Devils Hall - Guadalupe Mountains

While visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park, we went on a hike that looked to be a lot of fun, especially when making your way through a dry wash full of boulders. While researching the hike, we discovered that the park service published an alert on their website about this hike saying, “The hike to Devil’s Hall is rated as strenuous. The portion of the route in the wash requires rock scrambling and is dangerous when wet or if water is present. The wash surface is loose gravel and rocks may be unstable.”
We typically like to find hikes that are rated “moderate” and no more than about four miles in length. This one is listed as moderate on AllTrails, but the park services alert had us a bit concerned. In the typical “Living the Good Life” manner, we chose to accept the risk and enjoy the adventure.
The first mile of the trail started like many of our hikes. The beautiful mountains supply a great backdrop for taking photos of desert plants and late blooms. Guadalupe Peak loomed in the distance as we could hear voices of hikers up on the hillside trekking to the summit of the highest peak in Texas.
At the 1-mile mark, we entered into the wash. It seemed like entering Oz! The beauty of the white boulders and the vibrant colors of the autumn leaves made this part of the hike one of the most picturesque of our entire trip. The hike through the wash was amazing! Yes, there are many places where you will need to find an acceptable pathway through the maze of boulders and other obstacles, while using both your hands to help climb up and through to the next challenge. Don’t worry, the wash is your pathway to Devil’s Hall! Continue to hike up the wash, up the dry waterfall and beyond, until you find yourself in the Devil’s Hall.
Yes, I always tell Patty that going up is a great adventure, yet never forget that you still need to come back down! The trail always looks different coming back down. Remember to pick out waypoints and look to see what they look like from the opposite direction so that when you are on the way down, you will recognize your path.
I recommend that you always wear good hiking boots. They will provide good stable footing, have a better grip on slippery rocks, and supply ankle support on rocky terrain. The day we hiked this trail was dry and sunny. I can only imagine how difficult this path would be if the boulders were wet and slippery! Also, look at the weather report before you go hiking. You don’t want to be hiking in a wash if there is a chance of rain in the area.
The Devil’s Hall was nice to see but the adventure of hiking the wash, with the beauty of the autumn colors, was a highlight of our trip.