# Palo Duro Canyon



## krawwler (Nov 28, 2005)

We have been checking out the net on Palo Duro Canyon and wanted to see if anyone has been there. Pics on the net look pretty awesome. Let us know if you have any recommended sites there and what time of the year is the best to visit.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

krawwler,

PM Randy, Castle Rock Outbackers. He was at Palo Duro in October this year.

Mark


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## debkirkland (Jul 14, 2005)

I was at Palo Duro Canyon this past summer. Texas state parks left a bad taste in my mouth, but if I were sight seeing, I'd put up with it.... maybe.

First off the bathroom/shower facilitlies were terribly nasty. Normally, we try to use the public facilities b/c they are roomier and save wear and tear on the RV. Perhaps it was b/c their camp host position was vacant, but still they were filthy. I did not use these facilities nor allow my child to. My husband did.

Secondly, if you go for an outing, you better be back before dark when the gates close or you won't get back in, that is unless you want to hike 3 miles to your camp site. It's all downhill, but going back up the hill the next morning will be a major chore. I am used to parks in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, giving us a combination to the gate for returning after hours. You can exit Palo Duro if there is an emergency, but those pop-up blades are there to keep you from going back in.

Thirdly, be aware that there are rattlesnakes in the area. This is a canyon, after all, hot, dry and prime rattlesnake habitat. Now, I'm not a fraidy-cat, I am used to rattlers in the southeast (AL, FL and GA), but they will not hurt you unless you corner them or frighten them. They will run from you and you will never know they are around. However, these rattlers at Palo Duro, and all over much of Texas (but more concentrated in the canyon), are what is called Coontail rattlers. They are much more aggressive. We visited with some locals. Two of the family of five had been bitten over the years, plus several of their friends. These were farmers so they had more exposure than most people, but you've also got a lot of exposure at Palo Duro. With today's medicines, a bite is not normally a death sentence, but it will still land you in the hospital for a few days. Would definietly ruin your trip. Just the same, I would not let this one thing keep me from experiencing the canyon. I'd just stay a couple of nights and move on. And, I would be very careful and would not let children be unsupervised.

Lastly, if making reservations, make them before you leave home. The Texas State Parks reservation dept. does not answer the phone. We were on the road on a two week trip and when we called, we could only get a voice mail saying they would call back in 15 minutes. Going in and out of cell phone coverage, we missed two calls and gave up. Fortunately they had vacancies when we arrived. As a matter of fact, they were not even half full and this was in June.... kinda odd ain't it?

We were planning on a three night stay. One on arrival day, one to visit friends and one to see the show. We cut our visit to two nights and missed the show. I'll admit,we were at the tail end of our trip and ready to get home. But in hindsight, I wish we had stayed one more night for the show.

Hate to be so discouraging, but the truth's the truth.
Debbie K.



krawwler said:


> We have been checking out the net on Palo Duro Canyon and wanted to see if anyone has been there.Â Pics on the net look pretty awesome.Â Let us know if you have any recommended sites there and what time of the year is the best to visit.
> [snapback]66058[/snapback]​


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Wow...our trip to Paol Duro was much less eventful. Beautiful place, no doubt. Photos here:


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Very nice photos
I could get in to waking up in the morning to that scenery in the backround









Don


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

Spectacular in the summer.
Outbackgeorgia


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## ssalois (Jun 19, 2006)

No pictures, but can say that Pala Duro was a good time and beutiful place. I would recomend the fall. Better weather.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

My parents are there now as campground hosts, if you go there between now and middle/end of July, they will be there.

Mike


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## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

krawwler said:


> We have been checking out the net on Palo Duro Canyon and wanted to see if anyone has been there. Pics on the net look pretty awesome. Let us know if you have any recommended sites there and what time of the year is the best to visit.
> [snapback]66058[/snapback]​


We camped there ohhhhh maybe 20 years ago and it was beautiful...at that time the bath rooms and showers were sparkling clean...we love it and stayed several days.


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## vwilmarth (Feb 15, 2008)

We just returned from a weekend in Palo Duro Canyon. Spring camping there is beautiful. You should specifically request Hackberry Campground because it is well-maintained, has more shade and is very scenic. It is very close to the trailheads for some great hiking or mountain biking. There is also an 11-mile running trail nearby.

