Prior to this trip I had no idea about Palo Duro Canyon. Living in Texas, I’d heard of it, but never really gave it much thought. I thought, for lack of better words, it was just a small state park up in the panhandle.

It turns out, Palo Duro Canyon is actually the second largest canyon in the United States after the Grand Canyon. It is 120 miles long, and has an average width of 6 miles but can reach a width of 20 miles in some places.  This place is massive!!

The trip started out as an idea my dad had. He had been itching to go somewhere and wanted a chance to get back to nature after a long stint at home during the pandemic. Jourdan and I have a hard time saying no to a hiking trip, so we were in!

We were all a bit limited on time due to work and school (yay masters program!!) so we wanted to make it a weekend trip. We had lofty dreams of making it back to Rocky Mountain National Park or Zion, but with the time constraint that wasn’t in the cards. We selected Palo Duro Canyon State park because it was somewhat easy for all of us to get to.

Getting To Palo Duro Canyon

I say somewhat easy because Texas is huge and from Houston, it is an 8-9 hour drive or a flight to Amarillo.

We planned this as a 4 day trip, but depending how you plan to travel you could extend it.

My parents and brother chose to drive and broke it into two days both on the way there and back. Not having the extra day for travel, Jourdan and I flew.

We caught an early morning flight on Thursday from Houston to Amarillo and met up with my family. Together we drove the 35 miles to the state park. On Sunday we did the reverse and flew home to Houston that afternoon.

Where to Stay

There are a few different options for accommodations both inside an outside the park. Outside you will mostly find vacation rentals like Airbnbs and VRBOs. Inside the state park where we stayed, you will find several options including traditional camping, cabins, and glamping.  We selected the glamping option and used Palo Duro Glamping within the park.

Although we like traditional camping, for a group trip I would definitely recommend this option! Our glampsite was a one room canvas structure with one king bed, one queen bed and a pull out couch. It also had AC (you’ll be glad you have this) a fridge, fire pit, grill, bikes, and a hammock to relax in after a long day of hiking. The “tent” was stocked with a s’more kit, coffee, and plenty of board games, but if you were looking for something more substantial, the trading post is only a short walk away.

What to Do

HIKE! I was so surprised to learn how many trails there were here. The most famous and most popular trail is the Lighthouse Trail. It’s roughly 6 miles round trip and overall relatively easy. The last section up to the lighthouse does get pretty steep in some places so keep that in mind. If you plan on hiking this trail, I would recommend planning to start early in the morning for two reasons- it can get crowded in high season and it can also get dangerously hot!! Bring lots of water and extra snacks when hiking in the canyon.

I also recommend planning your hikes a head of time. Like I said before, there are many hikes to choose from and a lot of them can be combined to create longer and even more exciting hikes. We combined Givens, Spicer & Lowry Trail with the Lighthouse trail.

One of our favorite hikes aside from the Light house trail was the Rock Garden trail. This was a truly beautiful hike with lots of overlooks! We started this one when it was still dark and got to watch the sun rise and light up the canyon.

In addition to hiking, this is a great trip to enjoy time with each other! This laid back and rustic park is perfect for spending quality time with those in your group. Each night we grilled, sat by the fire, and had a glass (or two) of wine.

I would highly recommend stretching your legs and getting a taste of what this great place has to offer! If you’ve been here before and have any other suggestions, drop me a note in the comments! I’d love to hear about your experience as well as answer any questions about ours!

-Kate