Stop #6: Canyon Rim RV and Campground, Palo Duro Canyon State Park

When visiting Falling Waters State Park we met Pat and Trina (@lifebeingwelllived on FB) who have been full-time RV traveling for a few years now. While discussing where we were heading, they recommended we visit Palo Duro Canyon. Now, we did not even know this place existed, much less that it was referred to as the Grand Canyon of Texas. Since they had such rave reviews, we decided to add this stop to our journey and it didn't disappoint!

We tried to reserve a site at the state park campground but they were booked so we booked at Canyon Rim RV and Campground instead. This campground lies at the top of the canyon... right on the rim as its name implies. It's a no bells and whistles type of campground. No amenities, dirt all around... but the canyon and sunset views more than made up for it. Once we got there and drove over to the state park we were very thankful we weren't able to book a site directly in the park, as we would've had to tow the RV down some very windy roads. Phew!

Our site at Canyon Rim.

Canyon view from campground

Gorgeous sunsets!

The canyon is much bigger than we imagined and has some very neat family friendly trails to explore. On our first day, we visited the Visitor Center and then set out to do the Juniper Riverside trail per a ranger's recommendation. This trail however turned out to be underwhelming. The river was dry and it was on the opposite side of the canyon so there wasn't much to look at. We soon aborted that mission and set out to the Big Cave which we saw on our way there. This hike was great. The trail starts out easy and is then followed by a short scramble up to the cave. This part is not exposed and while a bit steep it was totally feasible to do with the kids. The cave was very cool to see up close and the view from the top was beautiful. The kids and Paul also hiked up the side to the top of the cave, which I opted to sit out and take pictures from below. :)

Hiking to the Big Cave

Beautiful red rock views.

At the cave!

On our second full day we decided to go for the popular Lighthouse Trail. According to the brochure we got at the visitor center we understood it was close to 3mi roundtrip but as we set out on our hike we soon realized it was this distance one-way. We didn't plan well and left a little too late in the day (around 3p) so by the time we reached the base of the lighthouse (before the scramble up to the summit) we had to call it and head back. Attempting the summit would've added another hour to our hike, which would've had us walking back past sunset which is not ideal with kids in tow. Not reaching the summit was no doubt disappointing, but the canyon views along the way were beautiful so it wasn't a total waste of a hike. So learn from our mistakes, if attempting this hike do get started early in the day to give yourself enough time. Also, make sure to take plenty water and snacks. During our hike we witnessed a rescue take place where a woman had to get transported back with an IV. Based on when we saw the rescue team head in and when they headed back we assume this person was close to the summit when needing help. So do prepare well when doing this hike. This was the longest hike our kids had done to date and we were happy to see how well they did. It was a cool day which probably helped but they did the entire hike mostly on their own... our six year old daughter only asked to be carried during the last 10 mins of the hike.

On our way to the Lighthouse.

The beautiful canyon.

Didn't summit but still fun.

In addition to hiking trails, there are also other activities you can do when visiting Palo Duro, such as zip lining, jeep tours, and horseback riding (make sure to check on line before going as some of these activities are seasonal). We looked into horseback riding but prices were a bit much in our opinion ($150 pp for one hour) and we decided to wait to do this activity in Arizona where prices were a bit more reasonable.

While there, make sure to stop by Sad Monkey Mercantile for a bite or a drink. It's a very cool market/restaurant that offers light bites, and drinks. They have indoor as well as outdoor seating. We went after one of our hikes and ended up pretty much having dinner there after ordering grilled cheese sandwiches and a charcuterie board. We also ventured out to Amarillo which is pretty close to Palo Duro to run some errands and ended up stopping at Cadillac Ranch on our way back. It was cold and windy so we didn't stay too long but honestly, besides it maybe being a cool photo op, this isn't a place we would recommend driving to, unless it's literally on the way to another more interesting destination. Sure, the cars are colorful (picture on picture slide below) and you can spray paint them while you're there, but there's tons of trash all around (I guess people just throw the spray paint cans on the floor when they're done) and there's not much else to do there.

Loved Sad Monkey!

Cadillac Ranch

So overall Palo Duro Canyon was a very cool unplanned detour. We recommend adding Palo Duro Canyon to your list of places to visit! Thanks again Pat and Trina for the reco!