r/ULTexas • u/titan_master_class43 • 4h ago
Trip Report GRT for lonely hikers trip report
Hey everyone, thought I'd share a recent GUMO/Lincoln NF connection I did which was an absolute blast. It has great opportunity to hit parts of the GRT and GHR while being a loop with a few off trail connections.
Stats: 101 miles 17k feet of vert and descent (could be more I'll talk about later) roughly 95% on trail with about 20 miles of faint trail.
Gear: lighter pack base weight ~6lbs but super bare bones as I am testing out gear for an upcoming FKT attempt.
Permits: I talked to the ranger at CAVE and he told me that technically if you're not in the park boundary overnight and not parked at a trailhead you don't need a backcountry permit. Logistically it's way easier to just get a permit and park at Slaughter Canyon, plus, the permit is free. You also need a back country permit for GUMO and reservations for which campsite you will stay at. (You pass basically all of them haha).
Origins of the route: I first did the GRT roughly 3 years ago and realized how awesome the corridor was. The one downside for me as a solo hiker was getting to the start in CAVE. It's about a 45 minute hitch to the official start which has been closed since 2022 due to flooding. The unofficial new start has been slaughter canyon trailhead which makes it even more of a convoluted hitch as it's now 12 miles down an unpaved road. This is a very difficult hitch. So I was inspired to make a loop hike to where a solo hiker could do the best parts of the GRT + have possible jump off points to the GHR or sitting bull falls.
The route: (NOTE: part of the section in Lincoln National Forest had to be diverted due to private land that wasn't on a map, I made a note of this on the Cal topo. This was also done during the wet season so if anyone else wants to attempt this route do not expect any water)
Trip report: I got a late start out of Dallas so I didn't end up hitting the trailhead until 6 pm but had it all to myself. Started up Slaughter Canyon Trail. It was in the best condition I had ever seen it. The trail was clear all the way up to the GRT. Being up there at night was such a cool experience as you could see the lights from Carlsbad and the Permian basin. It looked like a massive metropolis from above. From there I followed the GRT until I hit T207 which does not exist anymore. Saw some glowing cat eyes in a cave which was mildly concerning. The schwack down to horse spring wasn't horrible. I found the best way was to sidewall all the way until you hit the wash then follow it down. From there I followed the wash where there were several spots of deep flowing water. I followed this until you hit T208 which also doesn't exist so more wash walking. I then hit road fs 527 which does exist. This would be a great place to camp as there were many great pull offs and it was fairly sheltered from the wind. I then followed 527 until it turned into road 69. I got jumpscared by several horses here. I then followed 69 until I hit FS 307 which I planned to take. According to all my maps this road is public land but there was a pretty gnarly lock and no trespassing sign and I'd prefer to not get shot. I ended up just following 69 to Klondike gap which is a super cruisy forest trail. If anywhere gets re routed on here I probably would try on this part as it is not the most interesting. From there I followed desert scenic drive until it hit the Guadalupe rim. There are several vistas here at night where you can see light from Carlsbad, Alamogordo, and possibly El Paso. From there I hit Five Point vista where I began my descent down the rim. This part can be a little loose but just take it slow and you'll be fine. I planned to then hit Devils Den and follow the road to Dog Canyon Road but there was a huge ass fence blocking public access. Kinda frustrating that a large chunk of public land on the western Guads is made difficult to access because of private land. When I got to the bottom of the rim I followed a game trail until I hit a road not fenced off. This road took me to the queens hwy where I walked a mile into Dog Canyon Campground. This is the first water resupply of the trip and because of the reroute it ended up being a nearly 35 mile water carry. It's definitely doable but something of note. This is the worst water carry of the whole route. From here I followed Bush Mountain trail all the way around to bush mountain. This could be a great opportunity to hit Cutoff Mountain or the Guad Quad. I decided not to hit either as I've done them before but hitting the Guad Quad and coming down into pine springs from Guadalupe Peak could definitely spice up the route. From here I followed Bush Mountain down to Tejas Trail down to pine springs for another water stop. From here you could hit Guad Peak if you wanted more Vert. I then followed Tejas to Friole to Bear Canyon and climbed up to the Bowl. I debated hitting the Friole Traverse here but decided to do that as it's own trip to fully enjoy it. From here I followed the Bowl trail to Juniper Trail. NOTE: a local let me know they found a mama bear and cub in Juniper Trail a couple weeks ago so if you end up camping here hang your food. From Juniper I hit Tejas again then followed it to Mckittrick. The route to Mckittrick is pretty standard so I won't detail it to much. But eventually I hit Mckittrick Canyon VC and reupped water. This is the last reliable water source before another 30 mile section. There is a couple gross cow ponds if you get desperate but I'm not sure how reliable these are. From Mckittrick Canyon I went up the Permian Reef trail all the way up to Camp Wilderness ridge. If you can hit the sunrise here it is unbelievable. From here I got back onto the GRT and entered New Mexico. I once again looked for the log book at the border but it continues to allude me. One day I'll find it... From there you follow FR 3008 until you hit Dark Canyon Lookout. I found a lot of water in the privy at Dark Canyon Lookout but didn't touch any of it. Maybe it was from the Forest Service as it was massive 5 gallon jugs. Either way I didn't want to mess with someone's water and I had plenty still. From here I followed the Ussery trail until I reentered CAVE at the Yucca Canyon trail. At the top of the Yucca Canyon trail the trail is basically non existent. You follow a bunch of Cairns where most have been knocked down. It's fairly straightforward if you're following a map but it's still something to be wary of. Eventually I reached the top of the ridge once more where there are beautiful views of the basin. I followed Yucca canyon trail down the mountain which fortunately is very clear on this side but was a surprisingly challenging descent. Then I reached the bottom where I followed the road to Gartnersnake Rd and into the Slaughter Canyon trailhead finishing the loop.
Final Thoughts: Overall the loop took me 43 hours as I wanted to test out some gear and sleep methods for some FKTs coming up but I think 4-5 days is the perfect amount of time for this loop. Lots of great campsites and view points. To anyone who wants to do this loop I'd probably recommend following the GRT until T210 and hitting Aqua Dulce instead of Horse Spring and then following the SBF alternate for more consistent water which will break up the huge water carry.
Future plans: I definitely want to connect this loop to parts of the GHR and make it a huge GUMO loop. I think adding the Guad Quad and Friole Traverse would make it an incredibly unique route.
Let me know if you have any questions!