Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway; so Many Things to Like

First of all, you’ve got to like this landscape. We’re camped on Honey Flats and the view from the flats is an array of red rock canyons. The distant hills are capped with a white calcite rock resistant to erosion.

But where the cap is broken the red rocks below are eroded into deep canyons.

Pillars and cliffs abound…

creating beautiful vistas everywhere.

Added to this are twisting veins of gypsum.

adding special interest to the trails.

Then there is the wildlife. There is a prairie dog town right next to the campground.

Their sentries raise the alarm every time you walk by.

There were two mule deer right in the campground,

I saw a couple of my favorite birds, roadrunners,

and Matey even had a cardinal share his water bowl.

But the stars of the park are the bison.

The official Texas State Bison Herd lives here. These animals are the descendants of some orphaned calves rescued at the end of the great bison slaughter in 1878 by Charles Goodnight at the urging of his wife, Mary Ann.

Eventually they had a herd of 200 on their JA Ranch. On their death the herd dwindled until 1997, when the remaining 32 were moved here. It was found that these were the only remaining genetically unique southern plains strain.

Today there are around 300 and this is their home first. They hang around the trails,

wander the roads,

and go swimming at the boat ramp. There was one in a campsite when we arrived (happily not ours).

The grazing of the bison is helping to restore the prairie, favoring the deep rooted grasses and suppressing the cactus and juniper. The park also uses controlled burns to clear the brush so the grasses can get established.

This park also has great trails. Yesterday we walked the Canyon Rim Trail, a two mile loop right next to the campground.

There were plenty of beautiful views,

and bison.

You’re supposed to stay about 50 yards away from the bison, but sometimes it’s not possible. This big guy stepped out of the brush about 50 feet in front of Matey and I. I backed up a few paces and then we walked back to where Bud was and waited for him to go back in the bushes. We still walked by about 100 feet from him, but at least he was back in the bushes and not looking at us anymore.

This morning Bud and Matey and I drove to the far trailhead of Eagle Point Trail.

We all walked as far as the natural bridge, where there was a tunnel eroded under the trail. Bud and Matey walked about a quarter mile back to the truck and I walked back to the campground, about two miles on the trail and another three quarters of a mile back to our site.

This is one of nicest trails I’ve walked on. It was very well made.

It went through some rugged areas, but the trail was always pretty smooth.

And the scenery was spectacular.

Usually when I’m hiking alone I’m kind of glad to get to the end of the trail,

but not with this one.

I hated to leave this beauty behind.

Happily the walk back still afforded some great views.

I’m leaving you with a map of where this is, just southeast of Amarillo and the junction of I-40 and I-27, because if you ever come camping in this part of the country you should come here.