"Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam and the deer and the antelope play." In June of 2021 we found such a place when we spent three days at Caprock Canyons State Park in the panhandle of Texas. While we did not see any antelope or deer we did see plenty of buffalo! Read on to learn about our camping adventures out in west Texas.
Caprock Canyons State Park is located near the town of Quitaque (KIT-i-kway), Texas. I like to say you go to the middle of nowhere and then head west for an hour and you will arrive. What will you find when you "arrive"? A gorgeous state park!
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| Buffalo grazing at sunrise in Caprock Canyons State Park |
We spent 3 nights in our travel trailer True in campsite 26 in the Honey Flat area. The campsite was spacious with a covered picnic table area which was nice for hanging our hammock. I liked the location of campsite 26 because we had a concrete trail that led to the bathrooms right next to our campsite. We have Verizon cell service and there was NO CELL SERVICE. Thankfully the state park has Wi-Fi available at the Honey Flat bathroom area and we could get Internet from our campsite. Not fast Internet, but we did have some Internet which is better than nothing. I should mention the only place we had Internet at our campsite was next to our picnic table on the back side of the campsite. You could also walk or drive up to the bathroom area and have Internet service there as well. Surprisingly we were able to pick up 5 TV channels on OTA antenna. Campsite 26 has privacy due to the green belt between neighboring sites. The Honey Flat area is located on the rim of the canyon, while primitive sites and tent sites are in the canyon. All campsites in the Honey Flat area have only water and electric. Sadly, there are no full hookups at this state park. Caprock Canyons State Park has limited camping sites available, make sure you book far in advance so you can get a spot. Currently there are ten 50 amp sites, 25 thirty amp sites, 9 campsites with water, and 80 primitive campsites along 16 miles of trails. If you don't have the Texas state parks annual pass, it is well worth the money if you plan to camp 2 or more times in a year. Here are some pictures of campsite 26.
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| The covered picnic area was nice to have. |
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| The buffalo roam the entire park, including our campsite. |
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| Honey Flat camping area |
Remember how I said you were in the middle of nowhere when you visit Caprock Canyons State Park? Be advised to bring the supplies you need for the duration of your stay. The town of Quitaque has limited options. There were no restaurants open during our visit. There was a gas station and a small grocery store. The next town over is Turkey, Texas about 10 miles east and it is not much bigger.
During our stay we enjoyed hiking, biking, and fishing. Caprock Canyons State Park has 30 miles of hiking trails. Thankfully when we were there the weather wasn't too hot and we were able to hike a few trails. Remember to bring lots of water with you when you hike. The air is dry and you can dehydrate quickly even on mild days.
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| If you begin the trail in the canyon, the natural bridge you are looking for is not far from the trailhead. We missed it on our way out but found it on our way back to our vehicle. |
One of my favorite activities we did while staying at Caprock Canyons State Park is ride our bicycles on the Caprock Trailway from Monk's Crossing to the Clarity Tunnel. You can access the Caprock Canyons Trailway from many locations along the 64 mile trail but the closest access point is Monk's Crossing. To get to Monk's Crossing, you will have to travel by vehicle out of the state park and through town for about 12 miles to the Monk's Crossing parking lot. Caprock Canyons Trailway is a former railroad line that makes for great biking as the trail is wide and flat. The trail is 4.5 miles one way to the tunnel so a 9 mile round-trip ride. It was an easy trail with 6 bridge crossings between Monk's Crossing and the tunnel. If you visit between April and mid-October you will find up to 500,000 Mexican free-tailed bats calling the tunnel home. When we visited, the tunnel had a steady wind blowing out of it giving us much needed cool air after a 4.5 mile bike ride. Remember to take lots of water for your ride.
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| Caprock Canyons Trailway (no filter applied to this photo, it is just that gorgeous!) |
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| Clarity Tunnel |
We spent some time fishing in Lake Theo located within the state park. However, I must say Lake Theo is really disappointing. The lake level is down really low. When full the lake is 130 surface acres in size. When we visited I would say the lake was down to maybe 90 surface acres in size.
Caprock Canyons State Park is located 90 miles south of Palo Duro Canyon State Park. After visiting both parks, I must say Caprock is my favorite. Here are some reasons why I like Caprock Canyons State Park best:
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| There is a prairie dog village near the canyon rim and the bathroom. Fun to watch! |
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| This guy greeted us on our arrival. It was getting dark and we needed to set up camp but he had other ideas! |
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Wherever your travels take you, may God bless you each mile of your journey.