The camping spots in Hackberry Campground are paved (back-in spots) with water and electric. We had at least 50-100 feet between us and the nearest neighbor. The picnic table was on a paved surface with a shade enclosure. There was a burn ban because of dry conditions, so we just cooked on our OB outdoor kitchen. Everything in our campground was well-maintained. We were able to return from a trip to town at 10 p.m. and the gate was still open. We saw dozens of wild turkeys and deer when we were just sitting in our campsite. No snakes or other dangerous wildlife.

In the summer, the outdoor musical production "Texas" is pretty spectacular. They serve a steak dinner before the show and fireworks over the canyon walls end the show. For tickets, go to "Texas"

We had no complaints at all about our stay at Palo Duro Canyon in 2008 and are looking forward to returning.


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

krawwler -

We thought Palo Duro Canyon was absolutely great. We stayed at Hackberry and thought the scenery was awesome. Folks were very friendly. Went hiking a bunch. We really enjoyed the nearby town of Canyon which has a great historical museum and covers the area history very well and was very nicely setup. We would definitely go back but there are many others areas we want to see first.


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## rjsurfer (Dec 19, 2007)

Been here a few times, one of our favorite campgrounds in the US. Great sites plenty of room some of the best hiking trails in the West. We never saw a rattler in all the times we hiked and biked through the park.

Keep an eye out for rain storms, they can close some of the park roads for a time.

The only gripe we had was poor cell service, but what do you expect at the bottom of one of the prettiest canyons on earth.

Ron W.


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## dunn4 (Feb 16, 2008)

We camped there on the way home from Colorado. Absolutely a beautiful park. Very nice staff at the office. We recommend the Hackberry Campground due to some available shade areas. We marked sites 26 shade, 16 & 18 w/evening shade, and site 9 as ok. We had to take site 94 in the Mesquite Camp area. The view from 89 and 90 was nice. There are only very short scrubby trees in this area, but the views are nice.

I HIGHLY recommend the hike to the "Lighthouse". I left around 7:00 a.m. on our visit July 20, 2007 and really enjoyed a great hike with incredible views of the wildflowers, wildlife, and terrain. I was virtually alone for most of the hike and absolutely alone at the lighthouse formation. I didn't rush and returned around 10 a.m. Several folks were just starting out about the time I returned. The early morning was very cool and it stayed breezy during the entire day. Understand that our Texas summer was tempered last year by frequent rains, so this was not the ordinary experience for July.

They call some of the canyon walls/plateaus 'Mexican Skirts' because of the vibrant colors and form. My 12-yr.old son camped there with his Boy Scout troop on the way to Colorado and was impressed by the play - "Texas". We missed the show, but if it impressed a 12-yr. old boy, that must of have been something.

There is a trail that starts above the theatre area and goes to a tabletop rock. I am sorry, can't remember the trail name but it has some of the best canyon views. There is a small pull-off parking area just past the first set of cabins from the park gate. The trail is in good condition and travels along a plateau between two canyons. When you get to the end you will see the tabletop rock - great for pictures with kids, and be able to see three canyons and some further in the distance. I put this hike up there with the lighthouse trail, but shorter. If you geocache, there are some caches in the park.

While we were there, there were quite a few horse flies, but were kept away by the frequent breezes. The camper across from us did kill a rattlesnake while we were there, but I wasn't quite clear on the need to kill the snake, meaning if it was a threat. I am not a snake lover by any means, but have found that to leave them alone is easier.

Overall, I would certainly return. My son described it best - you drive along with not much to look at and then you drive through the gates of the park and the world changes. This is very dramatic and well worth a couple of nights stay. Oh, and try the burgers at the campground store. They were very, very good.

If I can figure out how to insert pictures, I will attach some of the lighthouse, tabletop rock, campsite, and other formations. Have fun, Dunnfour.


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## Lehnertfamily5 (Apr 4, 2006)

We went last July and it was incredible. It was extremely hot though and we didn't do much hiking. The play Texas there was OUTFRIGGENSTANDING . that i would highly recommend seeing. even my 3 boys loved it . i'll have to dig through my pictures and post some soon for you


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