McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park is an hour's drive from my home. National Park Service materials call this canyon "the most beautiful spot in Texas," which my friends in the Big Bend National Park would certainly dispute. But no matter, the colors this time of year are spectacular and the sky very, VERY blue.
The hike is relatively flat but rocky (no bouldering, though) and in a few miles you see a full transition from desert to canyon woodland, to a highland forest of maples and oaks. Elevation at the trail head is 5,000, considerably lower than the park's (and the state's) highest point, Guadalupe Peak, 8,749 elevation. I most enjoyed seeing the tiny brilliant leaves of the maples. They're small in the desert to reduce evaporation of precious rainwater.
The park is isolated--the nearest food, lodging and gasoline is 35 miles away--but that makes hiking at even peak times a real treat. We were there on the first really colorful weekend of the season and there were others on the trail, but we had a great deal of privacy along the route, too.
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