Camp in Caprock Canyons State Park, and awaken to a glorious dawn, glowing on red, orange and white shale, sandstone and siltstone walls. Bison graze freely nearby in the park’s almost 14,000 acres. Prairie dogs scamper around in “towns.” Sheep, mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, porcupines, jackrabbits and birds live among the blue grama, buffalo grass, sideoats grama, Indian grass, yucca, wildflowers, cacti, cottonwoods, wild plum thickets and junipers that dot the park’s many vistas.
Caprock Canyon was formed by two forks of the Little Red River, cutting into the Llano Estacado High Plains Escarpment for almost a million years, producing some rock walls over 1,000 feet high. Nomadic people, the Folsom, arrived in the canyon about 10,000 years ago. From the rock, they fashioned spear tips used to kill large animals. Hunter-gatherer groups followed. Permanent settlements began about 1,000 years ago, and the Spanish explorer, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, discovered the canyon in 1541. The Apache, Kiowa and Comanche occupied the canyon during the 1700s-1870s.
Anglo settlers arrived in the 1800s, when bison were being killed in large numbers by trappers, hunters, comancheros (traders) and the U.S. Army. Mary Ann Goodnight, who was co-owner of JA Ranch with her husband, Charles Goodnight, saved bison to prevent probable extinction. The Texas State Bison Herd is genetically descended from the Goodnight herd and is perhaps one of the last examples of native Texas bison.
Also unique to the park is an abandoned railway line that offers hiking, biking and an equestrian trail. The 64-mile trail crosses Quitaque Canyon to Estelline, running through the 742-foot-long Clarity Tunnel, home to Mexican free-tailed bats, and along many original trestles. Over 90 miles of multiuse trails exist ranging from easy to very challenging, and visitors can boat, fish and/or swim in Lake Theo. A lodge, as well as campsites with water or water and electricity are offered, and backpackers and equestrians can take advantage of primitive camping sites. Hands-on activities await visitors of all ages at the Children’s Discovery Center, and the exhibits at the Interpretive Pavilion explain the canyon’s geology and Native American history.
In this ranching country, the weather and terrain changes quickly, making for hardy residents. The town of Quitaque is near the intersection of the Cottonwood and Los Lingos creeks. Area attractions include Camp Resolution, one of four encampments of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition; the Valley of Tears; and the Comanchero Canyons Museum, which tells the history of the area with exhibits of artifacts dating from the Clovis era through the 1800s. Dining, bed-and-breakfasts and hotel accommodations are available in Quitaque, Silverton, Turkey and Childress, Texas. Horseback riding is offered at the historic Pole Canyon Ranch and the Quitaque Riding Stables.
Internet and cell service are rare or nonexistent in the area, but that’s not why people flock to Caprock Canyons State Park. The stunning vistas, geology, wildlife, adventures, bison and a return to ranching days of old where a handshake still means something are just a few reasons to visit.
Sources:
1. Parent, Laurence. Official Guide to Texas State Parks & Historic Sites. 2018, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. pgs. 102-104.
2. “Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway.” Texas Parks & Wildlife online.
Written by Virginia Riddle
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