The next best thing to the Grand Canyon is 400 miles southwest of Wichita
I found myself near the second largest canyon in the United States while on a solo road trip last year. I don’t typically hike alone but I didn’t want to pass up my first chance to see this grand canyon of Texas. Sure, the overlook just inside the entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park offered a sweeping view of the canyon and a 16-mile paved road allowed me to drive down into and along the floor of the canyon.
But my idea of seeing the canyon was hiking the park’s popular Lighthouse Trail. To be honest, I saw a photo online of the namesake lighthouse formation and I wanted to take my own version of that photo.
The 5.5-mile round trip normally would not concern me, especially on a trail with little elevation. The problem was the heat and lack of shade. The temperature this late May day was 100 degrees at mid-morning and the trail surfaces are said to be another 20 degrees hotter. The trail map warned: “most heat-related injuries and deaths to people and pets occur on this trail.”
So I decided to at least go out to the view point on the trail, about 1.5 miles into the hike and a nice view of the formation according to the park ranger. Before I headed down into the canyon, where cell service would be spotty, I texted to let my husband know when I was leaving and which trail I was taking.
When I got to the trailhead, a sign advised I should have at least a gallon of water with me if doing the entire hike. I had about half that. OK, I’ll just hike the 3 miles round trip.
The trek to the view point was stunning – beautiful sandstone formations striped in bands of red, orange, brown and white, with an occasional hoodoo. Yes, from this spot I could see a large formation off in the distance that could inspire the name lighthouse. But that wasn’t the dramatic photo I was wanting, and I felt pretty good. I kept going.
When I got to the end of the trail, I was tired, hot and trying to ration the remaining water for the return trip.
The kicker: I could not see the formation. It was behind a massive outcropping and I did not see a trail leading the way up or around. I decided this was my signal to head back, even though I felt I had wasted the extra effort since I wasn’t getting the photo I was after.
I returned home with several lessons learned. When visiting the Texas panhandle and the forecast exceeds 100 degrees, start hiking early in the morning and be off the trails by 11 a.m.
The canyon, second in size only to the Grand Canyon, is just 400 miles southwest of Wichita. You need more than a day to explore inside and around Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which is about 25 miles southeast of downtown Amarillo.
I returned this April, accompanied by my husband, my bicycle, cooler temperatures and more time.
We stayed two nights at Doves Rest Resort’s recently built cabins 3 miles from the park entrance. Our one-bedroom had luxury western-themed furnishings and picture windows in the bedroom and living room, but most of our time there was on the patio that backed up to the west rim of the canyon. We spent hours watching longhorn cattle roam an adjacent pasture and miles of canyon change colors during sunset and sunrise.
Palo Duro Canyon is 120 miles long, ranges from 6 to 20 miles wide and as deep as 1,000 feet. In comparison, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 8 to 18 miles wide and as deep at 6,093 feet.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park encompasses just 5 percent of the canyon, and the entrance of the park is the narrow end of the canyon.
A visitor center with exhibits and a gift shop is on the rim, and in the canyon there’s a store serving breakfast and lunch and selling groceries and souvenirs. The park has six campgrounds, three Civilian Conservation Corps-era rim cabins and four primitive cabins on the canyon floor. There are more than 50 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. You can bring your own horse or riding stables are operated by a third-party in the canyon. Old West Stables also has a young longhorn trained to eat out of your hand for $2 a bag of cattle feed.
The 54th season of the outdoor musical drama “Texas” (https://www.texas-show.com/) started June 1 at the park’s 1,700-seat Pioneer Amphitheater, built around a 600-foot-tall canyon wall.
The family-friendly show follows the story of early panhandle settlers through singing, dancing, fireworks and fire and water effects. The cast is college students from around the country.
Performances are at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and run through Aug. 17. While summer temps are warmer, it’s the ideal time to visit because all the attractions are open.
You can hike early, then spend the day and evening exploring Amarillo and Canyon, 15 miles to the west and the nearest town to the park.
Ranches around the canyon offer adventures, too. Between the cabin and the park entrance, I ziplined a quarter-mile across the canyon and walked across a ravine on a 300-foot swing bridge. Palo Duro Zip Line & Adventure Park also has a tower zip ride and a tent/RV campground.
A western horseback adventure on the canyon’s north rim was my favorite outside the park. Phyllis Nickum runs Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West from her private working cattle ranch. Nickum and her guides share the history of Texas and honor the heritage of the people and horses of the Old West during 1-, 2- and 3-hour horseback experiences. We rode posse style, rather than nose to tail, at sunrise, and sitting high on my horse Hero at the rim overlooking Palo Duro Canyon was touching.
The most rewarding experience, though, came inside the park, when we rode our bicycles – stocked with plenty of water – on the singletrack Givens, Spicer, Lowry Trail and connected to the Lighthouse Trail. Where the trail officially ended, we parked the bikes and found the narrow, steep ascent that took us to the 300-foot-high formation.
I got the photo.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Where: 400 miles southwest of Wichita. The park is about 25 miles southeast of downtown Amarillo, in the Texas panhandle.
Fee: $8 per person per day, free for ages 12 and younger
More info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/palo-duro-canyon
This story was originally published June 2, 2019 at 7:00 AM.