In the last week of December, I went hiking in Plao Duro State Park. I had no idea that there was something this spectacular and beautiful in Texas. The colors of the sandstone cliffs were awe inspiring and “hoodoos” (spires with rocks on them) are very cool looking. I thought by staying south (I live in Dallas) the weather would be mild, but it was a weirdly cold week with temperatures averaging in the 20’s and snow flurries in the morning. However, most days were eventually sunny and the weather was pretty pleasant for hiking. I hiked the Rock Garden Trail and its spurs, the GSL Trail, and the Lighthouse Trail. Here is a video of the hike: Video Mix of Pictures and Video
Check out the crazy colors of the sandstone and clay cliffs with lines of bright white gypsum
The Next 2 pictures are of the “Lighthouse” at the end of the Lighthouse Trail and the next pictures are “Hoodoos”, which are those crazy looking pillars often found in deserts with rocks on the top. This was very last minute so I did little to no research before arriving (I usually do a lot) and now I have some info on several spectacular off-trail hikes to slot canyons (Utah style). I only did little to no research since my original plan for the break was to kayak fish Galveston, but there were storms predicted every day. FYI, this is Palo Duro State Park, which is about 25 minutes south of Amarillo. Before this trip…..I never really thought much about hiking in Texas. Who knew that there was such beauty in Texas? !!!!
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