Guadalupe Peak
Guadalupe Peak, also known as Signal Peak, is the highest natural point in Texas, with an elevation of above sea level. It is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and is part of the Guadalupe Mountains range in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The mountain is about east of El Paso and about southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The peak rises more than above the arid floor of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Trail and summit
The peak can be climbed at any time of the year by a maintained stony trail with a elevation gain. The trail is part of the network of hiking trails in the surrounding national park.A stainless steel pyramid marks the summit. It was erected by American Airlines in 1958 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach route that passed south of the mountain. One side of the pyramid has the American Airlines logo. The second side displays a U.S. Postal Service tribute to the Pony Express Riders of the Butterfield Stage. The third side displays a compass with the logo of the Boy Scouts of America.
A hiker was found dead on New Year's Eve 2022, as there were wind gusts of more than per hour and wind chills were "well below freezing".
"At nearly above sea level, Guadalupe Peak is a mountain environment with associated risks not found elsewhere in Texas," the park said, noting that the hike is a "very strenuous, round trip hike with a elevation gain" to the highest point in the state.