Roaming with the Bison at Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway
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I was struck with the spacious reddish canyon in the horizon as we drove to our campsite in Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway. I thought in Texas I could only see views like that in Palo Duro, the second largest canyon in the United States. Then we saw a herd of bison by the roadside and around the campsite. “Wow! We’re not just roaming with the bison at Caprock Canyons State Park, but we’re going to sleep with them too for the next 2 nights,” I said. Sweet!
Where is Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway?
Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway location is far from big cities. It is located around 3 miles from the small town Quitaque (pronounce: kitty-quay), and Quitaque itself situated between Turkey in the east and Silverton in the northwest. Yup! More names that you probably never heard of.
If you are familiar with US highway 287 from Dallas to Amarillo, you will probably notice the sign of Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway pointed to the west of the highway once you get closer to Estelline, after Childress. Or Memphis, if you come from Amarillo. You will need to drive another 47 miles from here, passing Turkey, and turn north after you reach Quitaque.
From Palo Duro Canyon State Park it is located around 90 miles to the southeast, and 102 miles from Amarillo. If you come from Dallas, you need to drive around 311 miles. Long, but worth the drive.
Address: 850 Caprock Canyon Park Road, Quitaque, TX 79255.
Best time to visit: fall and spring or when temperature is mild.
Roaming with the Bison at Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway
Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway was our second stop during our Spring Break camping and hiking trip in the Texas Panhandle. We drove from Fort Worth, and our first stop was Copper Breaks State Park, one of the International Dark Sky Park in Texas, where we spent two nights there. Our son bff came along with us, and it was our first time in the Caprock Canyons for all of us.
As we drove back to Visitor Center for the ranger program, we saw more of bison roaming around the park. They were by the campsites, Lake Theo, and the visitor center; from adults to juveniles.
Ranger Programs
Pin the Tail on the Bison
In the afternoon of our arrival, my son and his buddy got a chance to join the program called “Pin the Tail on the Bison”. They weren’t literally pinning the bison, but it was a fun way for them to learn about bison uses. The park ranger taught them everything about bison from head to toes, and they even got a chance to lift its skull and feel its fur.
Then the ranger told them the history of bison in the area. Bison started roaming the area from the Folsom Man era dating back to 10,000 – 12,000 years ago. In the 1500s – 1700s, during early Spanish explorer in Texas, bison’s fur was one of the commodities. The saddest year was between 1874-1878, the years of the great slaughter when the great southern bison herd practically eliminated. They learned that Mary Ann and Charles Goodnight started saving the bison from extinction back in 1878; and as of March 16, 2017, there were 140 bison in the park. All of them descend directly from the Goodnight bison.
They also learned when bison become disturbed or agitated, they tend to hold their tails up in a question mark shape. It means you have to stay away from the bison. We saw it once from the car but that’s because the bison was doing #2. Hehe..
Constellations in the Canyon
On the second night when we were there, the parked offered Constellations in the Canyon program. Our wannabe Astronaut son was so excited.
We got there early so he could ask questions to the professional stargazers and learned about their telescopes.
After a while, he decided he wanted to set up his telescope, too. He got it from his aunt last Christmas and he brought it along with him on this trip. Boy, how serious he was when he set it up. One of the stargazer professionals told me, “He will never forget this moment.” I know I will never forget!
It still gives me a smile whenever I remember that moment: him with his tiny telescope surrounded by the professionals with their huge high-end telescopes.
Before night fell, we got to see Venus. I thought I would see the whole planet. But in a telescopic view, it looked like a crescent moon. It is because of its position between the Earth and the Sun.
Then darkness fell. Orion Belt, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia, North Star, and billions of stars appeared one by one. We got to see the Orion Nebulae and thru the biggest telescope they had that night, I could see its horse’s shape. We got to see the Pleiades, an open star cluster that is also known by Seven Sisters. There was Betelgeuse, the Red Supergiant. They also pointed us Leo constellation and some others. It was a night to remember.
Even though Caprock Canyons is not an International Dark Sky Park, in my opinion it is one of the great places in Texas to stargazing and practicing your night sky photography skill.
Before you visit Caprock Canyons, go to their website for the latest info on events in the park. When you visit with children, make sure to grab their Junior Ranger program at the Visitor Center.
Hiking at Caprock Canyons State Park
Caprock Canyons State Park has more than 25 miles of trails for you to explore by foot, bike, or horse. They are ranging from easy to very challenging, crossing the scenic canyons, native prairie wildlife, and you will get an opportunity to witness the American bison in nature.
