Destination Wild

Overview

This site is designed for stock use. If your party does not need access to a horse campsite, please consider selecting a campsite at the Pine Springs Campground located one mile west of Frijole Horse Corral Campground.
Frijole Horse Corral Campground is located one mile east of Pine Springs Visitor Center, just off U.S. 62/180 and at an elevation of 5,400 feet.
This campground has a large gravel parking area that is used as trailhead parking to access the Foothills and Frijole trails. It provides additional parking for horse trailers.
The Frijole Horse Corral campground is located 1 mile from the Pine Springs area and Visitor Center. It is 100 miles or a 2 hour drive from the Dog Canyon horse corrals by road.
The campground is open year-round and is busiest, March-May and September-November.
High winds with over 50 mph gusts are common, especially during winter and spring
The Frijole Horse Corral Campsite is approximately 100 yards from the very busy U.S. 62/180 highway, expect traffic noise, including large trucks, 24 hours a day.

Recreation

Stock users may access trails in the Pine Springs area after obtaining a wilderness use permit at the Pine Springs Visitor Center (8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) the day of their trip or up to 24 hours in advance. Trails that allow stock use are indicated on the park map and on maps for sale at the park bookstore.

Riders must start their trip from the Frijole corral using the Foothills trail or Frijole trail.

The use of horses or pack animals is allowed on the following trails, routes or areas:

Trails designated for stock use are as follows:

El Capitan Trail, Salt Basin Overlook Trail, Foothills Trail, Frijole Trail, Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail to the hitching racks below the summit, Tejas Trail, Bush Mountain Trail from Tejas Junction at Pine Top to hitching racks at Bush Mountain, Bush Mountain Trail from Dog Canyon to Marcus Junction and the Marcus Trail, Blue Ridge Trail from Marcus Junction to Tejas Trail, McKittrick Canyon Trail from Tejas Trail to McKittrick Ridge Campground hitching racks

Roads designated for stock use are as follows:

Dog Canyon Road & designated old roads in the west side escarpment area. Note that not all the old roads within the park are open for stock use.
These roads are open to stock use to allow access to designated trails and because there are no alternative trails or routes.

Hikers will find many opportunities as well:

The nearby Pine Springs Trailhead includes access to many different types of hikes. Hikes to Guadalupe Peak or the Bowl are strenuous, 8-9 miles, and have 2500-3000 feet of elevation gain. Another strenuous hike is the Devil’s Hall Trail (4.2 miles round-trip, 500 feet elevation gain, ½ of the trail in a rocky, uneven wash which includes route-finding and boldering skills). For a more moderate hike consider the the Frijole/Foothills Trail. The El Capitan Trail offers excellent open views of the surrounding desert and close approaches to the cliff face of El Capitan. Because of its distance, lack of shade, some primitive route travel, and numerous elevation changes, this trail is best saved for cooler times of year and for people with experience in route-finding.
The ruins of a Butterfield stage station, called the Pinery are next to the highway, and a short, paved nature trail connects the visitor center and the historic site.
The Frijole Ranch & History Museum is .25 miles away. The grounds are always open, but the museum is staffed intermittently.
Six miles to the east on Hwy 62/180 is McKittrick Canyon. This area offers three trails, the McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail (0.9 miles loop), McKittrick Canyon Trail (4.8 miles round-trip to Pratt Cabin or 6.8 miles round-trip to the Grotto) and the Permian Reef Trail (8.4 miles round-trip, for serious geology buffs).

Facilities

Riders must start their trip from the Frijole corral using the Foothills trail or Frijole trail.

The use of horses or pack animals is allowed on the following trails, routes or areas:

Trails designated for stock use are as follows:

El Capitan Trail, Salt Basin Overlook Trail, Foothills Trail, Frijole Trail, Guadalupe Peak Horse Trail to the hitching racks below the summit, Tejas Trail, Bush Mountain Trail from Tejas Junction at Pine Top to hitching racks at Bush Mountain, Bush Mountain Trail from Dog Canyon to Marcus Junction and the Marcus Trail, Blue Ridge Trail from Marcus Junction to Tejas Trail, McKittrick Canyon Trail from Tejas Trail to McKittrick Ridge Campground hitching racks

Roads designated for stock use are as follows:

Dog Canyon Road & designated old roads in the west side escarpment area. Note that not all the old roads within the park are open for stock use.
These roads are open to stock use to allow access to designated trails and because there are no alternative trails or routes.

