Photo Blog: Palo Duro Canyon State Park 50122

05132022

Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse - Palo Duro Canyon State Park - 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 sunset display before it was gone. 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 bit 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 is part of the Caprock Escarpment and it is 800 feet deep and has over 30,000 acres and 15,000 miles for hiking, biking trails. 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 which gradually widen the canyon. Now I can say when it come to wind this whole area of the Texas Panhandle was windy the whole time we were in the area 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. Another Texas jewel in the rough!

Included are photos from the overlook, the amphitheater, the trading post, and other views of the park.

Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse - Palo Duro Canyon State Park - I had just finished packing up my camera gear when all of the...

Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse

Sunset Over Palo Duro Lighthouse - Palo Duro Canyon State Park - 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 for 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 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 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. I was glad I stuck around for that last capture to my Texas landscapes in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. 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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Lighthouse at Sunset - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as...

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.

Prints Available

The Lighthouse at Sunset - Palo Duro Canyon - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse 2 - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse Sunset Pano - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park...

Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse Sunset Pano

Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse Sunset Pano - 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 and rocky terrain 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 in a panorama at sunset. 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. Many call this the texas grand canyons.

Prints Available

Capital Peak Hoodoo - Palo Duro Canyon - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park...

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.

Prints Available

Capital Peak Hoodoo Vertical - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and as I...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Lighthouse Vertical - I started out at the the trail head for the Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon State Park...

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.

Prints Available

Comanche Trailhead - Palo Duro Canyon comanche trailhead that is catergorized as difficult three to four mile hike depending...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Overlook Pano - After traveling all over the Texas Panhandle we were use to the flat farmland that we saw everwhere...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Overlook - A single image of the overlook at Palo Duro Canyon Overlook. The overlook gave you a glimpse of what...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Lighthouse Trailhead - Palo Duro Canyon Trailhead to the Lighthouse Trail. Love the sign as you start out on the trail...

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.

Prints Available

Pioneer Amphitheater - Palo Duro Canyon - Palo Duro Canyon State Park is located in the Texas panhandle about 25 miles from Amarillo...

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.

Prints Available

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...

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.

Prints Available

Palo Duro Canyon Pano - A birds eye view of the Palo Duro Canyon Pano scenery with the Mack Dick Pavillian to the right below...

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.

Prints Available

Longhorn Steer at Palo Duro Canyon - As we came into the Palo Duro Canyons state park we notice several longhorns so we vow we...

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.

Prints Available

Posted in Travels and tagged Palo Duro canyon lighthouse, palo duro canyon state park, Amarillo, Texas, Texas panhandle, Route66, state park, landscape, texas landscape, .
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