Haynes Ridge Overlook Trails is the very challenging and most popular trail in the park, leading up to the highest part of the park. Eagle Point Trail will take you to a Natural Bridge, while Upper North Prong Trail will lead you to The Last Dance, a hoodoo geologic formation resembling a couple in a dance-like pose.
Canyon Rim Spur Trail
Our first hike in the park was on Canyon Rim Spur Trail. The trail started from Honey Flat Camping Area. It was flat, easy, and doable for little children. We could walk to the rim to see the view of the canyon. It’s no Grand Canyon, but I am grateful we have a place like this in Texas. Moreover, it’s only 5-hour drive from home in the south of Ft. Worth.
After 10 minutes of a hike, we saw a herd of bison in a distance. It looked like they go further into the prairie. So, we wouldn’t encounter with them on our hike.
We continued our hiked with stopping and enjoying the view of the canyon here and there. We looked for animal prints and tried to avoid bison’s scat on the trail. The boys still remembered their lesson about bison’s scat that it can also be used as a fire starter.
About 40 minutes later, my husband who was walking ahead of us, signing us to be quiet. He pointed towards the trail ahead and there we saw a herd of bison grazing on grass, right-on-the-trail. Wow! We are roaming with the bison at Caprock Canyons! How cool is that!
After a while, they sensed our presence. We just stood silently and watched them from about 50 yards away. That’s the safest distance if you encounter with them on your hike. Then we had to turn around because we didn’t think they would move soon from the trail. After all, we were the visitors in their backyard.
I think we were so lucky to experience this moment. (A few years later, we also encountered bison herds during a hike in Wichita Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. This time we already had our dog Snoopy who fortunately just stood quietly when he saw the bison.)
Walked to the Natural Bridge and exploring the canyons
It was quite hot when we were there but I insisted we had to visit the Natural Bridge. It was located along Eagle Point Trail but we had no idea how far it is from the starting point.
Well, it wasn’t too long when I saw a small trail on the right side that looked inviting while my husband spotted the wooden bench on the left side. According to the map, that’s where the Natural Bridge is.
So we followed the small trail that took us down to a tunnel under the Natural Bridge. It was a short tunnel but we had to climb and crawl a bit in order to get to the other side of the tunnel. My son and his friend had fun jumping from one rock to another rock here. The tunnel was the main attraction for this Natural Bridge, while the top of the bridge is just like another dirt trail.
When my husband went back to the car, I went with the boys to explore the slot canyons along the area. We saw layers of gypsum on the rocks. They looked remarkable. There were even solid ones on the canyon’s floor. We wanted to explore these never-ending slots further out, but we forgot to bring the map! It wasn’t a good move. So we turned around and explored the hills where we could see our car from the top.
Caprock Canyons State Park is like a giant playground! The boys were just unstoppable. They wanted to climb to the top but I warned them that they didn’t have enough climbing experience for doing that. Fortunately, they knew their limits. They stopped when they couldn’t find a place to put their hands and feet on. Phew!
I didn’t go that high with them but from where I stood, I could also enjoy the scenic view of the park. And our tiny red car looked even tinier. I wish we could stay longer to do hiking around South Prong and North Prong.
Camping at Wild Horse Camping Area in Caprock Canyons State Park
At Caprock Canyons you can find campgrounds with water and electricity as well as primitive with no water and electricity that come with an organic toilet. There’s also Equestrian Site where they allowed tent, trailers, and RV campers to camp with the closest restroom a mile away.
During high seasons like Spring Break, sites with water and electricity got booked fast. So our choice was primitive with the organic toilet or equestrian with horses scat on the ground. I chose to stay at the second one because I just couldn’t stand using the organic toilet for 3 consecutive days.
A few weeks before the trip, my husband bought a popped-up tent where we put our porta toilet. When the package arrived, there’s one thing missing though: the top cover. But, when we used it in the evening, millions of stars were shining on us. Pretty cool, huh?
The campsite itself was nice. It’s huge with 2 corrals per site. There was water source at every site, a picnic table, fire grill/ring, and parking at sites. Surprisingly, the site didn’t smell but the noise from the windmill that stood right in our site was really annoying.
They also put fences around the campground. I think it’s to keep horses inside when they running loose.
When we woke up in the morning, we’ve got visitor outside the campground: bison grazing on grass. What a striking view!
Caprock Canyons Trailway
For more adventures, plan a day trip or a longer excursion to Caprock Canyons Trailway. Here, trails are ranging from 5 to 12 miles long (one way), open to hikers, bikers, and horse riders.
