PALO DURO CANYON
STATE PARK

TEXAS REGIONS

PANHANDLE PLAINS

Map of Palo Duro Canyon Area & 
Additional Palo Duro Canyon Information

The Lighthouse in Palo Duro Canyon.Spanish Explorers are believed to have discovered the Grand Canyon of Texas and named it "Palo Duro" which is Spanish for "hard wood." Likely due to the abundant mesquite and juniper trees in the Palo Duro area. Palo Duro Canyon State Park opened on July 4,1934 and contains 26,275 acres of the scenic, northern most portion of the Palo Duro Canyon. The Civilian Conservation Corp of the 1930's constructed most of the buildings and roads still in use by park staff and visitors. 

The Lighthouse formation, within Palo Duro Canyon State Park, is the Canyon's most recognized feature.

The Lighthouse is over 100 feet tall. You can reach the Lighthouse by trail only. The hike is about 4 hours round-trip from The Lighthouse Trail parking lot, near water crossing # 2.

Carry plenty of water, because there is none on the trail. Keep a watch out for thunderstorms. Thunderstorms can cause flash flooding and block water crossings. 

  click a thumbnail to view a photo 

The Texas show in the Palo Duro Amphitheater.

What a spectacular setting for a spectacular show. More than 80 singers, dancers and musicians appear in the outdoor musical drama “TEXAS”. The show is about the settling of the Texas Panhandle. A 600-foot cliff in Palo Duro Canyon State Park serves as the back of the stage. The show is performed nightly, except Monday, from early June through mid-August. The curtain goes up at 8:30 p.m. An optional steak dinner by the Big Texan Steak Ranch is available starting at 6:30.

Call 806.655.2181 or visit The Texas Website

Camping in Palo Duro Canyon.

Palo Duro Canyon is 120 miles long and, at some points, as much as 20 miles wide, with a maximum depth of more than 800 feet. Its elevation, at the rim, is 3,500 feet above sea level.

It is often claimed (by Texans) that Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 ft. deep. 

Palo Duro Canyon was formed by erosion from the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion are gradually widening the canyon. 

Riding horses in Palo Duro Canyon.

People have lived in Palo Duro Canyon for about 12,000 years. Early residents were nomadic tribes that hunted mammoth, giant bison, and other large game animals. Later, the Apache lived in the canyon, but they were soon evicted by Comanche and Kiowa tribes who lived in the canyon until 1874. That is when Colonel Ranald Mackenzie was sent to force the Indians to Oklahoma.  Mackenzie and the 4th Cavalry stole over 1,400 horses belonging to the tribes. They kept some of the best horses for themselves, and then took the rest to nearby Tule Canyon and killed them. With their only means of transportation taken from them the Indians soon surrendered. 

Breakfast at Elkins Ranch at Palo Duro Canyon.

At Elkins Ranch, overlooking Palo Duro Canyon you can have yourself a real taste of the Old West with  a cowboy breakfast of eggs, sausage and sourdough biscuits, Dutch oven potatoes, fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls, with juice or coffee, all cooked the cowboy way, over a mesquite fire. 

Evening at Elkins Ranch features a steak dinner. Daily during June, July and August. Some availability in April, May and September. Jeeps leave for the breakfast camp site promptly at 8:30 am. Times for the dinner vary.

Reservations are required.

Call 800-658-2613.

Belkins Ranch Website

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A colorful Palo Duro Canyon Sunrise. The front gate to Palo Duro Canyon State Park usually opens at 8 a.m.. During the winter, that places sunrise close to the gate opening, so you can catch this beautiful scene from the Overlook next to the Visitor Center. 

In 1876, Charles Goodnight, of Lonesome Dove inspiration fame, entered Palo Duro canyon and opened the JA Ranch. At its biggest, the ranch had more than 100,000 head of cattle. Goodnight operated the ranch until 1890. Although only a fraction of its original size, the JA Ranch remains a working ranch to this day.

Call 806-488-2227. Palo Duro Website.

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