The Palo Duro Canyon is located in Texas and has a length of about 121 miles and a width of approximately 6 miles it is the second largest canyon in the United States. The canyon is about 803 feet deep, because of these dimensions it is also called the Grand Canyon of Texas. The Prairie Dog Town branch of the Red River forms this canyon, it meanders through the Caprock Canyon in west Texas.
In July 1934, the park was founded.

History of the park: The name Palo Duro comes from Spanish explorers and means “Hard wood”, presumably therefore, because there are many mesquite and juniper trees in the canyon.
Early settlers lived 12,000 years ago in the canyon, they were nomadic tribes who hunted mammoths, bison and other large animals. Later, the Apache tribe of Indians lived in Palo Duro Canyon, but these were soon replaced by the Comanche Tribe and Klowa Indians, who lived until 1874 in the canyon and hunted.

1874 Col. Mackenzie then was sent into the area to transport the Indians to Oklahoma. Col. Mackienze and his cavalry have captured the 1400 horses that belonged to the Indians. The best horses they kept for themselves and put the rest in the Tule Canyon, and there they were destroyed. Cut off from the only way of getting around the Indians soon surrendered. In 1876, Charles Godnight came into the canyon and opened the JA Ranch. In their glory days the ranch had more than 100,000 head of cattle. The ranch existed until 1890. Though only a small part of the original ranch still stands today, the JA Ranch is still in operation today.

Proposed route for the trip to Palo Duro State Park

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