Section of the Trailway are remote, and pass through rugged territory. No water source in this part of the park, and they encouraged you to travel with partners. Visit the park’s website for more info on Caprock Canyons Trailway.
All in all, I was impressed with Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway. Not just by its beautiful nature, but to be able to encounter with bison on the trails and woke up seeing them grazing on grass by the campsite, it makes you appreciate nature even more. It’s not something that you can experience in most parks. Not to mention Caprock Canyons night sky. Absolutely gorgeous!
Have you been to Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway? Tell me what you think about the park by leaving your comment below. If you haven’t been, I’ll be very happy if you pin this image for later and help me spread the article in your social medias with you friends and followers.
Bison are such cool animals and I would love to see them in the nature at the Caprock Canyons State Park. Good to know, that there are ample hiking possibilities and that it is also possible to camp.
Bison is sure making Caprock Canyon SP unique. It’s something to see them grazing on grass outside of your campsite.
I too would find it very cool to see a herd of bison close to my campsite. But it might make me a bit leery about wandering around the campsite. Especially if I had smaller children. But then I guess you just need to watch their tails to see how agitated they might be. But this might all be worth it for a look at the clear night sky! Looks like a lovely spot to camp.
Yes! It’s something different I guess.
What a beautiful adventure especially for the kids as animals always appeal to them. The Bisons look scary for sure but I would love to have a close look at them. Stargazing would also be of keen interest to me and so would be camping at Wild Horse Camping at the Caprock Canyons State Park.
My son and his friend were amazed seeing bison that closed to us. I’m sure other kids who camped in the park had the same feeling.
Whoa! I would have been so scared to sleep in a tent with bison nearby. I saw bison when I visited Yellowstone, and they are pretty huge! I was so glad I was sleeping in a cabin, then 😀. The stargazing sounds incredible, I did it a couple of times with my son and it was so amazing.
We were lucky our campsite has fence around. When there was bison grazing grass by the gate, we had to wait until they’re gone. There are campsites without fence, and bison also grazing grass around that campsites. Just like us, visitors had to stay inside the tent until the bison left. I think visitors to the park aware with the situation, and it added an adventure value.
This is an example of wholesome adventure – wildlife, camping, stars and more. Its always a great feeling to stay close to wilderness and see a bit of another ecosystem. Herd of bison sounds thrilling. The pop up tent looks great. Canyon Rim Spur Trail and the telescope setup sounds like cherry on the cake.
Seeing bison roaming freely would be an amazing memory! I have heard bison can be dangerous when angered but did not know their tail forms a question mark, that’s interesting. Stargazing would be a highlight for me and I love that your son set up his own telescope
Yes! Bison can be dangerous as they are wild animals. That’s why the park give visitors tips for being around bison. Since we learned about the tail form a question mark when gets agitated, we always look for that sign now every time we see bison. The night sky is really pretty in the park. We loved it a lot!
Caprock Canyons State Park looks like a great place to visit for nature lovers. I’m sure my daughter would love being out there, seeing the bison, and exploring everything else the park has to offer. Looking at the constellations through a telescope sounds like a lot of fun. I hadn’t heard of this park before, but will add it to my bucket list.
With all the things the park has to offer to its visitors, Caprock Canyon easily became one of my favorite Texas State Parks. Sometimes I’m sad when not too many people heard about it, but I also found it a good thing. That way you don’t really have to share rooms with too many people when visiting the park.
Caprock Canyons looks like such a beautiful corner of nature and the best place to take your children. Lots of wildlife and a varied landscape. I can’t think of a more interesting experience than that. I can’t imagine the bisons coming so close to the campground. I’ve only seen them in Yellowstone, but there were not as many as in Caprock Canyons Park. I’d love to visit this place someday.
I don’t recall seeing bison this many at Yellowstone either. But, yes, the wildlife and nature in Caprock Canyon is really amazing. Children will sure love the park.
Oh wow! Very sad that there was a massive slaughter, but I am glad that people worked to help save them and bring them back. Such interesting creatures!
I know, right? It was the years when people from the northeast wanted the furs more than ever.
This park concept is something I never knew about. What a great feeling to wake up in the morning and seeing bison so close. The stargazing at night is a great end to the day. The park looks like a great family friendly location.
It’s a big surprise for us when we visited the park. It is a family friendly park, and hard to get a campsite during Spring Break as the weather is still normally nice.
This is a wonderful educative experience. I did not know do much about Bisons until this post. I loved the fact that it was made educative for the kids in an interactive manner. And to be able to see the clear sky… Now that is a real treat too
One of the advantage when waiting for your children attending ranger’s program. You got knowledge about the bison, too. 🙂 I miss that wide clear sky.
