devil's hall trail

A great fall hike for the color and beauty of the canyon area with maples changing. Great views and great pictures. BUT, half the hike involves going up a boulder laden creek bed climbing and scurring around giant and medium sized boulders. We had fun, but I can name 25 national park hikes I have enjoyed more.

Be prepared to scamble over rocks once the trail hits the dry creek bed. The rock walls and the "staircase" are most kewl. The trail guide says 800 ft elevation change, but after going up and over sooooo many rocks and boulders you will swear it is more! Trail is easy to follow and once in creek bed, rock cairns verify you are on the right path. Watch your footing as it would be easy to turn an ankle or knee. There was $5 hiking fee (good for 7 days) and a sign in book at trailhead asking you to sign in and out.

I liked this trail because it was a well-marked, moderately easy trail with little elevation gain. The reason I rate it as moderate is that part of the trail joins a dry creek bed. The creek bed has some spots where you have to scramble up and down rocks. It was something like running bleachers. The trail is definitely worth the trip because Devil's Hall is a sight to see. I enjoyed the hike.

Short trail from the visitors center at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Very little grade but the trail is rough in several places.

This trail is incredibly underrated. It should be highlighted on more park maps and publications. It's well worth the hike!If you're willing to climb boulders, this is the MUST DO trail. You'll swear you're lost several times, but then you'll see trail signs (such as stacked rocks left by previous visitors). Don't worry you're on the right track!The best feature of the trail is the finale. It ends with the "Hiker's Staircase", naturally formed rock steps through a narrow canyon.I only saw two other souls the entire time I was out there. Why don't more people hike this trail? I suspect the answer is simply poor advertising, because those other hikers were just as awed as I was.