Guadalupe Peak is the highest natural point in Texas, with an elevation of 8,751 feet (2,667 m). 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 90 miles (140 km) east of El Paso and about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. It rises more than 3,000 feet (910 m) above the arid floor of the Chihuahuan Desert.
The peak may be climbed on a maintained stony trail (4.2 miles or 6.8 kilometres one-way) during any time of the year, although snow may linger in winter and storms and strong winds may make the journey hazardous. 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 summit register contained in a metal ammunition box is located at the base of the pyramid.
Famous quotes containing the word peak:
“In all things I would have the island of a man inviolate. Let us sit apart as the gods, talking from peak to peak all round Olympus. No degree of affection need invade this religion.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)