Hunter Peak is an
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
in
Culberson County, Texas
Culberson County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 2,188. The county seat is Van Horn, Texas, Van Horn. Culberson County was founded in 1 ...
, United States.
Description
Hunter Peak is located in
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a national park of the United States in the Guadalupe Mountains, east of El Paso, Texas. The mountain range includes Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at , and El Capitan used as a landmark by travel ...
and it is immediately northwest of the park headquarters and visitor center. It ranks as the fifth-highest peak in the
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains () are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both of which are located wi ...
and sixth-highest in the state of Texas.
The mountain is composed of late
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and
Capitan Formation like the other peaks in the Guadalupe Mountains.
[ ]Topographic relief
Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...
is significant as the summit rises 2,500 feet (762 m) above Pine Spring Canyon in . Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains east into the Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
which is part of the Pecos River
The Pecos River ( ; ) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico, at an elev ...
watershed. The slopes of the peak support ponderosa pine, southwestern white pine, douglas-fir, and juniper. The ascent to the summit involves hiking 8.7 miles (14 km) with 2,700 feet of elevation gain via a round-trip loop up the Bear Canyon Trail and down the Tejas Trail.''Thing to Do: Hunter Peak''
National Park Service, Retrieved 2024-11-14. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1966 by the
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...
to remember Jessie Coleman "J.C." Hunter (1890–1945), an early proponent of the park and major landowner of what became the park.
[''Hunter Peak'']
National Park Service, Retrieved 2024-11-14. He was largely responsible for the preservation of the Guadalupe Mountains in their virgin condition.
[
]
Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Hunter Peak is located in a cold semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
zone with relatively hot summers, calm, mild autumn weather, and cool to cold weather in winter and early spring.
See also
*List of mountain peaks of Texas
This is a list of mountains in the state of Texas greater than 2,000 feet.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain peaks of Texas
Texas
Mountain peaks
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points imme ...
*Geography of Texas
The geography of Texas is diverse and large. Occupying about 7% of the total water and land area of the U.S., it is the second largest state after Alaska, and is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which end in the south against the folde ...
Gallery
File:Guadalupe Nima3.JPG, Southeast aspect
File:Guadalupe Mountains National Park P1012846.jpg, Southeast aspect
File:Hunter Peak Texas panorama.jpg, Southwest aspect
File:Hunter Peak zoomed.JPG, Hunter Peak from the Devils Hall Trail in Pine Spring Canyon
File:Jessie Coleman "J.C." Hunter.jpg, Jessie Coleman "J.C." Hunter
References
External links
* Hunter Peak weather
Mountain-forecast.com
* Jessie Coleman Hunter
National Geodetic Survey Data Sheet
{{Portal bar, Mountains, Geology, Geography, Texas
Mountains of Texas
Two-thousanders of the United States
Landforms of Culberson County, Texas
Guadalupe Mountains National Park