Hiking at Copper Breaks State Park in the Texas Panhandle.

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Hiking at Copper Breaks State Park is one of the fun things to do while visiting this International Dark Sky Park.

Copper Breaks State Park is not big compared to its neighboring state parks: Caprock Canyons and Palo Duro. Therefore, there are only 10 miles of hiking trails for visitors to explore.

Distance of the hiking trails at Copper Breaks State Park are ranging from 0.3 mile to 3.8 mile. The difficulty level is from easy to challenging.

When looking at the numbers, you can easily say you can hike all trails in the park in just one visit. That’s what I thought, too.

But, it depends on certain conditions. Such as where you live, whether you make stops on the way to the park, and so on.

That’s what happened to us. We could only hike on two trails during our one night visit to Copper Breaks.  

First, from our house in the south of Fort Worth it takes around 3h and 30 min drive to Copper Breaks. 

Secondly, we drove around Quanah, the town where the park is located. Who would have thought there are two interesting museums in Quanah?

Apparently, Copper Breaks has a cool Visitor Center. We spent some time there, too.

Lastly, after we set up our tent, I realized I forgot to bring towels for all of us. We were on a Spring Break camping trip to the Panhandle, and it was our first day. Hah! So, we drove back to town to buy towels.

By the time we were ready to hike, it’s already after 3pm. lol. 

So, here are the two hiking trails in Copper Break State Parks that we did.

Hiking at Copper Breaks State Park

When I went online to check out the hiking trails at Copper Breaks State Park, it is said that Bull Canyon Trail – Short Loop is ideal for visitors with limited time to explore the park. Since we spent a night there, I added another trail, Juniper Ridge Nature Trail, to our list. Somehow the description about this trail interests me more and I know my son and his friend would enjoy it, too.

Hiking Juniper Ridge Nature Trail

Distance: .7 mi. (loop)

Difficulty: challenging

Duration: about an hour

We knew that we’re going to hike the rugged trail with steep, rocky terrain once we got to parking. I also saw that my son and his buddy couldn’t wait to start the hike after they spotted boys around their age climbing the rocks.

Not too far from the trailhead, there’s a stairs that take us up the hill. At the end of the stairs, there’s a rock formation that calls the boys names. Lol. They just couldn’t resist the temptation to climb it.

Then we continued until we got to Juniper Ridge Overlook. We saw people fishing by the lake in the distance.

Watch your step at the overlook. Too many people went off trail here, which caused erosion.

From here we went down to a bushy trail then went up again until we found another rocky area that we couldn’t pass before we explored it.

Here is the area where you can see Permian Sea Tide Ripples. They were left by an ancient sea millions of years ago. You must tread lightly in this place to preserve these sandstone ripples. 

Then we went up a bit again and found a gazebo at the top. We let the boys play on the red soil while my husband and I enjoyed the panorama.

From there the hiking trail went down and mostly flat.

At the end of the trail, we could stand on the top of the rock overlooking the Copper Breaks Lake.

Then we walked down to the parking lot.

My son and his friend were 3rd graders when we hiked Juniper Ridge Nature Trail. They enjoyed the trail and didn’t find it hard although the park described it as challenging.

Hiking Bull Canyon Trail – Short Loop at Copper Breaks

Distance: 1.0 mi. (loop)

Difficulty: easy

Duration: about an hour

This is a flat, family-friendly loop trail. Ideal for visitors with limited time to explore the park, according to the park’s brochure.

Lots of coyotes scat on the trails that the boys decided to change the name of the trail to Coyote Trail. We had to pay attention to where we walked.

At the fork we turned left to the short loop. If you take the long loop, it will take you down into scenic Bull Canyon. You will hike on a moderate .9 mi on Bull Canyon Homesteader Loop. We didn’t do it because my son’s friend was getting tired. It was his first hiking trip.

Not too far from the fork, there’s a narrow path on the right of the trail. It took us to the rim of a Bull Canyon.

Besides mesquite trees, there were Yucca Plants and Pencil Cactus along the trail.

Before we reached the end of the trail, we saw an abundance of beautiful yellow birds. I’m not a bird watcher. My guess is that they were a warbler or a vireo.

