Palo Duro State Park - TX

Palo Duro State Park is south of Amarillo TX in the northwest section of Texas.  It has been called the Grand Canyon of Texas.  We thought it would be a good place to stay for a few days before we made our way up to Parker CO. 

It was hard to imagine exactly what this area would look like, but suddenly there was this deep canyon right in front of us...

"Palo Duro Canyon is approximately 120 miles long and 600 to                         

  800 feet deep and is the second largest canyon in the United

States. The canyon was formed less than 1 million years ago

when the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River first carved its

way through the Southern High Plains. The rocks expose a geologic

story which began approximately 250 million years ago,

layer by layer revealing a panoramic view of magnificent color.

The canyon’s archeological and ethnological treasures suggest

about twelve thousand years of human habitation, rising and

waning as climate varied among periods of abundant moisture,

aridity, and sometimes fearfully severe drought."

 Courtesy Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

...Driving a steep, curvy road takes you right down to the floor of the canyon.  This is a beautiful, well-maintained state park.  According to one of the volunteers the revenue from this park supports 3-4 others parks in Texas.  There are many small clusters of campgrounds and RV sites.  Hiking trails are everywhere and well-marked.  There are several geocaches hidden within the park.   While searching for a geocache, we hiked a wonderful trail that followed the top of a ridge...the views were spectacular.  Wild turkeys and friendly deer entertained us at our campsite.

The visitor center has beautiful displays and interesting videos on the history of the area.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was key in building the roads and structures in the park.  There are wonderful photos from this era.