Just a short drive from Amarillo, TX, was the very well reviewed Palo Duro State Park. We thought about just leaving it for our next time through the area since we had just the visited the Grand Canyon. I mean, how could you top that? It was so hot that hiking the dog-friendly trails was not an option, but we decided that we should at least take a little driving tour.
The canyon walls were loaded with impressive color with the various sedimentary layers exposed by centuries of erosion.
When we realized we were crossing the Red River, we had to wonder if this was the Red River Valley memorialized in the old western song. Joani's subsequent research seemed to indicate it was not the case.
I do not know why the rocks below made me think of The Flintstones. I guess the relatively flat slabs of rock reminded me of the roofs in Bedrock.
Lighthouse Rock, the park's most famous landmark (almost any search of the park will show beautiful views of this rock formation) was more than a three-mile hike (one way) from the road. One of the Rangers said we really should start that hike much earlier in the day. I thought it would also be better on a day where the temperature was not in the triple digits. It was just barely visible from one of the overlooks and without a guide, I might have missed it completely. See it there just below the horizon in the picture below?
(Lighthouse Rock is down 1/5th and over 1/3rd of the - good luck!)
Castle Peak is lower left and Lighthouse Rock is upper right.
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