Dog Canyon, Texas, United States

4Climb_Big_Bend 5:00 PM Feb 3, 2012

Off the beaten path
Off the beaten path may be an understatement for Dog Canyon. This is what makes it a special place for those who enjoy solitude. As the crow flies it's only about 10 miles from Pine Springs Campground and the headquarters of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but it's a 3 hour drive. The most sensible way to get to Dog Canyon from Pine Springs is through Carlsbad, but you can also drive the other way through the very small town of Dell City, TX. which includes about a 20 mile dirt road. Bring all the food you will need as the nearest store of any size is in Carlsbad, about 67 miles away. Dog Canyon is a great place to camp. It's more sheltered than Pine Springs and has more trees. The entire campground only has 9 pads which will only hold one tent a piece. Over Martin Luther King day, we were the only ones there. There are two trails that begin at Dog Canyon, the Bush Mountain Trail and the Tejas Trail. The Bush Mountain trail travels west up the west side of the canyon and then back down the other side, then turns south and ascends up to the second highest peak in Texas, Bush Mountain in a total of 9.6 miles from the trailhead. The Tejas Trail follows the creek up the canyon passing by Lost Peak in about 3 miles. You can follow the Tejas Trail all the way back to Pine Springs in about 12 miles, or you can use the trail to connect to the McKittrick Canyon Trail. Both trails are well maintained and are great for those who don't want the crowds of the Guadalupe Peak Trail. There are several backcountry camps that are accessible from Dog Canyon with a permit.

4gingerb 5:00 PM Sep 25, 2022

Great desert park to explore
It is a beautiful drive into Dog Canyon. The campground is small with the walk-in sites too close together. I appreciate the bathrooms with water. There is a wash sink behind the restroom for cooking clean up. The night sky is beautiful. We did a 7.5 mile hike up to the saddle that gave great views of the western side of the mountains. Unfortunately, the ranger station was unmanned on a holiday weekend. We would have loved to ask a bunch of questions! The nature trail is very nice also. My one complaint about the hiking trail is that it has had no maintenance to keep the trail visible. There were no cairns to mark the trail coming out of creek crossings that were overgrown. The wildflowers were prolific!