Palo Duro Canyon is the second-largest canyon in the country, after the obvious leader. And its location is so unsuspecting: it sits in the panhandle of Texas, just south of Amarillo, surrounded by flat ranchland. Palo Duro Canyon State Park protects most of this incredible natural wonder.
Riders arriving in the park are greeted with sweeping vistas of the stunning canyon landscape dropping away into the ground below. Cliffs of myriad red hues line the massive cleft in the ground, and in the flat bottom of the canyon, cottonwood trees, mesquite, and willows crowd the banks of the stream, while yucca, prickly pear cactus, and sagebrush grow on the drier sides of the canyon.
The state park is home to a 26-mile trail system, with extensive singletrack lacing the valley floor and climbing high up the canyon walls. The easiest trails are located in the bottomlands, with the singletrack becoming progressively rockier and more challenging the higher it climbs.
Palo Duro has long been renowned as one of the best trail systems in the state, but unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have changed much over the years. During a visit in 2025, I found rugged, historic singletrack that was quite eroded in places and had extensive trail braiding in some of the flat areas. There wasn't any modern trail development to be seen, but even so, this classic destination is still standing the test of time.
As an added bonus, the camping in the bottom of the canyon with trail access right out the van door can't be beat!
-Greg Heil
9
This was a great experience. From what I could tell the trails south of the main road were perfect for mountain biking. They were smooth for the most parts with a few climbs that could be managed. The trails on the north side of the main road were rough with a lot of challenging sections that ended up being more hike a bike than rideable for me. All in all it was still a lot of fun. I was able to log about 18 miles of activity while I was there. Beautiful scenery in the canyon.
| ThankThis is not your typical trail riding experience. There is something here for everyone from easy to advanced. The trails are accessible from the canyon floor and many parallel the road. On Day 1, I took the upper Comanche section down Juniper Cliffside and back up on Juniper River side. From there I took the Capital Trail back up. For the most part, those trails were relatively flat with some sporadic short punchy climbs. Day 2, I started on Lower Comanche which starts off with some short but fairly steep technical climbs. Had a blast going down Rock Garden which would make for a very tough climb going the other way. From there I took the obligatory ride on Lighthouse trail and while the trail is nothing extraordinary in itself it is worth the ride - and then the hike - up to the Lighthouse formation as the views are breathtaking. Heading back I took the GSL trail and did the couple of extra miles by adding Little Fox Canyon. GSL was the most enjoyable with fantastic scenery with some advanced features. Be sure to bring some water. A hydration pack would be best especially in the summer heat.
| Thankanother great ride in Canyon. The Mrs found the little Fox loop this time and nice add to our ride
| ThankFun-riding trails in a fabulous area. Multiple trails take you into different areas of the park. Mostly easy to intermediate with notable technical sections thrown in.
| ThankLiking all the trail options in the Canyon!!!!!
| ThankI drove out there yesterday and left the parking lot about 12:45PM. It was right around 100* when I started and according to the lady at the entrance, it was 106* when I finished. WARM!!! Great variety! I took Comanche to GSL to Lighthouse and back. It was a ton of variety. Flowy and flat to short, somewhat difficult technical climbs with beautiful views. I will go back when it is cooler.
| Thankthe new Comanche trail is top shelf/ledges:)
| ThankLittle bit of everything for everybody - if out of skill set - walk it for a bit - jump back on have pure singletrack bliss :)
| ThankBe back when cooler to camp
And ride????
Cheers to the Palo Duro Corp Engineers on qaulity
| ThankWork in the Canyon.
...my favorite place to ride in TX
Excellent trail system one of the best in the country. Kiowa to Comanche to Rock Garden and back down south Comanche will test any mountain biker,
| ThankI like Palo Duro. I like it so much I go twice a year, camp for a few days and ride every trail. It had great riding trails, great scenery, well maintained facilities and usually pretty peaceful (sometimes depends on who parks next to you).
| ThankGreat MTB Trails! Best state park in Texas. Really great for any level of rider and the scenery is awesome.
| ThankWhat a fantastic network of trails! I came from WI to ride & escape our wet spring and was not disappointed. There really is something here for everyone! Beginners have Juniper River, Sunflower, Paseo Del Rio. Getting a bit more intermediate would be Lighthouse, Rojo, GSL & Fox loop, Juniper Cliff, and Rock Garden for a tougher workout both technically & aerobically. The views are stunning, and there is well over 20 miles of trail. Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to ride the newer Comanche trail (as we got rained out), or another one we stumbled across while hiking that isn't named or mapped (just flagged out and obviously brand new). This was worth a week trip for me, as there are so many options and so much variety. Colorado may have long climbs & descents, but when you don't have mountains, this is some of the best riding you can get!
| ThankCombine a great trail system with amazing scenery and camping and that's five stars for me. Beginner to intermediate/advanced, all mapped and marked, and all enjoyable. GSL trail is fun and part of a big loop. Rock Garden is the best workout climbing to the top of the canyon.
| ThankWe rode a good amount of trails in Palo Duro. Great Riding.
| ThankGreat place to ride if you are in the area. I would definitely ride here again.
| ThankOk, the review for our second day. First, the weather was beautiful. We started on the lighthouse trail which is pretty flat with few technical portions, but wow was it beautiful. The hike to the lighthouse was amazing and the scenery second to none. Continuing on the gsl trail to the north, we found a bit more technical portions with a few really technical sections with drops, climbs, and rock gardens. Nothing too aggressive though. We looped back to the parking area by way of the paseo which is just a flat dirt run parallelling the road. Then we hit capitol again. Really fun day. I recommend this system to anyone that loves to ride. There is something for everyone.
| ThankWe just traveled across half of missouri, kansas, and oklahoma to ride at palo duro. We loved our first trail ride on capitol peak and will be hitting several more tomorrow. The trail was fun, fast, with great flow. If nothing else, go to palo duro to take in the amazing natural sights. Looking forward to tomorrow then heading south through texas in search of other rides.
| ThankOne of the best kept secrets in Texas!! There is fun and flowy, flat and easy, and steep and techy. These trails have a good mix of everything.
| ThankAmazing system of trails! Hard packed dirt, excellent flow and mix skill level options. Bring a bike lock with you, if you ride to the lighthouse overlook, you can lock your bike to a bike rack when you hike to the top. Lots of hikers on that specific trail, but all of the other trails are really open for thrashing the trail. Not too many climbs or technical areas, but enough to make it interesting. I love this trail and plan on returning next weekend! Camp and ride all night as the trail would be great for night riding! Catch the Texas Outdoor Musical in the amphitheater while here!
| Thank