FIVE PARKS LIFE
Our Brinkley trailer and black truck at a campsite below red canyon walls at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
BEEN THERE · TEXAS 1 YOGA CLASS FILMED HERE

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

2 NIGHTS, MAY 2026
2
NIGHTS
MAY 2026
WHEN WE CAMPED
TEXAS
WHERE
STATE PARK
TYPE OF STOP
~$20/NIGHT
WHAT WE PAID

FILMED HERE

ABOUT THE PLACE

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas

We spent two nights here in May 2026, on our spring 2026 loop through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. We were in site 136 in the Sagebrush loop and paid about $20 a night, with our Texas State Parks Pass. Our full field report is still being written, so here is what to know about the place itself.

The short version

Palo Duro Canyon State Park is in the Texas Panhandle. Texas Parks and Wildlife calls the canyon the second largest canyon system in the United States, about 120 miles long, 20 miles wide and up to 800 feet deep.

A little history

  • People have lived in the canyon for about 12,000 years. Palo Duro is Spanish for "hard wood."
  • On September 28, 1874, during the Red River War, Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie's 4th U.S. Cavalry attacked a Comanche, Kiowa and Cheyenne camp in the canyon.
  • Charles Goodnight drove cattle into the canyon in 1876 and founded the JA Ranch with John Adair in 1877.
  • The state bought the land in 1933, and the park opened in 1934. Civilian Conservation Corps crews built the road to the canyon floor, the lodge that is now the visitor center, and the first cabins and trails.

What it is known for

  • More than 30 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails, including the hike to the Lighthouse rock formation.
  • Colorful canyon walls and hoodoos that hold about 250 million years of geologic record.
  • The TEXAS outdoor musical, staged in summer at the Pioneer Amphitheater.

Camping

  • Sites with water and electric in four areas: Hackberry (20 and 30 amp), and Mesquite, Sagebrush and Juniper (30 and 50 amp). Restrooms with showers are nearby.
  • Also tent sites, hike-in backpack sites, equestrian sites, group camps, and cabins on the rim and canyon floor.

Good to know

  • The park often fills, so reservations are recommended for both camping and day use. There is an entrance fee.
  • Flash flooding is a serious danger, and trails can close for wet weather or extreme heat.

Facts checked October 2026. Things change, so check the official site before you go.

IN THE JOURNAL

Where we wrote about it

Field report coming soon.

still unpacking this one, check back soon

The Brinkley trailer set up at a dirt campsite under big clouds at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas.
Brinkley at Palo Duro
Our black truck and Brinkley trailer at camp with a red mesa rising behind at Palo Duro Canyon.
Truck, Trailer and Mesa
E-bikes and Rindo under the wooden shade shelter beside our truck and trailer at Palo Duro Canyon.
Shade Shelter Camp
Our truck and Brinkley trailer under sweeping afternoon clouds at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Afternoon Clouds Over Camp
Morning sun rising past our Brinkley trailer and truck at a Palo Duro Canyon campsite.
Sunrise at Camp
Our truck and trailer parked by a shade shelter with red hills behind at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Camp and the Red Hills
The back of our Brinkley trailer beside mesquite trees at a Palo Duro Canyon campsite.
Trailer in the Mesquite
Our e-bikes parked under the wooden shade shelter at our campsite in Palo Duro Canyon.
Bikes in the Shade
A red rock formation rising above dry grass and wildflowers in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas.
Red Rock and Wildflowers
Red, orange and cream rock layers on a canyon wall at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Layered Canyon Wall
Green brush filling the canyon floor between red rimrock at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Canyon View From the Trail
A wide view of the green canyon floor and red cliffs at Palo Duro Canyon, Texas.
Green Canyon Floor
Matt grinning in his bike helmet with Erin on her bike behind him on a red dirt trail at Palo Duro Canyon.
On the Bike Trail
Matt and Erin smiling in sunglasses among the red rocks of Palo Duro Canyon.
Selfie in the Red Rocks
Matt and Erin in bike helmets with the green canyon below at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Helmets and Canyon Views
Matt and Erin taking a break on their bikes on a red dirt trail at Palo Duro Canyon.
Bike Break on the Trail
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