January 2020 in Review
Park Units Visited
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Chamizal National Memorial
The visits in January bring my total to three out of fourteen NPS managed sites in Texas. I was pleasantly surprised by Chamizal National Memorial and intrigued by Guadalupe Mountains because I had limited time and only saw so much. I learned more at Chamizal than I ever though I could have while only spending a little bit of time there on my quick day trip.
Keep reading for my thoughts on these two wonderful pieces of public lands.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
As far as places in Texas go, GUMO is pretty badass. Big Bend is still my number one, but this is definitely second so far in terms of NPS sites. The mountains themselves are gorgeous from afar, and I saw them at sunrise which only added to their magnificence. I only had a few hours to see this park and get to the next location, near El Paso, so I did a short hike in the McKittrick Canyon area. Originally, I went to the Pine Springs area, but decided to go back up and see McKittrick for a more direct hike.
Guadalupe has several visitor/contact centers, but I’d have to venture a guess and say Pine Springs is the central location for most activities. As I mentioned, I visited Pine Springs first, but it was before the doors opened. I walked the nature trail around the visitor center then moved on up the road to McKittrick Canyon. The drive to McKittrick is long and winding, but offers views of the mountain range you’ll eventually be hiking through. That visitor center/contact station there was empty, so I just signed in and went for a stroll. I went about a mile before turning back. In that mile, though, I crossed a creek, saw varying landscapes, and enjoyed several different plants. I was sick, with a bad cold, so I just wasn’t feeling up to going any further. The weather was sunny and cold, with a little wind that died out as I hiked further into the canyon. I was prepared for the winter temperatures and conditions, but I was exhausted and stuffed up so it just wasn’t going to happen.
The small amount of exploration at both visitor centers really inspired some plans for the future. There are SO MANY great looking trails, so I can’t wait to revisit when it’s a little warmer (but not scorching) and I’m not snotty and exhausted. I’ll report back with an update to this once I visit with more time.
Chamizal National Memorial
This little gem of an NPS site is tucked in along the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. I had no expectation for this memorial, nor did I have any prior knowledge of what it was about. I knew where it was on a map and I knew I’d be swinging through El Paso, so I stopped.
After battling some local construction traffic that rerouted the people heading to Mexico, I made it to the parking area. There weren’t many people there, which is always appealing to me in a sense of getting to relax in the experience. As you approach the visitor/education center, there are gorgeous murals on the exterior that showcase the history of Chamizal. I walked in and was greeted by a friendly ranger who handed me a brochure and told me to go watch the short video to get a real feel for the culture and history this piece of land represented. I did as instructed and was blown away by what I learned. Essentially, the river, which divided our two countries, shifted and land became disconnected from Mexico thus displacing people on the land. The NPS website does a great job of summing it up, with more concise words than I could come up with, so check it out HERE.
The culture and history are alive at the memorial grounds, with murals, structures, and paths to experience it all. This is my first National Memorial visit, and I am genuinely excited to see others. I was mostly a parks and monuments guy before this, but this place really helped me expand my horizons.
A Chance Encounter
While at Chamizal, a beautiful moment of chance occurred - I ran into the Parklandia Podcast guys Matt and Brad! I was mostly starstruck at first but they’re cool, so I felt at ease as soon as we started walking and talking together. If you haven’t checked out their podcast, and you love NPS sites, you really should. They sold their loft in Chicago and hit the road in a camper. Those wonderful dude have visited SO MANY parks and have two great seasons of episodes about their travels for you to enjoy - plus plenty of bonus content. Thanks to them for being gracious and kind! My only regret, not taking more photos together.
