McKittrick Canyon was named for Captain Felix McKittrick, a rancher and one of the early white settlers who lived at the mouth of the canyon in 1869.
A year-round stream, with its bubbling sounds and lush landscape, provides a nice companion on our hike up the canyon.
Archeological evidence indicates that people occupied the canyon over 12,000 years ago. (source)
In the early 1500s, the Mescalero Apaches inhabited the canyon. Conflicts and bloody battles arose over the following centuries as settlers took the land from the native Americans. By the late 1800s, nearly all of the surviving Mescalero Apaches in the U.S. were relocated to reservations. Ranchers and other settlers moved into the canyon, erected fences, hunted wildlife, and eventually over-grazed and over-farmed the delicate ecosystem. (source)
In 1921, petroleum geologist Wallace E. Pratt (1885-1981) arrived at McKittrick Canyon. He was rightly captivated by the beauty and unique geology and began buying up land in the canyon.
The fall foliage contrasts spectacularly with the rocks and scrub along the canyon walls.
McKittrick Canyon Trail was one of our prettiest hikes ever.
There are plenty of trees all along the trail to provide cover from the hot sun.
After hiking 2-1/2 miles, the trail reaches a cabin built by Wallace E. Pratt, who eventually came to own most of McKittrick Canyon. In 1959, Pratt donated around 5,000 acres of his ranch to the National Park Service. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson established Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which formally opened to the public in 1972. (source)
At the back of the caynon is McKittrick Ridge, on which we will climb to a high spot for lunch.
Wallace E. Pratt died on Christmas Day, 1981 at age 96. His ashes were spread over the beautiful canyon he helped preserve.
The canyon is full of wildlife including many lizards.
At the end of the canyon begins a strenuous climb up McKittrick Ridge, which provides stunning views of the colorful canyon floor below.
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