The Lighthouse Rock — Attraction in Canyon

As advertised, the walk out and back from the trail head to the base of the Light House was well marked and required little in terms of physical ability beyond being able to walk 2.7 miles out and 2.7 miles back. When you get to to the 2.7 mile point, you noticeably arrive at the end of the "official" trail. There is a nice picnic table and a place to park bikes. There are no signs and from this point, the Lighthouse is not visible. There is a well worn trail that takes you up the side of the hill, from approximately 2,900 foot in elevation to a little over 3,100 feet -- all in a very short distance. Almost the entire time we climbed up I was not sure we were going where we were supposed to. Once we got to the top, it was easy to see that trip was worth while. The pics show the elevation of the trail and the somewhat more strenuous nature of this last quarter mile.

We were the first to arrive that morning but after about 20 minutes of solitude, the crowds started to arrive. It validated for me that we were not off the beaten path after all! We walked this in earl September and the temps in the AM were great - I can imagine this walk would be very hot and uncomfortable in the daylight hours of a hot summer! No water along the trail so you will need to bring it along!

It is a popular trail so don't expect meditative solitude -- our walk back was interspersed with big, talkative groups and those eager to share their music choices as they walked past blasting their tunes for...

This is an easy trail up to the Lighthouse Rock. The last quarter of a mile, you will need to climb up to get to the rock formation. It is not that difficult to make it up this last bit, but a guy in the next campsite was scared of heights and turned around. My suggestion is to make it to the platform between the two rock formations. The view is incredible and it is a wonder to view these large rocks that were created naturally. There are 2 ways to climb up and I went far left that takes you to another rock platform, but the end you have to rock climb up to the next platform. For an easier route, go right at the bike rack. This path is a little more used and easier. Wish I would have gotten to view this at sunrise or sunset. At night the walk back is easy to navigate. This is a multi-use trail and I saw all types, so be aware of bikers. Next time I will have my bike to check out the trail past the Lighthouse and around Capital Peak...

Palo Duro Canyon was incredibly beautiful. We did one hike, to the lighthouse. The trail was very easy until the last tenth of a mile or so, where it was moderately difficult. We did see one very young girl and an older man both struggle up the last bit For most people it's an easy hike.

We started the hike at about 7:30 am. We had full sun only for a couple of minutes then a later if high clouds kept the string heat away. We each drank about 6 16oz bottles of water. We saw some folks hiking with one bottle or no water at all... The biting flies were pretty bad for the first 1/2 hour. Bring bug spray. It took us 1:10 for the three miles to the lighthouse and 1:04 for the trip back. We stopped several times for photos. It was a really memorable hike. The view from the lighthouse is exceptional. Asking the way we saw some goats atop a hill and a like tarantula. We also saw various lizards. The plants in bloom...