They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and that may well be true.
We can tell you that it definitely feels like forever crossing this massive state. We left
our last stop in New Braunfels and headed north towards the high plains of the Texas Panhandle.
Most of the Panhandle seems ridiculously flat and absolutely featureless,
save for thousands of wind turbines stretching all the way to the horizon.
However, RV travelers and outdoor adventurers in the know realize that's not entirely true.
There are little hidden secrets in the Panhandle waiting to be discovered, and a mere 10 miles
off the Interstate a Grand Adventure awaits in the second biggest canyon in the entire United States.
Hey friends, welcome back to Grand Adventure! I'm your host Marc Guido,
and this week we are in the northern panhandle of Texas visiting Palo Duro Canyon, so stay tuned!
Palo Duro Canyon stretches for some 120 miles, with an average width of six miles that widens to
even 20 miles in places. In most areas it's around 800 feet deep, but in spots it reaches 1,000 feet.
The canyon was formed by the erosion of the Caprock Escarpment over millions of years by
the waters of the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River. This upper section of the canyon near Amarillo was
purchased by the State of Texas in 1934 and turned into the 20,000-acre Palo Duro Canyon State Park
by work crews of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Artist Georgia O'Keeffe once lived nearby,
and although she's perhaps best known for her landscapes in northern New Mexico,
she made paintings of Palo Duro Canyon during 1916 to 1918.
Although there's a scenic drive that covers much of the park, the best way to see Palo Duro Canyon
is by parking that car and heading out on one of the 16 trails available for hiking, biking, and
horseback riding. We're spending this afternoon hiking the first half of the Lighthouse Trail.
It's three miles each way to the Lighthouse, one of the canyon's most prominent geological
features. It's unfortunate that we lack the time to complete the entire out-and-back route,
but this scenery is nevertheless absolutely stunning.
We've got reservations for the week right in the canyon
in the State Park's Sagebrush Campground, with partial hookups for water and electric.
We knew prior to our arrival that there's zero Verizon signal anywhere in the canyon.
Zilch. Nada. However, we were encouraged by online reviews that touted decent service on AT&T.
Don't believe them! From our campsite that service was weak, slow and erratic
at best, even with a signal booster and a directional antenna mounted on our flagpole.
Come Monday morning I actually drove to the canyon rim to work from my truck where I could
get a decent signal, and by Monday evening we gave up. The state park generously issued
a refund and we relocated to Canyon Rim RV Park just outside the State Park entrance.
AT&T signal is sufficient here to work for the week, although we can't in good
conscience recommend this place unless you like invisible staff and overflowing sewer connections.
There are a couple of other things worth seeing in the Amarillo area while visiting Palo Duro Canyon.
One of these sits in a cornfield adjacent to I-40 and the historic Route 66.
Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation created in 1974 by three members of the art
group Ant Farm. It consists of ten Cadillacs from the 1950s buried nose-first in the ground.
Writing graffiti on or otherwise spray-painting the vehicles
is now encouraged, and spray paint is even sold on site from a trailer. The vehicles
have long since lost their original colors beneath thick layers of dripping spray paint.
Another stop that we couldn't miss is the Jack Sisemore RV Museum.
Jack and his son Trent began collecting and restoring unusual vintage RV’s over 25 years ago
and have built a museum to house their collection that includes many travel trailers,
pop-ups, motorhomes, teardrops and other unique designs from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
We're sure that more than a few of you recognize this beauty!
he Jack Sisemore RV Museum recently relocated to the frontage road lining I-27,
and is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only. Admission is free and donations are accepted.
So we truly hope that you've enjoyed visiting Palo Duro Canyon with us!
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