Hiking the Palo Duro Canyon
I believe last I left off, I mentioned that we hiked one of the easier trails at Palo Duro Canyon, the Pioneer Trail. It rained one day last week so the following day, I wanted to get everyone, myself included, out and about. We hit the Paseo Del Rio Trail.
What were we in search of? Why a cowboy dugout of course! Not too far down the trail we happened upon it. It was really neat. The park has done a great job preserving it.
It’s a real cowboy dugout that remains from when the canyon was owned by Charles Goodnight. His JA Ranch supported over 100,000 cattle at one time. And with that many cattle, he needed cowboys.
Obviously some of it has been staged. You can’t go inside but you can get a good glimpse through the boarded up entrance. The park even installed a light switch on a timer because it was mighty dark in there. 
Texas Longhorn at the front gate to the park
The kids really enjoyed it. We hiked a little further down the trail but it kept getting muddier and muddier. We saw frogs jumping in the mud puddles and finally decided to head back. We had to take our shoes off when we got back to the car because they were full of red clay.
On Sunday, we took off for the infamous Lighthouse Trail. This trail is one of the most traveled in all the canyon. The reward is a view of the parks icon, the formation that has eroded to look like a lighthouse.
It is also the trail where most deaths in the park occur, especially in summer. The trail isn’t too hilly but it’s a LONG hike. We hiked in with two water backpacks consisting of two gallons. We nearly drank all of it before we made it out! I wanted to make sure I kept the kids and pup well hydrated.
You see, even though it’s November, the canyon heat gauge (yes, they have them on the trail) read 90 degrees around two o’clock! There is very little shade so you’re hiking nearly the whole way in full sun. And it’s a total hike of 5.5 miles. I cannot imagine attempting to hike it in summer when the temps can reach the 120’s!!
The one thing I wish I’d brought with us was a few snacks. Almost immediately, Nadia was crying the hunger blues. And by the time we were three-quarters of the way done, I was feeling nauseous.
I’m not sure if the kids enjoyed the hike as much as I did. We got to get up close to the beautiful deep red canyon wall in one spot and touched it. The layers of white interspersing with the red made it all the more stunning.
We touched these walls!
We spotted a lizard soaking up the suns rays while perched atop a rock. There were also quite a few neat rock formations that I hadn’t expected. We saw lots of washes where the water rushes down and allows the dry parched earth to have a drink now and then.
It was my first hike in desert climate and it was pretty amazing. As we were hiking back, the beautiful blue sky was the perfect canvas for the gorgeous jagged canyon walls. It was like the ocean with different subjects.
You know when you stand on the edge of the shore and stare at the vast ocean? It looks like it never ends. As I looked at the stunning canyon walls reaching into the vast deep blue sky, it looked like it could go on forever. And yes, the sky was really that blue. I didn’t edit these photos. 
We didn’t hike all the way to the lighthouse but almost. I promised the kids we’d turn around once I was able to get a decent picture from the trail. The lighting wasn’t favorable for a very good one though.
We hiked a total of five miles. It was a bit too much with the heat, especially since we’re not conditioned for this climate. But we did it! Next time, I’ll remember my hat, bring snacks and hike a shorter distance.
