Beyond, the Guadalupes loom up a deep purple on the horizon, darkened by the foliage of pine trees that populate the peaks of this mountain range which reaches a height of almost 9,000 feet. It is the first mountain range to be encountered by the traveler coming from the east after having journeyed across the flat plains of Texas and the other midwestern states. [Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER Along the trail in the King's Palace] For the visitor who is coming from El Paso, the Guadalupe Range must be crossed, and the pass is located next to Guadalupe Peak, the highway reaching an altitude of 5,288 feet at this point. Guadalupe Peak is the highest mountain in the Guadalupe Range and it is also the highest point in the state of Texas. It was near this spot that the Butterfield Stage passed on its way from St. Louis to San Francisco. The famous trail passed the southern tip of the Guadalupes near Guadalupe Peak, coming this far south in order to avoid the snow covered Rockies which made winter travel impossible and summer travel difficult. In 1857 the Butterfield Stage brought mail to the little settlements in southern New Mexico, giving the people there a more frequent contact with the rest of the world. The Butterfield Line was discontinued four years later, yet the history of its brief existence lives on in the minds of New Mexico residents today. The Guadalupe foothills are covered with shrubs and hardy vegetation, growing above the limestone, shale and gypsum below which are harbored numerous caves similar to the Carlsbad Caverns. There is Deep Cave, appropriately named by Carl Livingstone, its discoverer, and Slaughter Cave, also known as New Cave, which is one of the best known. It has been explored and contains many beautiful and unique formations. Some of the cavern sequences in the motion picture "King Solomon's Mines" were filmed in New Cave. Difficult access to its entrance keeps it closed to the public. McKitterick Cave is located near McKitterick Springs, some 18 miles west of Carlsbad, and holds fond memories for many of Carlsbad's older residents. They recall how, as long ago as 1885, the gay young blades would take their ladies fair on a trip to the cave as a form of amusement, leaving early in the morning and packing a mid-day lunch. Others, not as famous, are Hidden Cave and Cottonwood Cave--part of more than thirty in the area well enough known to have names, and only a few of more than a hundred smaller caves which perforate the foothills in the area. Many of these are located within the park boundaries. [Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER Under the Guillotine--King's Palace]