Palo Duro Canyon State Park

The rain stopped yesterday morning so we decided to go see something while here in Amarillo.  We drove about 30 miles south of the city to Palo Duro Canyon State Park which is said to be the second largest canyon in the United States.  Runs about 120 miles long, sometimes it is 20 miles wide, not as deep as the Grand Canyon.  Palo Duro means hard wood in Spanish.

When we check into the entrance station we were told all trails were closed due to the rainfall and all the flooding, but you can drive around most of the park's road but there was a closure due to flooding and we would have to turn around.  Okay, at least we can drive in to see it if we are ever back in the area, we could come back to hike it.

The lodge built in 1934 by the CCC

Stopped at the visitor's center which was an original lodge built in 1934 by the CCC, pretty impressive rock/stone building.  The Spanish explorer, Coronado, came through this area in the 1500's looking for the city of gold.  Obviously he did not find it, traveled on into Kansas and then looped back.

Eventually the Comanche Indians came to live here, originally they were in the Utah/Colorado/Kansas area and was pushed south by the Sioux Indians who moved down from Montana area.  Snowballed effect.  Wasn't until the mid 1800's when the US Army decided to round up all the Native Americans into reservations and the canyon came into private hands.  Those privately held lands were then deeded to the state in the 1920's for a state preserve.

Little river could get 5 feet deep

Flooded out

Tarantula crossing road in front of us - about size of your hand

Pretty canyon, but if you have seen the Grand Canyon or Hell's Canyon in Idaho, or seen the Badlands in South Dakota, this park was okay, not a wow factor.

Very red muddy river