A photo looking up South McKittrick Canyon from above along the McKittrick Canyon Trail

McKittrick Canyon Trail begins at the visitor center and initially follows a dry stream, crossing the stream bed several times as it works its way up the canyon. At first the vegetation is more typical of the Chihuahuan Desert with various species of yucca, agave and cacti,^[4] such as Spanish Dagger (Yucca faxoniana), Sotol (Dasylirion leiophyllum), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla), Century Plants (Agave americana), Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.) and Claret Cup Cacti (Echinocereus triglochidiatus).^[2] Scattered among these desert plants are a few hardy pines, juniper, and the occasional Texas Madrone (Arbutus xalapensis), an unusual tree with red-colored bark that tends to curl-up and peel off each year.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKittrick Canyon