About Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon is the second-largest canyon in the country, measured by length and depth, it boasts a rugged beauty and a deep history that is rarely experienced elsewhere. Palo Duro Canyon was once home to Native Americans and later hosted large numbers of pioneers as they traveled across the country.
Located in the Texas Panhandle, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is centered around this natural phenomenon. There are many on-site activities for families and solo adventurers alike. Hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, as well as campsites, restaurants, a visitor’s center, and an amphitheater, are prominent features of this natural wonder. One of the major draws to Palo Duro State Park is the TEXAS Outdoor Musical Drama. This family-friendly theater production runs at the park’s Pioneer Amphitheater and features music, humor, and fireworks. Early arrivals to the show can even enjoy a classic Texas-style barbecue dinner before the show! During the summer, many weekends are occupied by Native American exhibitions, fireworks shows, and group hiking or yoga trips. The Canyon can be very busy, so solitude is not always easy to find.
Visitors to Palo Duro Canyon State Park will experience some of Texas’ most colorful history and awesomely rugged beauty. Palo Duro Canyon began forming over a million years ago, building up stunningly-colorful layers of geologic strata that tell a geological tale that is over 200 million years old.
The stone-age Folsom and Clovis peoples began inhabiting Palo Duro Canyon approximately 12,000 years ago, mainly subsisting on large roving herds of prehistoric giant bison and woolly mammoths. More recently, the Native American Comanche, Apache, and Kiowa tribes made the canyon home, availing themselves of the Palo Duro area’s plentiful resources.
Many archeological remains of these early inhabitants are found throughout the canyon. Rumor has it that the early Spanish explorers discovered and named the canyon “Palo Duro,” meaning “hardwood” in Spanish, referring to the Rocky Mountain junipers scattered throughout the canyon.
A decisive battle of the Red River War, between the southern Plains Native American tribes and the United States Calvary took place in the canyon on Sept. 28, 1874. With the army capturing over 1,000 of the tribes’ horses and all their winter food stores in the battle, the Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa were forced back onto their reservation.
The state of Texas purchased the land for Palo Duro Canyon State Park from Fred Emory in 1933. Soon after the parks purchase the Civilian Conservation Corps spent five years establishing the park, constructing roads, trails, and buildings. Today there are visitor centers, numerous campgrounds, and five well-appointed guest cabins for you to stay at, for a fee, while you explore the park.
Palo Duro Canyon Activities
- Golfing
- Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
- Pioneer Amphitheater & TEXAS Outdoor Musical
- Canyon Water Park
- American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum
- Wonderland Amusement Park (Amarillo)
- Amarillo Theatre
- Canyon Main Street (Shops and Restaurants)