McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center — Attraction in Texas

I really love this place for hiking. These are some of the coolest unique trails I've been on. There is always something new to see here. I wish I could bring my dogs with me but I understand why the dont allow them here. But I did see a couple of people at different times with a dog off leash walking along the main trails which seemed unfair but hey there are always people who don't go by the rules. I really enjoy the trails up the mountains. Most of these trails are not for the faint of heart but they are fun for the avid prepared hiker. Make sure to bring plenty of water and snacks if you plan to be here a while you can easily have a 10...

Trail, parking lot and likely the visitor center, all of them opens after 8AM Carlsbad time. We had no interest in the visitor center, just wanted to hike. But the gate to the road from the highway was locked when we reached there at 7:20 AM. Cell phone was switching time 1 hr around that area, so was showing 8:20 AM though it was 7:20 as far as the road to the trailhead and visitor center was concerned. Saw another vehicle pull up behind us who didn't know about the closure.

The pine visitor center area of the park was open, we hiked there. It makes no sense to close sections of the park while...

Beautiful scenery but I've never hiked in an area before where 3 park rangers patrolled the trail running everyone off 2 hours before the gate closed (and are extremely stubborn and rigid). So much for a wilderness experience. I don't recommend coming here on a saturday for that reason. I personally don't think they should be closing gates to an area like this, especially not that early. This was the 3rd time I've hiked this trail and it will probably be my last. I'll stick to true wilderness hikes where rangers don't hover over you the whole time...