Located on the Western escarpment of the Guadalupe Mountains, Shumard Peak is the third highest point in Texas with an elevation of 8,615 feet above sea level. No trail reaches the summit, and the peak is best seen from U.S. Highway 62/180 to the west of the park. The Salt Basin Dunes is an excellent location to view the peak from a distance. 

The peak is named for George Getz Shumard (1823–1867) He made significant geological explorations in northern and western Texas while serving as surgeon and geologist on a series of exploring expeditions sent out by the United States War Department in the 1850s, and as assistant to his brother, Benjamin Franklin Shumard, who was appointed the first state geologist in 1858. During an 1852 exploration Captain Randolph B. Marcy, and Captain George B. McClellan, Shumard discovered the presence of Permian fossils in the area of the Guadalupe Mountains.