Texas trails · Smith Spring Trail
Smith Spring Trail
A 2.3-mile loop in Texas, with 392 ft of climbing. Reaches Manzanita Spring and other spring destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 72% of the ascent, between mile 0.8 and mile 1.5. It gives back about 386 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Manzanita Spring (spring)
- Smith Spring (spring)
Heads up
Getting there
Smith Spring Trail access — parking nearby. 31.90760, -104.80208 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:08 a.m., the sun rises at 6:33 a.m. and sets at 7:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:49 p.m. (MDT) — 12 h 51 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 2.3-mile route takes roughly 1 h 03 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 7:37 a.m. — 11 h 48 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Smith Spring Trail — 2.3 mi loop, 414 ft gain
- Smith Spring Trail + Frijole Trail + Foothills Trail — 4.2 mi loop, 768 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Tejas Trail — 1.7 mi
- Guadalupe Peak Trail — 1.7 mi
- McKittrick Ridge Trail — 4.4 mi
- El Capitan Trail — 5.2 mi