Capture the mesmerizing beauty of Palo Duro Canyon State Park through these stunning photographs and immerse yourself in its awe-inspiring landscapes. Witness a breathtaking sunset over Palo Duro Lighthouse, as the vibrant colors paint the sky in a mesmerizing display. In this moment, the clouds gracefully backlit by the setting sun create a truly magical atmosphere. I seized the opportunity to capture this exquisite sunset, ensuring the perfect balance between natural beauty and photography.
Palo Duro Canyon, a testament to millions of years of water and wind erosion, stands as a majestic wonder in the Texas Panhandle. Carved by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, this 800-foot deep canyon stretches nearly 120 miles, showcasing the geological formations shaped by the relentless forces of nature. As part of the Caprock Escarpment, Palo Duro Canyon offers over 30,000 acres and 15,000 miles of hiking and biking trails, beckoning adventurers to explore its vast expanses.
Journey through this remarkable landscape and witness the remarkable effects of water and wind erosion. Marvel at the panoramic views that reveal the canyon's sprawling terrain, with peaks and valleys stretching as far as the eye can see. Palo Duro Canyon proudly claims its place as the second largest canyon in the United States, rivaling even the grandeur of the renowned Grand Canyon in Arizona. Discover this hidden Texas gem, where rugged beauty and natural wonders unite.
Within Palo Duro Canyon State Park, you'll encounter captivating sights at every turn. Explore the scenic overlook, allowing your gaze to wander across the breathtaking vistas. Visit the park's iconic amphitheater, where the rich history of the panhandle comes to life through captivating theatrical productions. Immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of the trading post, where local artisans showcase their craft. Every corner of the park reveals unique perspectives and stunning views, beckoning photographers and nature enthusiasts alike.
Embark on an unforgettable journey through Palo Duro Canyon, where the harmony of nature's forces and the boundless allure of the Texas Panhandle converge. Allow these captivating photographs to transport you to this extraordinary destination, immersing yourself in the splendor of Palo Duro Canyon State Park and its surrounding wonders.
Photo Blog: Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse
Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse - Palo Duro Canyon State Park - I had just finished packing up my camera gear to take some photos of Palo Duro Canyon when all of the sudden the clouds started to backlight after the sun went down. So I was scrambling trying to get my camera gear back out of the bag to capture this wonderful sunset display before it was gone. My plan was to try for a sunset to begin with which depends on the sky cooperating and the weather in general well it just did. I only wanted to hike it once so it all turned out great for my first trip here and to capture a great sunset colorful sky over the lighthouse in these photos of Palo duro canyon state park. It was a win win kinda of day got this landscape of Texas capture. I wasn't sure if it was going to be too dark luckly I had already taken a handful of photos earlier just in case, but this was the wonderful finally of the trip and it turned out great. Earlier the sky to the north had been very dark and stormy, but then it start breaking up moving away and after a brief shower it slowly move on which gave me a nice sky. Even though it was looking dark to the north and I could see lighting in the sky it was still looking pretty good to the west so I stay a little longer to add few more shot which I am glad I did as had I left I would of missed this one. The palo duro canyon was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo duro canyon is located in the Texas Panhandle almost to Oklahoma. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse Vertical
Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse Vertical - I had just finished packing up my camera gear when all of the sudden the clouds started to backlight after the sun went down. So I was scrambling trying to get my camera gear back out of the bag to capture this wonderful photo of Palo duro canyon sunset display before it was gone in this vertical image. My plan was to try for a sunset which depends on the sky cooperating and the weather in general well it just did. I only wanted to hike it once so it all turned out great for my first trip here and to capture a great sunset colorful sky over the lighthouse in Palo duro canyon state park it was a win win kinda of day. I wasn't sure if it was going to be too dark luckly I had already taken a handful of photos earlier, but this was the wonderful finally of the trip and it turned out great. Earlier the sky to the north had been very dark and stormy, but then it start breaking up moving away and after a brief shower it slowly move on which gave me a nice sky. Even though it was looking dark to the north and I could see lighting in the sky it was still looking pretty good to the west so I stay a little longer to add few more shot which I am glad I did as had I left I would of missed this one. The palo duro canyon was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Palo Duro Lighthouse at Sunset
Palo Duro Lighthouse at Sunset - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving down the lighthouse trail through up and down across washes and old river beds it was more difficult than anticipated especially with 40 pounds of camera gear and tripod. My plan was to try for a sunset which depends on the sky cooperating and the weather in general. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way. Once I got to the trail lighthouse and rested up a bit I climb up to higher platform level to capture this image of the lighthouse at sunset as it started to pink up the clouds in this capture. However, i could see in the distance that the weather was looking pretty stormy so I debated if I should leave pretty quick. While I saw lighting and the sky to the north was completely dark it was still looking pretty good to the west so I stay a little longer to capture a few more shots. As luck has the stormy skies seem to be moving away rather than towards me but it was getting later so I would take another photo and head back down. I am glad I hung around and captured more great landscapes of Texas palo duro canyon. The palo duro canyon was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
The Lighthouse at Sunset - Palo Duro Canyon
The Lighthouse at Sunset - Palo Duro Canyon - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving down the lighthouse trail through up and down across washes and old river beds it was more difficult than anticipated especially with 40 pounds of camera gear and tripod I was carrying. My plan was to try for a sunset which depends on the sky cooperating and the weather in general. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way. Once I got to the trail lighthouse and rested up a bit I climb up to higher platform level to capture this image of the lighthouse at sunset as it started to pink up the clouds in this capture with a slightly different zoom. However, I could see in the distance that the weather was looking pretty stormy so I debated if I should leave pretty quick. While I saw lighting and the sky to the north was completely dark it was still looking pretty good to the west so I stay a little longer to capture this shots. As luck has the stormy skies seem to be moving away rather than towards me, but it was getting later so I started to pack my gear as it was sprinkling now so getting ready to head back down. The palo duro canyon was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse 2
Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse 2 - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving down the lighthouse trail through up and down across washes and old river beds it was more difficult than anticipated especially with 40 pounds of camera gear and tripod. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way. Once I got to the trail lighthouse and rested up a bit I climb up to higher platform level to capture this image of the lighthouse with some nice clouds and blue sky. The palo duro canyon capitol was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Capital Peak Hoodoo - Palo Duro Canyon
Capital Peak Hoodoo - Palo Duro Canyon - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving in down the lighthouse trail, I came across the Capital Peak with a hoodoo at one end and stop to take a few shots since it would be dark by the time I came back through. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way.The palo duro canyon capitol was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Capital Peak Hoodoo Vertical
Capital Peak Hoodoo Vertical - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving down the lighthouse trail, I came across the Capital Peak with a hoodoo at one end and stop to take a few shots since it would be dark by the time I came back through. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way. The palo duro canyon capitol was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse
Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving down the lighthouse trail through up and down across washes and old river beds it was more difficult than anticipated especially with 40 pounds of camera gear and tripod. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way. Once I got to the trail lighthouse and rested up a bit I climb up to higher platform level to capture this image of the lighthouse with some nice clouds and blue sky. The palo duro canyon capitol was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse Vertical
Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse Vertical - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I was moving down the lighthouse trail through up and down across washes and old river beds it was more difficult than anticipated especially with 40 pounds of camera gear and tripod. The hike to the Lighthouse rock is a 6 mile round trip and I had to cross many dry river bed washes then up and down so not an easy trek, but got through after a couple of hours one way. Once I got to the trail lighthouse and rested up a bit I climb up to higher platform level to capture this image of the lighthouse with some nice clouds and blue sky in a vertical format. The palo duro canyon was formed millions of years ago by water, wind erosion. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations. Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. The geology is sedimentary laid down over millions of years. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy so this is not a shock. Most of the terrain in the panhandle is very flat and as you drive up to the state park you start to see some major changes in the landscape from flat to big wide gullies until you get into the park. There you can see for a good distance across the vast area of the canyons with peak and valleys. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States with the largest being the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Comanche Trailhead
Comanche Trailhead - Palo Duro Canyon comanche trailhead that is catergorized as difficult three to four mile hike depending on if you take the upper or lower comanche trail. Be prepared before you go and take plenty of water.
Palo Duro Canyon Overlook Pano
Palo Duro Canyon Overlook Pano - After traveling all over the Texas Panhandle we were use to the flat farmland that we saw everwhere from Lubbock to Amarillo and along the old Route 66 so today as we enter the Palo Duro Canyon State Park we were really surprised with this vast canyons similar to the grand canyons. Actually the Palo Duro Canyons are the second largest canyons in the US next to the grand canyons. It was awesome to be able and look at these rocky outcrops terrain in this area of the state. We had stop at the overlook and took a few shots before we headed to our destination of the Lighthouse. It was a nice day with some clouds to capture this canyon landscape from the overlook.
Palo Duro Canyon Overlook
Palo Duro Canyon Overlook - A single image of the overlook at Palo Duro Canyon Overlook. The overlook gave you a glimpse of what was in the Palo duro Canyon state park. There are many ways to get around in the park from hiking to biking to horse back riding a little something for everyone. It is a good size area and it is a desert landscape so take plenty of water. Luckly we got the images the day before when the weather was good because conditions changed on day two. We ended up leaving the second day because of the smoke from fires in New Mexico we decided that it would interfer with taking our photos, not to mention how unhealthy it would be with the whole park filled with smoke. At least we had one good day in the park till next time. So here are the latest from Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United State second only to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Palo Duro Lighthouse Trailhead
Palo Duro Lighthouse Trailhead - Palo Duro Canyon Trailhead to the Lighthouse Trail. Love the sign as you start out on the trail where it state "Live to Bike Another Day" giving you a glimpes of the dangers involved in this 6 mile hike or ride. In this view you can see the capital peak with the hoodoo at one end. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is located in the Texas Panhandle about 25 miles from Amarillo Texas. It is pretty much a desert landscape of hot and dry so take plenty of water.
Pioneer Amphitheater - Palo Duro Canyon
Pioneer Amphitheater - Palo Duro Canyon - Palo Duro Canyon State Park is located in the Texas panhandle about 25 miles from Amarillo Texas. The park is aprox 120 miles long with varying heights of hilly terrain which was created over the years from water, and wind erosion. This is the second largest canyon in the US second only to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Palo Duro Trading Post
Palo Duro Trading Post - Palo Duro trading post is a great place to pick up some lunch or a cold drink after a hike in the canyons. Also if you need some supplies or a new T-shirt it a great place to pick up some souvenirs to take back with you. The Palo Duro Canyon State Park located in the Texas panhandle is a great place to visit or some hiking, biking or camping whatever you like to do in the great outdoors is available here. This is the second largest canyon in the USA second only to the Grand Canyons.
Palo Duro Canyon Pano
Palo Duro Canyon Pano - A birds eye view of the Palo Duro Canyon Pano scenery with the Mack Dick Pavillian to the right below in the view. The Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a great place to visit if your in the Amarillo Texas as it is less than 30 miles away. The Palo Duro Canyon are the second largest canyons in the USA next to the Grand Canyons. You can rent this pavillian out for weddings or other special events.
Longhorn Steer at Palo Duro Canyon
Longhorn Steer at Palo Duro Canyon - As we came into the Palo Duro Canyons state park we notice several longhorns so we vow we would see if we could capture a few shots before we left the park. We managed to capture him as he was eating hay and he looked up for a moment in time to capture this shot.