At 8,368 feet elevation, Hunter Peak is the sixth highest mountain in Texas and only 381 feet lower than Guadalupe Peak. The north side of the mountain slopes gently and is covered with pine trees and other vegetation, while the south side is much steeper, more rugged and has a much more desert like appearance. Like the other peaks in the Guadalupe Mountains, Hunter Peak is part of a fossilized coral reef and is composed of fossil rich limestone. The name of the peak remembers J. C. Hunter, a major landowner and early proponent of the park. 

There are good loop routes leading to the summit of Hunter Peak, but it receives much less attention that Guadalupe Peak.