Hikers will find many opportunities as well:

The nearby Pine Springs Trailhead includes access to many different types of hikes. Hikes to Guadalupe Peak or the Bowl are strenuous, 8-9 miles, and have 2500-3000 feet of elevation gain. Another strenuous hike is the Devil’s Hall Trail (4.2 miles round-trip, 500 feet elevation gain, ½ of the trail in a rocky, uneven wash which includes route-finding and boldering skills). For a more moderate hike consider the the Frijole/Foothills Trail. The El Capitan Trail offers excellent open views of the surrounding desert and close approaches to the cliff face of El Capitan. Because of its distance, lack of shade, some primitive route travel, and numerous elevation changes, this trail is best saved for cooler times of year and for people with experience in route-finding.
The ruins of a Butterfield stage station, called the Pinery are next to the highway, and a short, paved nature trail connects the visitor center and the historic site.
The Frijole Ranch & History Museum is .25 miles away. The grounds are always open, but the museum is staffed intermittently.
Six miles to the east on Hwy 62/180 is McKittrick Canyon. This area offers three trails, the McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail (0.9 miles loop), McKittrick Canyon Trail (4.8 miles round-trip to Pratt Cabin or 6.8 miles round-trip to the Grotto) and the Permian Reef Trail (8.4 miles round-trip, for serious geology buffs).

Natural Features

The Frijole Corral Campground is in an area with small, scattered trees, shrubs, and grasses. Trees include gray oaks and redberry junipers. Higher elevations include Douglas fir and hop-hornbeam. Shrubs include whitethorn acacia, Mexican orange, Apache plume, sumacs, and algerita. Desert-adapted plants also occur in this area, and include prickly pear cactus, New Mexico agave, sotols, and soaptree yuccas.
Hunter Peak, El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak are visible from the campground. Riding up either side of Pine Springs canyon offers excellent views of the surrounding desert.
Birds commonly seen and/or heard around the campground can include Canyon towhees, turkey vultures, white-winged doves, common ravens, chipping sparrows, Say’s phoebes, common poorwills, and Woodhouse’s scrub jays depending on the season.
Night sky visibility is excellent and nearly pristine. Nearby high ridges and peaks are situated to north.

Nearby Attractions

Carlsbad Caverns National Park: In addition to a variety of cave tours, the national park also offers hiking trails and a scenic drive. Rattlesnake Springs and Slaughter Canyon, part of Carlsbad Caverns are nearer attractions for day use activities. Birding is excellent at Rattlesnake Springs.
Lincoln National Forest: The Guadalupe District of the Lincoln National Forest is located just over the state line, north of the national park. Road access is through New Mexico, north of White’s City, via Dark Canyon Road to NM SR 137 through Queen (also the way to the national park’s Dog Canyon). The forest provides for various camping, hiking, caving, hunting, and picnicking opportunities. Sitting Bull Falls is a nice waterfall and picnic area in the Lincoln National Forest. Five Point Vista is a glorious ridge road ride of the area, closer to Dog Canyon.
Fort Davis National Historic Site and State Park: Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail. This is located about 2.5 hours south of the park. A state park is located nearby with camping and a scenic drive. Also located in Fort Davis is McDonald Observatory with several programs available.
White Sands National Park: Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.
Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site: Hueco Tanks State Park is located on the east side of El Paso, about an hour and a half from the Guadalupes. At Hueco Tanks, you can hike, rock climb, bird watch, study nature and history, picnic and stargaze. Visitors can take guided and self-guided tours to view rock imagery.

Charges & Cancellations

Group Site: Customers who cancel a group overnight reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee & forfeit the first night's use fee.
If you need to cancel or modify your reservation you must do so through Recreation.gov.

Activities

Historic & Cultural Site
Camping
Day Use Area
Evening Programs
Hiking
Horse Camping
Guided Interpretive Walks
Interpretive Programs
Picnicking
Photography
Visitor Center
Birding
Backpacking
Amphitheater
Cultural Activities
Star Gazing

Media

Frijole Horse Corral Campground