Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for the foolhardy. It won't be hard to imagine what it was like for the Comanche people in
their final days on the run from the US Army here in the early 1870s.
Sleeping
Primitive campsites
($10)
are available along the Trailways and in the more remote reaches of
the park; get a permit from the state park before setting out. The park also has more deve-
loped campgrounds.
Walk-in campsites
($12)
are the most atmospheric.
Honey Flat
(per site $15-20)
is the park's most developed camping area, with 35 sites with
water and electricity. It's an easy walk to Lake Theo.
Other options are few: most motels are along I-27 in Tulia, Canyon and Amarillo.
Information
Day users can pay their fees at the self-pay station at each trailhead. Trail users should
carry drinking water; in summer it gets hot as blazes and unwise hikers regularly get ill
from dehydration.
At the park's
Visitor Center
( 9am-5pm)
you can rent an audio tour for use with a vehicle
or possibly arrange for a trail bike.
Getting There & Away
To get here, take well-marked FM 1065 from Quitaque 3 miles to the Visitor Center.
Cyclists and hikers can use the services of
Caprock Home Center
( 806-455-1193;
www.caprockhomecenter.com
;
126 W Main St, Quitaque; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, to noon Sat)
, where the owner,
Roland Hamilton, can arrange shuttles to/from various parts of the Trailways as well as
provide supplies.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Palo Duro Canyon
The pancake-flat Texas plains have some real texture at Palo Duro Canyon, it's just that
all the drama is below the horizon rather than above it. The meandering gorge is a place of
brilliant colors and vibrant life (the name means 'hard wood', for the groves of mesquite).
The nearby town of Canyon, 20 miles south of Amarillo, makes for a comfy base.
