Palo Duro Canyon, Canyon system in Armstrong County, United States.
Palo Duro Canyon is a gorge in the Texas Panhandle that extends for 40 miles and cuts down as deep as 1,000 feet (300 meters) in some spots. The formation displays alternating layers of red and ochre rock that can be traced during walks through gentle hills and narrow valleys.
A military campaign in 1874 led by Colonel Ranald Mackenzie resulted in the removal of tribes from this area and opened the way for ranching. Charles Goodnight established the JA Ranch on the slopes a few years later and used the grasslands for large herds.
The performance at Pioneer Amphitheatre carries the title TEXAS and links music with regional stories about life on the Plains. The show ends with fireworks that illuminate the rock faces in different colors.
More than 30 miles of trails pass through flat and steep sections and suit walkers and cyclists. Overnight stays are possible at basic tent sites or equipped lodgings.
The canyon's best-known formation is Lighthouse Rock, a hoodoo reached by a 6 mi (10 km) round-trip loop trail. Charles N. Gould mapped the canyon and named its rock formations in 1905. The Tecovas shales have yielded fossils of phytosaurs, the amphibian Metoposaurus and petrified wood of Araucarioxylon.
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