In the end, Juniper Ridge Nature Trail is more interesting than Bull Canyon Trail – Short Loop. I would say children will have more fun climbing and exploring the rocks rather than hiking on flat terrain. It might be a challenging trail, but it’s not that hard. It’s doable. When you plan a quick stop at Copper Breaks State Park, I suggest you hike Juniper Ridge Nature Trail instead.

Other Hiking Trails in Copper Breaks State Park

River Run Trail. Moderate 1.4 mi., for hiking and biking. You will meander through quiet grasslands that connect the Bull Canyon Short Loop to the Rocky Ledges Loop.

Chris’ Link. Easy 1.3 mi., for hiking and biking. A trail to experience the rolling plains landscape that connects the Equestrian Trail with the Bull Canyon Loops.

Equestrian Trail. Moderate 3.8 mi., for hiking, biking, and equestrian. A scenic trail that loops past prairie, woodland, and wetland areas. Look for wildlife and wildflowers.

Rocky Ledges Loop. Challenging 1.1 mi., for hiking and biking. You will wind and climb through rocky outcrops and woodlands.

Thirsty Horse Trail. Easy 0.3 mi., for hiking and/or biking. A picturesque trail where wildflowers bloom during springtime. Also a great spot for birdwatching, so bring your binoculars.

Dark Sky Trail. Moderate 0.8 mi., for hiking and/or biking. Just like its name, it will take you to a place for stargazing.

Things to do besides hiking at Copper Breaks State Park

STARGAZING

Copper Breaks is a stargazer dream destination. The International Dark Sky Association has designated the park as an International Dark Sky Park.

From April through November they offer monthly star parties, as well as other night sky programs throughout the year. Check out the events page for the schedule. 

But, you don’t have to join the night sky programs to enjoy the dark sky at the park. You can enjoy it from your campsite. We saw billions of stars while visiting. It’s too bad the temperature went down to 30s that made us go early to our sleeping bags.

FISHING AND SWIMMING

As always, you don’t need a fishing license to fish in Texas State Parks. They even lent you the fishing gear for use in the park.

You can fish at Lake Copper Breaks or Big Pond. Each winter the TPWD stock Lake Copper Breaks with rainbow trout and/or channel catfish. There is a fishing pier and fish cleaning station on the lake.

A part of the lake designated for swimming, but no lifeguard on duty.

CAMPING

You can bring your RV or do tent camping at Copper Breaks. Choose a campsite with electricity, water, water (equestrian), primitive (hike-in), or group camp. They also have overflow campsites. Restrooms with showers nearby.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Enjoy horse riding on the 3.8-mile Equestrian Trail, but you must bring your own horse and proof of a negative Coggins test at check-in.

There’s Equestrian Campsites with a parking area and a large tank for horses.

PADDLING AND BOATING

Enjoy the 60-acre Lake Copper Breaks from your kayak, canoe, or small fishing boat. But the lake is a no-wake zone and jet skis are not allowed.  

JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM

Children can become a Junior Ranger at Copper Breaks. Pick up the activity journal at the office, and they will earn a badge after completion. 

You can also borrow an Explorer Pack loaded with tools like binocular, field guide, and more.Near the park entrance, you will see a herd of Texas longhorns. Together with Palo Duro SP, San Angelo SP, and Lyndon B. Johnson SP & Historic Site, Copper Breaks State Park is a member of the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd.

Basic Info Of Copper Breaks SP

Address: 777 Park Road 62, Quanah, TX 79252-7679. Ph.: (940) 839-4331.

Entrance Fees: 13 years and older $3 daily, child 12 years and under FREE.

Hours: Open daily from 7am to 10pm.

Busy Season: Spring and Summer.

Climate: January average low is 24 degrees, July average high is 97 degrees.

Elevation: 1,568 feet.

Nearby State Parks, Historic Sites, and State Natural Areas:

• Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway
• Palo Duro Canyon State Park
• Lake Arrowhead State Park

Area Attractions:

• Medicine Mound
• Hardeman County Jail Museum in Quanah
• Quanah Acme and Pacific Depot Museum
• Quanah Parker Monument
• Firehall Museum in Crowell

Distance from major cities:

• Amarillo: 2h 30m
• Fort Worth: 3h
• Dallas: 3h 30m
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 3h 30m