Lovely experience of true wildlife in their natural habitat. Canyons state park looks interesting for wildlife and nature lovers. Stargazing with experts through different kind of telescopes is the first thing I would love to do here. Hey you watch planet of love – Venus, wow so lucky. Great to see all astronomical wonders from Canyons state park.
Actually, we didn’t know what to expect from this park. But now we know that we even want to go back.
Caprock Canyons State Park is surely so cool with all the bisons grazing around. You all had a great time, which is evident from your blog. Hiking on the trail along with the bisons is an amazing experience. 50 yards is not very far though. I also liked the camping zone and also the canyons. Such beautiful is the nature.
Thank you, Shreya! My son and his friend still remember our time there. I think he won’t mind if we make another visit there.
Wow! This is super cool. Isn’t this the very advantage of making the little kids travel. What they learn about the bisons here will never be forgotten in the life when compared to sitting in biology class inside a classroom and learning which hardly stays in the mind till the end of the year!
How I miss stargazing! Its been quite a few months since I last got to do some stargazing!
I know, right? I’m pretty sure they still remember all about bison they learned with the ranger.
Woah! Waking up to a Bison right outside your camping area, would have been a fun start to the day. I love star gazing and glad you go to see so many constellations!! I miss star gazing, haven’t been able to do that after relocating to New York. Looks like your son and his friend had a lot of fun and are gonna remember this trip for years! 😀
Waking up to a bison was really something! And yeah, my son and his friend are still remembered their Spring Break trip here. My son still said the star gazing was amazing!
This really reminds me of our Yellowstone National Park , there were plenty of bison spottings – Unfortunately people were not respecting the animals and went pretty close. Thanks for the share.
We saw people coming out from his car just to take pictures of bison in Yellowstone and caused traffic! We were lucky not to have that experience here in Caprock.
That’s cool. This is definitely a wonderful experience and would love to try someday. My boys would be thrilled to join the Junior Ranger Program. They have always been interested. Hope we get to visit soon.
I think this is one of a kind in Texas. Not too many of my Texas born friends knew about this place. So, it’s really great if you get a chance to visit Caprock. I’m sure your boys will enjoy the Junior Ranger Program.
What a great adventure. Your children will always remember this. The Bison are mighty aren’t they? Scary if suddenly you happened on one when you least expect it I guess. The scenery was amazing.
Yes! They are huge!! Glad we didn’t meet them at the unexpected places. Though we had to stay in the car before leaving or coming back to the campsite whenever they were near the gate grazing for grass.
This is amazing. I love wildlife adventures like this. Bison is a rare endangered species. Nice to see so many of them in a protected environment.
Thank you, Sinjana! I’m glad we found this State Park and on a mission to promote it to other Texan. It’s just sad because not too many people aware of this place. Or maybe that’s a good thing?
Hiking plus camping has always even an activity I’ve wanted to do. And my one factor is that there must be a beautiful natural landscape which is what Caprock Canyons has. And to think you roamed with a Bison, it’s incredible. And your little and his friends will have this memory to share ever other time.
Yeah, I’m sure my son and his friend will share this memory for long.
I’ve never visited Caprock Canyons but I am planning a large Texas road trip, and this looks incredible! Thanks for sharing!
Go there. It’s not too far from Palo Duro Canyon SP.
Omg! The beauty of nature. I can’t believe you saw so many bison. I was wondering where you could find them. Now I know. Thanks for sharing this experience!
I was glad I found this park, too. None of my friends talked about this park before.
Wow! I’ve never seen a bison, let alone in the wild. I’m so impressed you could see that many! It’s an amazing place to explore. I also smiled at the photo of your kid with his small telescope. It’s very cute. Is he already talking about ordering a bigger one now that he spoke to the pro? 😉
At first, I thought we could only see bison in the wild only in Yellowstone NP. But now, I know I could see it in my own state. My son talked us to buy him the bigger telescope, but I told him to wait until he makes his own money. 😉
I love how you have briefly mentioned about the activities at first on your opening remarks and then explained them in detail on the following parts. The photos look amazing and I like how there is an activity for the young ones.
Thank you and thank you.
wow….. what an incredible experience. Wildlife, star gazing and camping….. its like a combo made in heaven! And I have to say this is the most I’ve learnt about bisons! LOL. Kids looked like they had a wonderful time.
You know what? I’m proud when I heard my son talked about his trip there. He said to his Pack Leader in the Cub Scout about the star gazing experience, “It’s amazing!” I know he and his friend had a wonderful time!