McKittrick Canyon Nature Loop

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

easy

Length: 0.85 mi

Est. time: 24m

Gain: 238 ft

Loss: 215 ft

Max elev: 5,253 ft

Point-to-pointTrail class 4Gravelhike

Elevation profile

+238 ft gain · −215 ft loss — an estimate from a DEM.

Trailhead & logistics

McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center and Trailhead (ParkingLot) · 40 accessible spaces

McKittrick Canyon Contact Station (VisitorCenter)

What to know

McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail

🗓 winter, spring, summer, fall

Build a loop

Connects to:

Permian Reef Trail

Connect the dots

Learn:

Geology Lesson 1. The present is the key to the past.Geology Lesson 2. Global building blocks Geology Lesson 3. Where did the oceans go?

Journeys:

Geronimo Segura Iris Calderhead Pratt Wallace Pratt John Butterfield Roger Reisch Noel Kincaid

Plan smart, verify on site

Length, elevation, and difficulty are estimates derived from open data (NPS Public Trails GIS, high confidence) — not a safety guarantee. Conditions change; check current closures, weather, and water, and carry the essentials. Always defer to NPS.gov and park rangers.

View Guadalupe Mountains National Park →Find more trails →