Palo Duro Canyon State Park — Attraction in Canyon

This place is phenomenal and right here in Texas. If you overlook the blight of the innumerable windmills blotting out the sky, it's a beautiful 7 hour trip from my home in central Texas. Upon arriving I was greeted with the welcoming smiles of the extremely helpful park employees. They give me a marked up map explaining how to get to my campsite and I'm sent on my way.

Spending my time here I tried to think of the best ways to describe it. I settled on a list of pros and cons. Bear with me.

Pros: This place is BEAUTIFUL!!! Seriously, pictures don't do justice to it. There's a reason the word breathtaking was invented and I'm fairly certain this place falls neatly into that category. This place is a hiking wonderland. Tons and tons of trails for all skill levels and interest levels (FYI: My photos are from the Rock Garden Trail which climbs from the floor of the canyon to the top). It's MAD cheap. There's a free to use shower in the latrine. There are porta-cans in the campgrounds. There is NO cell service at the bottom of the canyon (or even above halfway down). There's a "trading post" that has free wifi. There's a seeming "anti-partying" stance as "public consumption of alcohol is prohibited". This is great because peace, quiet and stuff. The campgrounds are quite nicely appointed with fire-pits, water spigots and a covered picnic table.

Cons: The campsites are REALLY close together. Like with anywhere you go camping, especially in state/national parks, the campsites are super bunched together. I experienced this in Grand Canyon as well. This makes for a rather noisy experience, what with people walking to and fro, bluetooth speakers (with Queen on shuffle and repeat) and there was a large group across the way with several boisterous children. There is NO cell service at the bottom of the canyon (or even above halfway down). Yes, I did list this as a pro but I think it can also be a con. Public consumption of alcohol is prohibited. Also listed as a pro, I see it also as a con because, the unruly behavior of some penalizes us adults who'd like to quietly enjoy a beverage in the peace and quiet.

All in all, I'm going back again, likely twice a year at least. There was so much to see and experience...

An absolute gem in the Texas panhandle that's still feels like one of the best kept secrets in TX! I hiked for 3 days in the park and every spot was breathtaking. It's worth the drive if you have to travel. Handicap friendly, you can drive the whole expanse of the park and drive down the rim and still experience the whole park without having to get out of the car.

Jeep tours are offered, the company is located OUTSIDE of the park on the left right before the main entrance.

There's a small tourist/ gift shop serving simple breakfast and lunch options so great to have the option to grab some food after a long hike or if your camping.

By far the best trail was the Light house! It was well marked and easy to follow it took about an hour each way it's almost 6 miles in and out. This is not a hike for the faint of heart the first leg is easy the end to get up to the lighthouse is difficult! Bring a lot water! some families has to be picked up by park staff in ATVS because they couldn't make it out. Start early when the park opens it's so peaceful!

PS there isn't much to eat/drink or places to stop when leaving or getting to the park it is out in the middle of no where it's about a 20 min drive into to the closest town. There's a small shop/cafe called Sad Monkey Mercantile about a half mile outside the main entrance. They have a full food menu, local beers on tap, and it's also a small shop and they sell camping supplies!

There are campgrounds and glamping huts available with AC book them early they sell out fast even in the summer! If your visiting the closest town to stay is Canyon about 15 mins. Amarillo is a little further but a larger town with more attractions and options.

Check the site before visiting for closures the canyon got a heavy amount of rain and eroded almost all of the trails and campsites but you can still visit...

Incredible State Park. Only costs $1 per person to get in, which is a steal for what you get. When you are driving out there, you think you have been duped until you literally cross a river bed and then BAM! Mini-canyons appear to your right. When you immediately get into the park, the welcome center is to the right, and an overlook where you can get some really awesome family photos are also right there. That is probably one of the more breathtaking views of the canyon. However, then you descend and oh wow! Picture opportunity after picture opportunity. They have spots for camping, glamping (yes, I said glamping). They also have cabins for rent and if we had known this, we probably would have stayed there instead of the AirBnB that we got in Canyon the night before! If you stop and get out but don't really do anything other than take pictures and see the sites, it will take you about 90 minutes to descend, make the loop, and ascend. The Welcome Center is actually pretty small, and I can imagine how crowded impact this would be on a summer day. But the center itself actually has some SOLID canyon views from INSIDE the center. We went on a day when it was colder and even a little rainy and it was still packed inside. We actually did the loop before visiting the visitors Center, and I actually think this is probably the better way to do it since you get to see the sites first and then get in and look at the exhibits, and then it all sort of seems to come together and make sense. Wasn't sure what to think about this place when we made the reservation, but looking back AFTER visiting, I am extremely glad we went and next time we will actually go back and do some trails and maybe spend an entire day. You could probably spend close to 3-4 days here doing everything...