few hundred vertical before taking the fianl descent back to the Dog Canyon Trailhead. The majority of this portion wide open and only has sporadic trees or vegetation taller than grasses.
Please consider helping me out if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all site fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing these trip reports is unpaid. You can also hire me as a web developer. I really appreciate it!
If you find my site helpful, please help me replace my many broken cameras, fund my website fees (hosting, APIs, security), or just support my countless hours of work. I pay for all expenses myself, and all trip reports I post are unpaid and unsponsored, so any support is really appreciated!
If using PayPal, please select their option for "Sending to a friend" so they don't take out fees, thank you.
My site is free to use, but consider sending me a few bucks to help keep it running. Thanks in advance!
